A Florida man has been arrested and charged for beating his stepson to death for sneaking out of bed to get a cookie — and then forcing the boy’s three terrified brothers to sleep next to his body all night, prosecutors say.
Jack Junior Montgomery, 31, of Tampa, was arraigned Monday for murder and child abuse of seven-year-old Brice Russell.
He is alleged to have punched his stepson in the face, mouth and stomach, thrown him around the hotel room, shoved his face in the carpet and threatened the same violence against his siblings if they too did not strike their brother.
Jack Junior Montgomery faces murder and child abuse charges
The murders are are alleged to have taken place in the U.S. city of Tampa
They told detectives that their brother, bleeding from his mouth and nose, never regained consciousness.
Brice’s mother, Donya Shenita Russell, allegedly left the child in him in Montgomery’s care – together with his three of his siblings – while she worked a double shift on Friday night. The family was reported by US media to have been staying at a local hotel.
‘While she was out working [Montgomery] chose to not only physically discipline this child himself, by not only repeatedly punching and throwing him on the ground — but threatening bodily harm upon the two brothers if they did not partake and equally discipline him,’ Assistant State Attorney Matthew Smith said in court.
According to his arrest affidavit, Montgomery told investigators that he had been trying to discipline Brice after he got up out of bed to eat the cookie.
He is accused of hurling the child across the room into a cabinet, which he hit head-first and resulted in severe head injuries. Mr Smith said the little boy died within seconds or minutes.
‘As if that was not aggravated enough, Mr Montgomery took the child, put him in bed and had his siblings sleep with him while Brice was dead that entire night,’ Mr Smith said.
Mr Montgomery faces a possible death penalty if he is convicted.