Teen accused of Bolingbrook triple murder, attempted murder indicted by grand jury
A 17-year-old teen accused of a triple homicide and attempted murder on March 5 in Bolingbrook was visibly distraught during his second court appearance, where he learned he was indicted and would be transferred next month to the adult jail facility.
At Thursday's court hearing, Byrion Montgomery, 17, of Bolingbrook, was informed that a grand jury indicted him the same day on first-degree murder charges of Cartez Daniels, 40, Samiya Shelton, 17, and Sanai Daniels, 9.
Montgomery also stands charged with the attempted murder of Tania Stewart, 34, the fiancee of Cartez Daniels and mother of Samiya and Sanai.
Toward the end of Thursday's court hearing, Montgomery looked upset as he wiped his face with one of his sleeves. He then hid his face with his left hand as he exited the courtroom.
The 13-count indictment contained the same charges that were filed against Montgomery on March 6. Those charges include nine counts of first-degree murder, along with other charges of attempted first-degree murder, home invasion, aggravated battery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The charges against Montgomery followed a Bolingbrook police investigation of a deadly home invasion on the evening of March 5. Montgomery, who is being represented by the Will County Public Defender's Office, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
An order to have Montgomery submit to DNA testing was granted by Dave Carlson, presiding judge of the felony division at the Will County Courthouse. Carlson assigned Montgomery's case to Judge Dan Rippy.
Montgomery's next court date is May 11.
Carlson noted at Thursday's hearing that Montgomery, who is being held at River Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Joliet, will be transferred to the Will County jail after he turns 18 on April 27.
Stewart, who was shot five times in the incident, told The Herald-News her account of what occurred on March 5.
"[Montgomery] took my rock. He took my everything," Stewart of her daughter Samiya's ex-boyfriend. "He was obsessed with her. I didn't know that."
Stewart, along with her two sons, Cartez Junior, or CJ, 14, and Juelz, 3, were the only survivors of the incident. While her two sons were not harmed in the incident, Stewart said she learned they saw Montgomery stab her fiance, Cartez Daniels, after he had shot him.
Stewart said Montgomery entered her home without permission after Samiya broke up with him and shot Cartez Daniels, herself and Samiya.
She said her son CJ told her that Cartez Daniels was still alive and crawling for Sanai Daniels, who had been shot, when Montgomery flipped their dining room table on top of the girl, grabbed a knife and stabbed Cartez Daniels multiple times in front of his sons.
Montgomery's bond has been set at $20 million, an amount that exceeds that of 12 other defendants in the Will County jail, according to data provided by the Will County sheriff's office.