Jurors Find New Hampshire Father Guilty of Daughter’s Murder After Deliberation
Adam Montgomery enters the courtroom for jury selection ahead of his murder trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, New Hampshire on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
DAD BEAT DAUGHTER, THEN ATE FAST FOOD AND DID DRUGS AS SHE DIED IN BACK SEAT OF CAR, PROSECUTORS ALLEGE
Jurors have found New Hampshire father Adam Montgomery guilty in the murder of his 5-year-old daughter Harmony, following approximately six hours of deliberation over two days, according to reports.
Prosecutors revealed during the two-week trial that Montgomery, a 33-year-old violent felon and drug addict, brutally beat his helpless daughter before consuming opioids and fast food as she tragically died in the back seat of his car.
Harmony Montgomery was reported missing two years after she was last seen. Her father was soon arrested on murder charges in connection with her 2019 disappearance, which they alleged followed a brutal beating in the back of his car.
Heartless Concealment of the Body
After realizing his daughter was dead, investigators claim Montgomery heartlessly concealed her battered remains for months. He allegedly crushed her into a duffel bag and later moved her to a cooler, where he coated her body with lime to reduce the odor of decomposition.
With a callous disregard for his daughter’s life, Montgomery then rented a U-haul truck and discarded her like trash somewhere outside Boston, according to reports.
An Inexcusable Delay
The horrific truth about Harmony’s fate remained a mystery for nearly two years. It was only when her frustrated noncustodial mother, Crystal Sorey, discovered that the child had never been enrolled in school, that her disappearance was reported to the authorities.
Manchester police declared Harmony a missing person in December 2022. This inexcusable delay allowed Montgomery to keep his heinous crime hidden for an extended period.
Failures of the Child Welfare System
In a shocking twist, it was discovered that New Hampshire’s child welfare system had failed to prioritize Harmony’s “needs, well-being, and safety” when awarding her custody to Montgomery. Despite his violent past and drug addiction, Harmony was placed under her father’s care after his release from prison for shooting a drug dealer.
“We remain grateful for the work of New Hampshire prosecutors, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, and the Manchester Police Department who made sure they fought for Harmony, especially when no one else ever did.”
— Blair and Johnathon Miller
The Miller family, who had been actively seeking to adopt Harmony’s brother, expressed their sorrow and pain in a statement, emphasizing that this development only added to the heartache they had endured.
Kayla Montgomery, the estranged wife of Adam Montgomery, gives testimony during Adam Montgomery’s murder trial in Manchester, New Hampshire. Adam Montgomery is accused of killing his daughter, Harmony, in 2019.
Complicit Estranged Wife Testifies Against Montgomery
Kayla Montgomery, Adam Montgomery’s estranged wife, presented damning testimony as part of a plea deal. She implicated her husband in the second-degree murder of Harmony, abuse of a corpse, and falsifying evidence.
Kayla informed detectives that Adam Montgomery hid Harmony’s corpse for three months, continuously relocating it before ultimately disposing of it in the vicinity of Boston. Although her remains have not been recovered, investigators found Harmony’s DNA in at least one of the places where Montgomery allegedly concealed her.
A Family Torn Apart
The tragic loss of Harmony has devastated her surviving family members. Her brother, Jamison, had been yearning for her return and wandered in search of her across parks. The results of this trial have only intensified the pain.
“Jamison would go to the front door, hoping Harmony would find us. He would search for her in a park. As we now dig deep within our hearts to find the ability to offer forgiveness, we look to our son to give him the strength to fight off the demons that this tragedy has brought for a lifetime.”
Systematic Failures and the Quest for Justice
During the trial, it was revealed that the Massachusetts watchdog agency found significant failures in the state’s child welfare system, which negligently placed Harmony in the custody of a violent drug addict.
Adam Montgomery is currently serving a minimum sentence of 32 and a half years in prison for an unrelated firearms case. He has also pleaded guilty to lesser charges associated with Harmony’s death.
Despite these devastating revelations, Harmony’s remains are yet to be found, leaving her grieving family without closure.
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