Tampa man charged with murder of his stepson

A Tampa man was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with the murder of his 6-year-old stepson.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, 31-year-old Jack Junior Montgomery called 911 about 10:50 a.m. Saturday to report his stepson, Brice Russell, would not wake up and was not breathing.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to room 205 of the Masters Inn at 6010 State Road 579 in Seffner, where the boy was pronounced dead.

Montgomery had been left in charge of Brice Russell and his three siblings while their mother, 28-year-old Donya Shenita Russell, worked through the night.

Through their investigation, detectives said they learned Montgomery punched his stepson in the face, mouth and stomach with a closed fist, threw him around the hotel room, shoved his face in the carpet and threatened the same violence against the siblings if they too did not strike their brother.

Out of fear, one child struck the victim twice.

The children told detectives that their brother, bleeding from his mouth and nose, never regained consciousness.

The Medical Examiner's Office determined the boy's cause of death to be homicidal violence.

Montgomery was arrested at 3718 E 38th Ave. He has been charged with both first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse.