Trial Begins for "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" James "Tim" Norman. Nephew was Afraid for His Life!

The fans of the OWN show "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" are finally getting the trial they've been looking for that has family pitted against family. The show centered around Miss Robbie Montgomery and her family owned restaurant business but the scandal that ensued after was much more dramatic. Montgomery's son, James "Tim" Norman, has been accused of hiring hitmen to kill his own nephew, Andre Montgomery, in 2016 for life insurance money. After years of evidence gathering, witness and accomplice statements and guilty pleas of others, the trial against Norman is finally underway.

The St. Louis Dispatch reports that during opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll said Norman tried to a collect on a $450,000 fraudulent life insurance policy that he took out on Andre Montgomery because he was badly in need of money to support a lavish lifestyle.

Prosecutors said they will prove Norman hired an exotic dancer, Terica Ellis, to lure Montgomery to a spot near a St. Louis park where he was shot by Travell Anthony Hill on March 14, 2016.

Ellis and Norman have both pleaded guilty to their roles in the plot. Ellis said Norman paid her $10,000; Hill said he received $5,000 indirectly from Norman after the shooting.

Waiel Rebhi Yaghnam, an insurance agent who in 2002 was one of the producers of Nelly's hit album “Nellyville,” pleaded guilty in July to helping Norman take out a fraudulent policy on Montgomery.

Norman's attorney, Michael Leonard, contended during his opening statement that Norman took out life insurance on his nephew because he was concerned that Montgomery’s aspiring rap career would get him killed.

Norman's lawyers are holding to their claims that he was doing well on his own and didn't need the insurance money that he would have gotten from Montgomery's death. His lawyers do say that Norman was "looking for" Montgomery but, it wasn't to kill him. Norman alleges that Montgomery had stolen property and money from his mother, Montgomery's grandmother, and he wanted him to give it back.

FBI Special Agent Christopher Faber testified that Andre Montgomery texted his grandmother — Robbie Montgomery — that he feared his uncle after a burglary at Robbie’s north St. Louis County home in 2015.

Robbie reported the burglary while she was on vacation in June that year, according to a police report. At least $220,000 worth of cash, jewelry and other items were stolen.

In the texts, Andre told his grandmother he left the St. Louis area shortly after to avoid Norman. Faber testified Tuesday that Andre agreed to return to take a polygraph test with police — but didn’t want to stay long.

“TIM IS AFTER ME OR SOMETHING,” wrote Andre in one message to his grandmother. “I’m not just bout to be sitting in STL (when) I know Tim got people looking for me.”

Four days after the polygraph test, Andre was killed.

The trial is expected to be pretty lengthy and present more evidence to support the prosecutions claims of "murder for hire".

We will keep you updated as more details become available.