A Riley County jury has convicted a former Fort Riley soldier of murdering 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, a Fort Riley soldier from Texas, gunned down outside an Aggieville bar in February 2022.
Jurors on Monday returned guilty verdicts finding 21-year-old Tremelle Montgomery responsible of first-degree intentional murder, along with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault against three of Wardi’s friends Donovan Bastien, Jared Musgrave and Tyrece White.
The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half, after hearing closing arguments from Deputy Riley County Attorney Trinity Muth and Public Defender Brenda Jordan. Muth portrayed to jurors that Montgomery was a hothead, who shot and killed Wardi because he felt “anxious,” then chased after the other three deliberately. Jordan argued that Montgomery feared for his own safety and stated the evidence was not clear that he chased after the other three.
Judge John Bosch has scheduled sentencing for 3:30 p.m. on October 24.
Two other co-defendants, Jordan Prather and Edward Wright are awaiting trial on the same charges, though no trial dates are currently scheduled.
