It was a frightening day at a DeKalb County day care center, one the staff will likely never forget.
What started as an argument between a man and a woman on that afternoon in 2022 devolved quickly into a scary scene — with young children all around — and eventually a shooting that left the 22-year-old woman dead.
The Lithonia man at the center of the incident, Taco Nash Jr., emerged from a wooded area behind the day care facility on Snapfinger Park Circle with his child in his arms, according to DeKalb prosecutors. The 16-month-old girl, covered in blood, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.
Nash told authorities on the scene that Mi’ckeya Montgomery, the child’s mother, had shot and killed herself. He was then taken into custody.
A DeKalb jury didn’t buy Nash’s explanation, taking less than four hours Wednesday to convict him on all 13 counts, including felony murder and malice murder.
After the verdict, Superior Court Judge Brian Lake sentenced the 25-year-old to life in prison without the possibility of parole followed by two additional life sentences, the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
From the beginning, investigators said they believed Nash pulled the trigger. In his arrest warrant, he was accused of causing the child “cruel or excessive physical or mental pain” by shooting the woman in the mouth in the girl’s presence. Prosecutors said it was determined Montgomery was holding the child when she was shot.
For those at the day care in unincorporated Decatur on June 15, 2022, it was a terrifying experience.
Prosecutors said Nash had called Montgomery repeatedly that day looking for her, hoping she’d meet him to return some personal belongings. During their tumultuous relationship, they had been ordered by a judge not to contact each other. By that point, Nash already had a history of arrests related to family violence dating to 2020, and Montgomery’s family said he had been ordered to wear an ankle monitor.
The young woman had alerted the day care staff to call 911 if Nash showed up there. That afternoon, he did just that.
After Nash tried to persuade Montgomery to leave with him, a day care employee “pulled Montgomery and the child back into the building and called 911,” prosecutors said. But he forced his way inside and chased the two around the building while several children and staff members were present, according to the release.
“He pointed a gun at Montgomery, threatened to shoot her in the face, then forced her and the child out the back door, over a fence and into a wooded area,” the DA’s office said.
When interviewed, day care staff told authorities they could hear screaming coming from the wooded area and again called 911 for help.
When police arrived, they were told about the confrontation and were pointed toward the wooded area. As officers approached, they heard one gunshot.
They were too late.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
When police found Montgomery’s body, they said the bullet had entered through her upper lip. They also located a gun under her hand, the DA’s office confirmed, which Nash’s defense team told the jury was evidence she had killed herself. The DeKalb Medical Examiner’s Office, however, determined the manner of death was homicide “based on the location of the gunshot wound.”
“He put the gun in her hand,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Garrett Emmons told the jury.
Another note of contention was that the defense team said Montgomery had a suicide note in her purse. The prosecution countered she was despondent over her mother’s recent death and Nash’s abuse, and that she was not suicidal, Channel 2 Action News reported.
In addition to the guilty verdicts for murder, Nash was convicted of aggravated assault/family violence, two counts of kidnapping, aggravated stalking, first-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon or first offender probationer, and possession of a firearm after having been convicted of certain felonies.
Channel 2 also reported that Nash spat at prosecutors while being escorted out of the courtroom.
At least once, Montgomery attempted to take out a temporary protective order against Nash, but the case was dismissed without prejudice in March 2021. Later, he was arrested in East Point in August 2021 on two counts of aggravated assault related to family violence, and single counts of false imprisonment and reckless conduct, as well as weapons charges related to those crimes and his status as a felon.
He was released March 13 in that case ahead of a September trial date, only to be arrested 10 days later in DeKalb on charges of battery related to family violence and third-degree cruelty to children.
— Staff writer Caroline Silva contributed to this article.
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