Bolingbrook man denied pretrial release in 2023 triple murder, attempted murder case

A judge denied the pretrial release of a Bolingbrook man charged with killing his girlfriend, her 9-year-old sister, their father and grievously wounding their mother in a 2023 home invasion shooting.

On Wednesday, Will County Judge Amy Christiansen blocked the pretrial release of Byrion Montgomery, 20, who’s been in jail for more than two years on a bond that requires him to pay $2 million.

Instead of posting the money, Montgomery sought pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act.

The law eliminated cash bail for defendants charged with crimes after Sept. 18, 2023. Judges are required to determine a defendant’s pretrial release based on public safety and the circumstances of each case.

Montgomery is facing charges of first-degree murder of his girlfriend, Samiya Shelton, 17, who had broken up with him before the incident. He’s also charged with the first-degree murder of Shelton’s sister Sanai Daniels, 9, and their father, Cartez Daniels, 40.

Montgomery is further charged with the attempted murder of Tania Stewart, 37, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds. She was the fianceé of Cartez Daniels and the mother of Shelton and Daniels.

Prosecutors alleged the four victims were shot by Montgomery on March 5, 2023, after he broke into their Bolingbrook home.

Montgomery’s attorney, Edward Jaquays, argued for his client’s pretrial release by saying his client could reside with his family under home confinement and electronic monitoring.

Jaquays contended there is no evidence tying Montgomery to the firearm used in the shooting.

Christiansen found that prosecutors met their burden under the SAFE-T Act of proving there’s strong evidence or a high likelihood that Montgomery committed the crimes with which he has been charged.

Montgomery was identified as the killer by Stewart and two of her other children who survived the incident, according to Will County State’s Attorney Mark Shlifka.

Christiansen also found Montgomery’s pretrial release posed a danger to the community. She based that on the prosecutors’ allegation that Montgomery was willing to kill his girlfriend and her family.

Christiansen rejected home confinement for Montgomery. She said Montgomery would not stay locked in his residence.

Montgomery came into the courtroom on Wednesday wearing a yellow uniform. That meant he had been placed in the disciplinary unit of the jail.

Christiansen said if Montgomery cannot obey the rules of the jail, she cannot expect him to do the same for home confinement.

Montgomery was involved in provoking a fight in his housing unit at the jail, according to Kevin Hedemark, spokesman for the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Montgomery’s next pretrial hearing has been set for Aug. 5.