The father of missing 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery, who vanished in 2019 and is presumed dead, has been found guilty of killing her following an emotional two-week trial.
The jury returned the verdict against Adam Montgomery, 33, on Thursday after nearly seven hours of deliberation over two days following harrowing testimony by Harmony's stepmother, friends, and other family members.
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Crystal Sorey, Harmony's mother, was in the gallery of the courtroom for the verdict, wearing a shirt with a pink heart that read "Justice for Harmony."
While waiting for the verdict, Sorey could be seen sobbing and being consoled by those around her.
Montgomery was found guilty of all charges, including second-degree murder, second-degree assault, witness tampering, abuse of a corpse, and falsifying evidence.
During the trial, Montgomery's estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, testified that he beat Harmony to death after she had repeated bathroom accidents in the Chrysler Sebring that the family was living in at the time.
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Kayla emotionally told the jury that, after Montgomery killed his 5-year-old daughter, she saw him take Harmony's lifeless body and "fold her in half, and squished" her inside a Catholic Medical Center hospital bag.
She also revealed to the jury that the tote bag was then carried around in the stroller that sat her other children.
The child's body was moved around several locations and placed in the trunk of a car, a cooler in an apartment building, the ceiling vent of a homeless shelter, and a freezer, Kayla said.
The father was a no-show at court for the duration of his two-week trial.
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On the first day, the judge explained to Montgomery over video conference his constitutional right to be present in court.
He officially waved his right to appear but was told by the judge that transport from jail would be provided if he wanted to attend in the future.
Adam Montgomery told friend he hated daughter Harmony, 5, 'right to his core' before he 'beat her to death in his car'However, Montgomery refused the transport and was never present.
The judge can force him to appear for his sentencing, which is slated for late April or May due to scheduling conflicts.
HARMONY'S FINAL MOMENTS
Harmony Montgomery was first reported missing by her mother, Crystal Sorey, on November 18, 2021, who called the police after being unable to reach Harmony for months.
In opening statements at trial, Assistant Attorney General Christopher Knowles described how the little girl was murdered.
"He began striking her as he was driving, holding onto the wheel," Knowles said.
"He began punching this little girl repeatedly, repeatedly for something she had no control over. He struck her blow after blow after blow."
The prosecutor said that Montgomery - a convicted felon who is serving a 30-year sentence on an unrelated firearms case - stopped for fast food after brutally abusing his child.
"He pulled into that parking lot at Burger King, and he ordered his food," Knowles told the jury.
"He ordered his food, and he ate. He didn't stop to check on Harmony.
"He didn't look back at her. He didn't show any concern for this innocent little girl, the child he had just beaten. He ordered his food, and he ate. And he didn't stop."
Montgomery never tried to help Harmony, the prosecutor told the court.
"At no time did anyone stop or get Harmony medical attention as the result of this assault," police wrote in an affidavit.
“She went from [being] a girl who radiated happiness to a scared girl, and from there, she went to be the dead girl rotting in the bag,” Knowles said in court.
“And then she went to be the dead girl rotting in the ceiling, a ceiling the defendant slept under for months.”
Prosecutors said that Montgomery eventually disposed of Harmony's body sometime in March 2020.
STEPMOTHER'S ACCOUNT
Kayla testified against her estranged husband, who she admitted on the stand she still had feelings for.
She is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence as part of a plea deal she struck with prosecutors in return for her testimony.
The stepmother has held strong to her account that Montgomery murdered the 5-year-old girl.
Kayla told the jury that Montgomery had given her orders to deliver the tote bag containing Harmony's remains to his workplace, where he was employed at the time.
She claimed Montgomery hid the bag in the walk-in freezer at his job at the Portland Pie restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The stepmom also said that Montgomery was out of control in the months following Harmony's death and accused her of working with the police.
Kayla claimed to have suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her estranged husband but said in court that she still has feelings for him.
"I still care about him because he's the father of my children," Kayla said when asked by the defense if she still loved Montgomery.
"He was my best friend. It's been hard for me to just let go," Kayla said through tears.
'COCKY SON OF A B***H'
Kevin Montgomery, the defendant's uncle, was one of the first witnesses to take the stand in the two-week trial.
He revealed to the jury how he witnessed Harmony with a bruised eye during one of his visits to the family's home.
"Omg, what the f**k did you do," Kevin told Montgomery, describing Harmony's eye as a "full black eye, like a raccoon's eye."
"She didn't do anything. I beat the dog s**t out of her," the defendant allegedly told his uncle.
Kevin expressed that his nephew said it like a "cocky son of a b***h."
The distraught uncle said he told his family members, friends, and Harmony's mother, Sorey, about the child's eye, "I told them all to get help for Harmony."
Meanwhile, Rebecca Maines, a friend of Montgomery, testified that the defendant told her he hated his daughter "to his core" because she reminded him of her mother.
Maines said Montgomery told her he "backhanded" the 5-year-old after he witnessed her put her hand over her younger brother's lips and nose.
She also said Montgomery told her he hated Harmony “right to his core.”
Maines added that Montgomery had allegedly been trying to see Harmony since 2019 after he dropped her off with her mother.
“I am a criminal. I don’t have a problem telling you that,” Maines - who took the stand in a red prison jumpsuit as she's currently serving time for a parole violation - said, referring to Montgomery as a past best friend.
'ENRAGED TITAN'
During his closing arguments, prosecutor Ben Agati called Montgomery an "enraged titan" after the defense placed the blame for Harmony's death on his estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery.
"'I f**ked up, I f**ked up, I f**ked up,' that's what the defendant told Travis Beach the night he used a U-Haul to disappear Harmony's body to whatever place it is right now, that he knows where it is," Agati told the jury.
"Not 'we f**ked up,' not 'Kayla f**ked up,' 'I f**ked up.'
"Adam Montgomery was no loving father. He was an enraged titan who had no business being around Harmony."
Harmony's mother filed a court request on Tuesday to officially declare her daughter dead.
A judge will hold a hearing on her request on March 11.
She is also planning on pursuing a wrongful death claim on behalf of her daughter, according to court documents obtained by WMUR-TV.
After Montgomery's verdict was read, New Hampshire's governor, Chris Sununu released a statement.
"I am grateful to the judge, jury, and Department of Justice for delivering justice for Harmony. Adam Montgomery is a monster and deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison," read the statement, according to CBS.
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Montgomery's sentencing will be held in April or May due to scheduling conflicts.
Prosecutors said they plan to file a request that will require Montgomery to be present for sentencing, according to WMUR-TV.
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