N.H. dad convicted of killing missing 5-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery
02/22/2024 3:11 pm PST
MANCHESTER, N.H. (TCD) -- A 34-year-old man has been found guilty of multiple charges, including murder, for killing his missing 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery. Her body has not yet been found.
The Manchester Police Department announced Thursday, Feb. 22, that a jury convicted Adam Montgomery of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, falsifying evidence, witness tampering, and abuse of a corpse. Montgomery’s trial began about two weeks ago and involved his attorney telling the jury they "can and should" convict him of falsifying evidence and abuse of a corpse.
Harmony Montgomery was reported missing in January 2022, though the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said she was most likely killed in December 2019.
According to Montgomery’s probable cause affidavit, Harmony Montgomery’s mother, Crystal Sorey, contacted Manchester Police on Nov. 18, 2021, to report she had not seen her daughter in six months and that the girl was in Adam Montgomery’s custody. Neither Manchester Police nor the Division for Children, Youth, and Families could locate Harmony Montgomery, so investigators began looking into her whereabouts.
Adam Montgomery’s wife, Kayla Montgomery, told investigators the family got evicted from their home in Manchester one day before Thanksgiving in 2019, so they ended up living in their car in their friend’s parking lot. Adam Montgomery reportedly became "extremely upset" because Harmony Montgomery urinated in the car multiple times. He would "get upset and would strike Harmony in the face/head with a closed fist."
On Dec. 7, 2019, Harmony Montgomery reportedly had another bathroom accident in the car. Adam Montgomery turned around while driving and reportedly punched her several times. She started "making a moaning type noise" for about five minutes, then stopped.
Their car broke down not long after that, and they found Harmony unresponsive in the back seat. Adam Montgomery put her body in a duffel bag and carried it with him while they moved around to different temporary housing locations, including Kayla Montgomery’s mother’s house.
He transported Harmony Montgomery’s body to a transition shelter, then put the bag in a ceiling vent. Adam Montgomery reportedly wrapped it in a trash bag because there was "liquid coming from the bag" and he wanted to "keep it from leaking."
Investigators removed pieces of the ceiling vent and submitted it to a DNA lab for analysis.
The results came back and said, "The DNA profile obtained from the sample is 4.1 billion times more probable if the sample originated from Harmony Montgomery and an unknown person than if it originated from two unknown persons."
Adam Montgomery rented a U-Haul in spring 2020 and disposed of her body, according to the affidavit.
His attorneys, however, argue Kayla Montgomery actually killed Harmony Montgomery.
Officials are continuing to search for the girl’s body.
NBC Boston reports Senior Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said during closing arguments, "All he has is his car, and his rage, and his fists. She doesn’t get a headstone in the ground above the head that he battered. She doesn’t get to be at peace and death because of what he did, because he can’t afford to tell anyone where she is."
Adam Montgomery is already serving a 30-year sentence for gun charges. He will be sentenced for these charges at a later date.
Manchester Police said in their statement, "This child’s disappearance and senseless death caught the attention of many, and while the verdict does not erase this tragedy, we hope it sends a clear message that Harmony’s short life was valued, and she deserved so much more. Adam Montgomery’s actions were incomprehensible and horrific, and he will be held accountable for his crimes."
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