Stepfather Beats Stepson To Death For Getting A Cookie
- by Constance Griffith
- in Money
- — Jan 3, 2018
Deputies say a Florida man beat his stepson to death for sneaking out of bed to get a cookie on December 30, and then may have made the boy's siblings lie in bed with the boy's body. The deranged stepfather was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his stepson Brice Russell. The family was living at the Masters Inn in Seffner, Florida, WFLA reported.
"While she was out working he 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", Smith told a judge in court. The guest allegedly heard an adult man yelling to "beat the kid", "push the kid over here", and "get his a** up".
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to the call around 1 a.m. on Saturday to conduct a welfare search.
Later that day, just before 11 a.m., a man who identified himself as Montgomery called 911 and said his 6-year-old stepson wouldn't wake up and was not breathing.
Jack told the officer that he was in the room with "his children" and pushed the door open enough for the deputy to see the children sleeping in a bed towards the back of the room. The deputy cleared the call and left the scene.
WFTS reports Montgomery threatened Russell's siblings with similar punishment if they did not join him in beating their brother.
Another Arctic blast ahead of for the New Year
It's important to note that significant adjustments may be necessary with this forecast for both temperatures and precipitation. This will be some of the coldest conditions we've seen for our area in a while, so make sure you have that warm gear ready.
Mr. Montgomery denied knowing Brice was "seriously hurt or dead" before he tried to wake him up, the affidavit said.
Investigators say the child and his three siblings were in Montgomery's care while their mom, Donya Shenita Russell, 28, 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. Brice's siblings told law enforcement that Montgomery had beaten the boy to death.
Montgomery was arrested on Sunday and charged with first-degree murder.
Investigators said the children watched Montgomery pick Brice up by the leg and throw him into a shelf along a wall.
He sits booked at the Orient Road Jail.
