On Thursday, a jury convicted Adam Montgomery of second-degree murder and four additional felonies in the death of his 5-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery, whose corpse has not been found since she went missing in 2019. Adam Montgomery was convicted of second-degree murder in the tragic case of Harmony Montgomery. Following a two-week trial, the jury came to a unanimous judgment.
The conviction was reached following a two-week trial that included distressing and tragic evidence from witnesses and specialists.
Montgomery, 38, was suspected of killing Harmony in December 2019 and disposing of her body, which has never been found. He was also accused of attacking her, tampering with evidence, abusing her corpse, and threatening a witness.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg hailed the jury’s decision, saying it was neither victory nor loss. “This is about a 5-year-old girl that was murdered by her father and I can think of no worse crime,” he told reporters.
Despite the lack of the victim’s body, the jury came to a unanimous conclusion
The jury deliberated for almost seven hours over two days before reaching its decision. On Thursday, they requested the judge to clarify what “recklessly” meant, which was a component of the second-degree murder indictment.
Montgomery did not attend court for the verdict or any other stage of the trial. He decided to stay in his detention cell and watch the proceedings on video.
Harmony’s birth mother, Crystal Sorey, and foster mother, Michelle Raftery, were both in the courtroom when the decision was read. They were accompanied by about a dozen Manchester police officers who expressed their support and solidarity.
Sorey labeled Montgomery a coward and claimed he killed Harmony because he couldn’t control her. “He took her away from the people who loved her because he couldn’t hack that he didn’t have control. That’s all he cared about, control, everything in his life. She wasn’t anything to him,” she said.
Sorey said she intends to attend Montgomery’s sentencing, which is set for sometime after April 1, and to provide a victim impact statement.
The case was hard: Prosecutor Agati
Prosecutor Benjamin Agati expressed relief that the jury saw through Montgomery’s lies and held him responsible for his acts. He described the case as difficult and convoluted, particularly without a body or a clear purpose.
On Wednesday, jurors heard closing arguments, during which Agati said Montgomery killed Harmony because he was furious and upset with her. He claimed Montgomery abused and neglected Harmony, who had several injuries and scars on her body. He said Montgomery concealed Harmony’s death from everyone, including his wife, Kayla Montgomery, who testified against him.
Montgomery’s defense attorney, Donna Brown, attempted to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, claiming that there was neither physical evidence nor eyewitness testimony linking Montgomery to Harmony’s death. S
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu reacted to the verdict on Twitter, calling Montgomery ‘a monster’ who deserved to die in jail.
