A Florida man has been charged with first-degree felony murder and three counts of aggravated child abuse after beating his stepson to death over a cookie. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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According to CBS News, the incident occurred on Dec. 30th in an extended stay hotel room in Seffner, Florida. Witnesses say they heard a commotion coming from the Florida man’s room, but when officials arrived, the suspect, who has since been identified as Jack Junior Montgomery, said he had been listening to music.
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The witness also claimed to have heard Montgomery yelling to “beat the kid,” “push the kid over here” and “get his ass up.” However, when deputies came to check the scene, Montgomery reportedly opened the door enough to show the children sleeping in a bed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Hours later, Montgomery called emergency officials to report that his 6-year-old stepson, Brice Russell, had not woken up. Officials returned to the extended stay and found the little boy dead. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Upon further investigation, officials learned of an abusive situation. The other children, who were present during the commotion, said they woke up to Montgomery punching Russell in the face, repeatedly. They said Montgomery also picked the little boy up by the leg and tossed him across the room, just before forcing them to beat on the boy as well, as he slipped in and out of consciousness. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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However, according to CBS, Montgomery told police that he caught Russell sneaking out of bed to get a cookie. So, he threw him back into the bed that he shared with the other children. But, he said he did not mean to hurt the boy. He said the boy did slam his head on the headboard, but he seemed okay before going to sleep. The following day, according to reports, a medical examiner determined that Russell had been beaten to death.
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.