He was just supposed to watch the kids.
Jack Junior Montgomery was tasked with taking care of his girlfriend's four children on Friday night while Donya Shenita Russell worked a double shift. The family was living at the Masters Inn Tampa East hotel in Seffner, Florida. When one of the kids, 7-year-old Brice Russell, got out of bed to get a cookie, Montgomery went crazy. According to a prosecutor, news reports, and his own claims, Montgomery punched Brice repeatedly before throwing him into a cabinet. Then the man forced Brice's brothers to join in the beating.
When all that was over, Montgomery put Brice back in bed with his siblings and forced them to stay there all night. But by that time, Brice was likely dead.
Early Saturday morning, a motel employee called 911. When a deputy arrived, Montgomery showed him the kids in bed, and said that any noise had been from music playing. The officer was satisfied and left. It wasn't until around 10 a.m. that another hotel guest, Dana Stewart, ran into the family. Montgomery asked to use Stewart's cell phone to call for help since Brice was unresponsive. Paramedics arrived, but the boy was long dead by that point.
Montgomery is being held on $870,000 bail and may face the death penalty. He has one previous misdemeanor charge of domestic battery, from 2006, to which he pleaded no contest.
