Woman sentenced for her role in ‘Sweetie Pie’ star’s death

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A woman who lured a former star of a St. Louis-based reality TV show to a spot where he was killed was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison.

Terica Ellis, 39, was sentenced for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in the March 2016 death of 21-year-old Andrew Montgomery Jr.

Montgomery’s uncle, James “Tim” Norman, was convicted in September of hiring another man to kill Montgomery.

Montgomery and Norman starred on “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” a long-running OWN reality show about a family soul food business in the St. Louis area owned by Robbie Montgomery, Norman’s mother and the victim’s grandmother.

Ellis pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. She admitted she lured Montgomery to a street the night of the killing and gave his location to the killer, Travell Anthony Hill.

Norman was the sole beneficiary of a $450,000 life insurance policy taken out against his nephew’s life and paid Ellis about $10,000 for her role in the plot.

She testified she thought Norman wanted to confront his nephew about a burglary and didn’t know he hired Hill to shoot Montgomery.

Norman was convicted in September of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, among other charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Hill pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October to 32 years in prison on two murder-for-hire charges.