Man accused of murdering stepson after he tried to get a cookie
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Florida (KTRK) -- A man is accused of murdering his stepson, then putting his body in a bed next to his siblings.
Jack Montgomery, 31, told investigators he disciplined 7-year-old Brice Russell on Saturday because the boy tried to sneak out of bed to get a cookie. The child's mother was at work.
Brice's brothers told investigators they saw Montgomery punch him in the head and stomach several times with a closed fist, which prosecutors allege killed Brice within seconds or minutes.
"Picked him up and flung him as described by the other brothers, helicopter across the hotel room into what's kind of a cabinet, where he hit head first. And ultimately caused his brain to bleed," Asst. State Attorney Matthew Smith said.
His brothers say Montgomery tried to splash water on Brice's face, but he didn't wake up.
Prosecutors say Montgomery then, "took the child, put him in bed and had his siblings sleep with him while Brice was dead that entire night."
Montgomery has a history of domestic violence and battery.
He has been charged with murder.
