A Fort Riley soldier accused of murdering a fellow soldier in Manhattan’s Aggieville district last weekend made his first court appearance Friday, via video conference.
Seated in a wheelchair from the Riley County Jail with a visible right leg injury, 19-year-old Tremelle Montgomery stared ahead, without counsel, while Judge Kendra Lewison read the four charges against him, including a single count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Montgomery is accused in the Feb. 5 shooting death of 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, a Fort Riley soldier from Texas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says according to witnesses, the shooting occurred following a verbal altercation between the two men, with Montgomery allegedly firing the fatal shot, then fleeing the scene. Investigators say he was then chased by two RCPD officers, one of whom fired a shot at Montgomery’s leg, injuring him. To date, no charges have been filed by KBI for the subsequent officer-involved shooting.
Montgomery’s bond remains set at $1.5 million. Judge Lewison additionally ordered bond supervision with electronic monitoring and that Montgomery surrender his firearms.
His next hearing is March 1, in front of Magistrate Judge William Malcolm, where a preliminary hearing date will be scheduled.
