Sweetie Pie's Upper Crust, founded by Robbie Montgomery, was the subject of a reality series on OWN. Montgomery's son James 'Tim' Norman was convicted on Friday.
James “Tim” Norman and his late nephew Andre Montgomery were both stars of the OWN reality show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.” Montgomery was fatally shot in 2016.Last Friday, a federal jury charged Norman with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, but the former “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” star could be sentenced to up to life in prison. Sentencing is set for Dec. 15.
Federal prosecutors said Norman, 43, hired two people to kill 21-year-old Andre Montgomery on March 14, 2016, then tried to collect on a $450,000 life insurance policy taken out on his nephew months earlier. Montgomery left St. Louis after at least $220,000 in cash, jewelry and other items were stolen in a June 2015 burglary at Robbie Montgomery’s home.
Norman told jurors he and his mother hired a private investigator to find and confront his nephew about the robbery but he had no intention of hurting him. While Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust will soon end its run in St. Louis, the restaurant’s notice ends with an optimistic note.The Associated Press contributed to this report.