Lithonia Man Convicted of Murdering Child’s Mother Behind Daycare

DECATUR, GA – A DeKalb County jury has found Taco Nash, Jr., 25, of Lithonia, guilty of Malice Murder and numerous other charges in connection with the shooting death of Mi’ckeya Montgomery, 22, the mother of his child. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, July 2, according to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.

The investigation revealed that on the afternoon of June 15, 2022, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a kidnapping call at a daycare center in the 5300 block of Snapfinger Park Drive in unincorporated Decatur. Montgomery was at the daycare to pick up her young child, whom she shared with Nash, when he unexpectedly arrived.

Nash had been repeatedly calling Montgomery that day, seeking to meet her to return some personal belongings. Their relationship was tumultuous, marked by previous violent incidents, and they were under a court order not to contact each other. Montgomery had even alerted daycare staff to call 911 if Nash appeared.

When Nash couldn’t reach Montgomery by phone, he confronted her and their child outside the daycare. He attempted to persuade Montgomery to leave with him, but a daycare employee pulled Montgomery and the child back into the building and called 911. Nash then forced his way in, chasing them around the building while several children and staff were present. He pointed a gun at Montgomery, threatened to shoot her, and then forced her and the child out the back door, over a fence, and into a wooded area.

Daycare staff heard screaming from the woods and called 911 again. A member of Montgomery’s family, who was tracking her phone, arrived and informed police that Montgomery’s phone was in the wooded area. As officers approached, they heard a single gunshot.

After several minutes, Nash emerged from the wooded area with the child in his arms, claiming Montgomery had shot herself. The child was covered in blood but was uninjured and transported for medical attention. Nash was taken into custody.

Police found Montgomery deceased in the woods with a single gunshot wound to the head, entering through her upper lip. A firearm was found under her hand, but the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office determined her manner of death to be a homicide based on the wound’s location. It is believed Montgomery was holding the child when she was shot.

A family member of Montgomery’s also informed officers that Nash had called her before emerging from the woods and expressed remorse for killing Montgomery.

Immediately following the guilty verdict, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Brian Lake sentenced Nash to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, followed by two additional life sentences and 60 years to serve.

The case, assigned to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Garrett Emmons, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Ashley Johnson, District Attorney Investigator Jerad Wheeler, and Victim Advocate Ashley King. DeKalb County Police Department Detective C. Fowler led the initial investigation.