A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison for the murder of his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery. The man, Adam Montgomery, was already serving a 32 1/2-year sentence on unrelated gun charges, making it unlikely that he will ever be released from prison.
Harmony Montgomery was reported missing in 2021, but police believe she was killed nearly two years before that. Her body has never been found. Adam Montgomery was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, witness tampering, abuse of a corpse, and falsifying evidence.
During the trial, Adam Montgomery's estranged wife testified that he had punched Harmony multiple times, leading to her death. She described how they had been living in a car after being evicted and how Adam had hidden Harmony's body in various places, including a duffel bag, a car trunk, a cooler, a homeless center ceiling vent, and a walk-in freezer.
Adam Montgomery's lawyers argued that his wife was lying to protect herself and that she was the last person to see Harmony alive. However, Kayla Montgomery testified that she had been afraid of her husband and had not come forward about the child's death sooner.
Harmony Montgomery's case has raised concerns about child protection systems and the need to prioritize children's well-being in custody matters. Authorities are continuing to search for Harmony's remains along a route that Adam Montgomery drove into Massachusetts in March 2020.
Adam Montgomery's estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, has been granted parole after serving an 18-month sentence for perjury charges related to the investigation. She has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Crystal Sorey, Harmony's mother, who was no longer in a relationship with Adam Montgomery, reported Harmony missing in 2021 after not seeing her since April 2019. The case has sparked calls for reform in child custody procedures to better protect children in vulnerable situations.
