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Background

Robbie Montgomery was one of Ike & Tina Turner’s Ikettes in the 1960s and had a singing career that stretched into the 1970s. She was a backup singer to many popular artists and was a member of a few different musical groups.

By 1996, she had moved on from music and started the soul food restaurant Swettie Pies in Dellwood, Missouri. She went on to open more locations, and in 2011, a reality show about her business premiered on Oprah’s OWN network.

Robbie’s son, Tim Norman, who once served 10 years in prison for robbery, looked like he was turning his life around and later became a partner in his mother’s businesses.

Viewers of the show loved its family aspect as many extended family members worked in the restaurants and appeared in episodes.

Norman’s nephew and Montgomery’s grandson, Andre Montgomery Jr., was one of the family members who appeared on the show.

Murder

On March 14th, 2016, the 21-year-old was working on some music at a home recording studio in St. Louis, Missouri. He stepped outside to use the phone at around 8 pm. Someone came out of nowhere and shot him twice in the stomach.

Police and medical personnel were called to the scene, but there was nothing they could do, and he was pronounced dead.

His death was a devastating event, especially for Robbie, as she had lost her son, and Andre Jr’s father, Andre Montgomery Sr., in 1995 when he was just 34 years old. Things would become more devastating when she learned who was behind the crime.

Arrests

On August 18th, 2020, authorities arrested Tim Norman for hiring someone to kill his nephew for money.

In October 2014, Norman convinced insurance agent Waiel Yaghnam to help him apply for several fraudulent insurance policies on his nephew worth $450,000.

In 2016, Norman was ready to cash in on the policies. He involved an exotic dancer named Terica Ellis in the plot.

Ellis communicated with Norman on August 18th, 2020, and notified him where Andre was located.

From there, a man named Travell Anthony Hill was given the location. He went to the studio and took Andre’s life when the opportunity arose.

Ellis was paid $10,000 for her role in the crime, while Hill was paid $5,000 for the murder.

Legal Proceedings

Norman maintained his innocence, but the evidence was overwhelming, and a jury convicted him of murder for hire and conspiracy to commit wire fraud at his 2022 trial.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2023.

Hill received 32 years, while Yaghnam and Ellis both received 3-year sentences.

Aftermath

After his convictions, Norman posted a statement on Instagram with the hashtag “innocent”saying he was “in disbelief.”

Despite the conviction, his mother has stood by him and believes he did not do it.