A DeKalb County man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the brutal murder of a young mother in a wooded area behind a daycare center, while she was holding their child, prosecutors confirmed. Taco Nash Jr., 25, of Lithonia, was convicted Wednesday of multiple charges, including malice murder, four counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and stalking in connection with the 2022 death of 22-year-old Mi’ckeya Montgomery, according to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.
Nash was sentenced to three life terms without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 60 years in prison. The incident occurred on the afternoon of June 15, 2022. According to prosecutors, Montgomery was at the daycare on Snapfinger Park Drive in unincorporated Decatur to pick up her young child, whom she shared with Nash.
Despite a court order barring contact between the two, Nash had called Montgomery repeatedly that day, trying to convince her to meet and retrieve some of his belongings. When she didn’t respond, Nash showed up at the daycare unannounced. Aware of the strained and violent history between the two, Montgomery had previously warned staff to call police if he ever appeared.
Witnesses said Nash confronted Montgomery and their child outside. A daycare employee quickly pulled them back inside and called 911. However, Nash forced his way into the building and “chased the two around the facility while several children and staff were present,” prosecutors said.
He then threatened Montgomery at gunpoint, “saying he would shoot her in the face,” before forcing her and the child out a back door, over a fence, and into the woods behind the daycare. Daycare staff again called 911 as they heard screams coming from the wooded area. A relative of Montgomery’s, who had been tracking her phone, arrived at the scene and informed officers that her phone was still pinging from the woods.
As police approached, they heard a single gunshot. Moments later, Nash emerged holding the child—who was covered in blood—and claimed Montgomery had shot herself. Officers found her dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
Though a firearm was found under her hand, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, citing the location of the wound as inconsistent with suicide. The child was not physically harmed.
A family member told police that Nash had called from the woods and admitted, “I’m sorry for killing Mi’ckeya.” Along with the murder charges, Nash was convicted of aggravated stalking, two counts of kidnapping, first-degree cruelty to children, and multiple firearms offenses.