7 October 2020
James “Tim” Norman, one of the stars of the OWN reality series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s”, will be making his first court appearance after being charged in an alleged murder-for-hire plot in August.
According to court documents, Norman, the owner of the Jackson location of the Sweetie Pie’s franchise, was scheduled to appear in court Friday morning in St. Louis. However, documents filed Thursday show Norman has hired a new attorney and his initial appearance has been delayed until Tuesday.
He, along with alleged co-conspirator Terica Ellis of Memphis, Tenn., each face one count of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
Follow the story from the beginning:‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s’ star, owner Tim Norman charged in murder-for-hire plot
Ellis, who made her initial court appearance in September, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Norman and a third party, Waiel Rebhi “Wally” Yaghnam, also face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
What is Tim Norman accused of doing?
According to the indictment, Norman and Ellis are accused of using prepaid cellphones to coordinate the murder of Norman’s nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., in 2016. Montgomery also made appearances on the reality program.
Court documents also allege Norman conspired with Yaghnam to file falsified applications to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies for Montgomery totaling $450,000. Norman was named the sole beneficiary.
Norman was originally appointed a public defender, but later hired an attorney. That attorney filed a motion to withdraw Thursday. Tuesday’s hearing will cover Norman’s arraignment and arrangements for his detention. A trial date has not yet been set.
Related:‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s’ star Tim Norman facing new charges in murder-for-hire case
Has Tim Norman been in trouble before?
Norman has previously had several run-ins with the law. According to his biography in the “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” section on the OWN website, he was arrested on armed robbery charges and served 10 years in prison.
Norman was sued by his mother, Robbie Montgomery, in 2016 for trademark infringement after he allegedly used the Sweetie Pie’s name to open three restaurants in the St. Louis area and in California.
He also faced charges in 2018 for misdemeanor assault charges in Harris County, Texas, after allegedly punching a former employee in the face, according to several news outlets.
In 2019, a Houston-based property company sued Norman for unpaid rent totaling over $254,000. He faced similar trouble in Jackson in December of the same year after the owners of the Plaza Building said he owed $100,000 in rent. Norman said at the time he hadn’t paid due to issues with the building. Previously, the restaurant was forced to close for eight days by the city due to operations violations.
Contact Keisha Rowe at nrowe@gannett.com, on Twitter or at (601) 760-2483.
Source: clarionledger.com