James Timothy Norman has been found guilty on all three charges in the murder of his 21-year-old nephew Andre Montgomery. Jr. He was shot and killed in the 3900 block of Natural Bridge Road just after 8 p.m. on March 14, 2016.

Norman, 43, was convicted on the charges after the jury deliberated for about 17 hours. He faced two federal murder-for-hire counts and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

Norman orchestrated the 2016 murder, then attempted to cash out up to $450,000 in a fraudulent life insurance policy he took out on Montgomery about 18 months before the death.

Norman and Montgomery starred in “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” a long-running OWN reality show about the popular soul-food business founded by Norman’s mother Robbie Montgomery.

After the murder of Norman’s nephew, he took his mother to the location where Montgomery was murdered. The moment was captured on film and aired on the show.

Assistant United States Attorney Angie Danis made the case in the closing argument for the prosecution that Norman initiated the murder plot in hopes of a payout that was led by greed.

Prosecutors argued the day of the shooting Norman paid $10,000 to an exotic dancer, Terica Ellis, to track his nephew’s location. They accuse Norman of then using a friend to pay $5,000 to the shooter, Travell Anthony Hill, after he killed Montgomery.

Both Ellis and Hill testified for the prosecution.

Norman’s defense attorney Michael Leonard responded in his closing remarks that the murder plot described by prosecutors was a “made-up theory.”

Norman made the rare decision for a criminal defendant to take the stand in his own defense on the final day of testimony Tuesday.

He told the jury he asked Hill and Ellis to find and confront his nephew about a recent burglary at his mother’s home but said he never paid them or asked them to hurt his nephew. 

FBI agents did not confirm who committed the burglary. However, county authorities had cleared Montgomery of wrongdoing in the burglary.

Hill testified that he bought a gun and killed Montgomery after he was told by a mutual acquaintance that Norman would pay to have his nephew killed.

Hill said he was paid $5,000 after the killing by another man, Darryl Howard, who testified he made the payment at Norman’s direction. There were also a number of text messages, call records and location data that corroborated this claim.

Leonard emphasized that Hill testified he was a heavy drug user at the time and “hopped up on drugs that day.”

Hill was indicted in November 2020 on one count of murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. He pleaded guilty in June 2022. He’ll be sentenced on Sept. 20.

Ellis pleaded guilty in July 2022 to one count of murder-for-hire conspiracy.

Waiel Rebhi Yaghnam, Norman’s insurance agent, was indicted in August 2020 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. He pleaded guilty in July 2022. Both Ellis and Yaghnam will be sentenced on Oct. 26. 

Norman’s trial lasted nearly two weeks, including three days of jury deliberations. According to YouTuber Chronicle Speaks, who was present at the press conference, Norman’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15 but his defense attorneys are trying to appeal.