Tim Norman Case: Insurance Plot, Life Sentence, and Appeals

James “Tim” Norman, a cast member on the OWN reality series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” was convicted in the Tim Norman murder-for-hire case of arranging the 2016 killing of his 20-year-old nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., to collect a $450,000 life insurance payout. A federal jury found him guilty in September 2022, and a judge sentenced him to two consecutive life terms plus 240 months for related fraud. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence in July 2024.¹²

The Insurance Scheme That Drove the Plot

The killing grew out of a financial scheme that started more than a year before Montgomery died. In October 2014, Norman began working with insurance agent Waiel “Wally” Yaghnam to apply for multiple life insurance policies on his nephew. Norman wanted the policies issued quickly and without Montgomery’s involvement or knowledge.²

Only one policy went through: a $450,000 policy naming Norman as the sole beneficiary. After the murder, Yaghnam helped Norman file the claim. That paperwork became the basis for the mail and wire fraud conspiracy charge against both men.¹

How the Murder Was Carried Out

Norman coordinated the killing through a small network of accomplices and prepaid phones. He paid Terica Ellis, an exotic dancer from Memphis who knew both Norman and Montgomery, $10,000 to travel to St. Louis on March 14, 2016 and locate his nephew.¹

Ellis contacted Montgomery and got him to share his address. Within an hour of that text, he was shot and killed at the same location. Seconds after the shooting, Ellis called Norman while heading back toward Memphis. Phone records and location data tracing those calls became central to the federal case.

The shooter was Travell Anthony Hill. Weeks before the murder, Hill met with Chris Carroll, described at trial as “Norman’s man on the ground in St. Louis,” to negotiate his fee. Carroll told Hill he was asking for too much. On the day of the killing, Carroll picked Norman up from the airport, and Norman sent him photos pulled from Montgomery’s Instagram.² Once Ellis confirmed Montgomery’s location, Hill went to the address and shot him. Hill was paid $5,000.¹

Why the Case Went to Federal Court

Murder is usually a state charge. This one landed in federal court under 18 U.S.C. § 1958, which reaches anyone who uses interstate travel or communication to arrange a killing for payment. Norman’s scheme crossed state lines repeatedly: Ellis drove from Memphis to St. Louis, Norman flew into St. Louis the day of the shooting, and the group used phones and mail to coordinate across jurisdictions.³

The statute’s punishment scales with the outcome. Ten years maximum if no one is hurt, twenty if someone is injured, and life imprisonment or death when a death results.³ Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty against Norman.

What Happened to the Co-Conspirators

Four other people were tied to the conspiracy. Three pleaded guilty and cooperated. The fourth refused to testify.

Travell Anthony Hill, the shooter, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and to murder-for-hire itself. He testified against Norman at trial and was sentenced to 32 years.⁴

Terica Ellis pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire conspiracy count, admitting she was paid $10,000 to locate Montgomery. She received three years.¹

Waiel Yaghnam, the insurance agent, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for falsifying the policy application and later helping Norman file the claim. He was also sentenced to three years.¹

Chris Carroll never took the stand. The district court accepted his invocation of the Fifth Amendment, finding he faced “real danger by testifying.”²

Trial and Sentence

The trial ran seven days in U.S. District Court. Prosecutors built the case on phone records, financial transactions, location data, and testimony from the co-conspirators who had already pleaded guilty. Hill’s account of being hired by Norman was among the most damaging pieces of evidence.¹

Jurors also heard texts in which Montgomery expressed fear of Norman before his death. The court admitted the messages under a hearsay exception for statements showing a person’s existing state of mind.²

The jury convicted Norman on all three counts: conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire resulting in death, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Judge John Ross found Norman had given false testimony at trial and denied his post-trial motions. Ross then imposed two consecutive life terms on the murder-for-hire counts and a concurrent 240-month sentence on the fraud conspiracy. “Instead, he was caught and will spend the rest of his life in prison,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said after sentencing.¹

Where the Appeals Stand

Norman appealed to the Eighth Circuit, arguing that Carroll and Yaghnam had waived their Fifth Amendment rights and should have been forced to testify, and challenging the admission of Montgomery’s texts, the government’s demonstrative exhibits, and the supplemental jury instructions.

The Eighth Circuit rejected every argument and affirmed the conviction on July 9, 2024. On the Fifth Amendment claim, the panel held that Carroll faced genuine danger if he testified and that Norman’s team never served Yaghnam with a subpoena, so Yaghnam had no obligation to appear.²

Norman then turned to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Kavanaugh granted an extension pushing the filing deadline to February 24, 2025, and the petition for certiorari was filed on February 13, 2025.⁵ The Court has not acted on the petition. Unless it agrees to hear the case, the life sentences stand.

1
United States Department of Justice. Reality Show Star Sentenced to Life in Prison for Arranging Nephew’s Murder
2
Justia. United States v. Norman, No. 23-1473 (8th Cir. 2024)
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1958 – Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-for-Hire
4
United States Department of Justice. Man Who Fired Fatal Shots in Reality Show Star’s Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy Sentenced to 32 Years
5
Supreme Court. Docket for 24A482