MANCHESTER, N.H. (NEWSnet/AP) — A New Hampshire man was convicted of second-degree murder Thursday in the death of his 5-year-old daughter.
Adam Montgomery, 34, did not attend the trial and was not present when jurors returned their verdict.
The jury also convicted him of assaulting Harmony Montgomery in 2019 and of tampering with the key prosecution witness, his estranged wife and stepmother of his daughter, Kayla Montgomery.
Jury deliberation began Wednesday.
Investigators believe Harmony Montgomery was killed in December 2019, although she wasn’t reported missing for almost two years. Her body has not been found.
Kayla Montgomery testified that the body was hidden in the trunk of a car, a cooler, a ceiling vent, and a workplace freezer before Adam Montgomery disposed of it.
Kayla Montgomery is serving an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to perjury charges related to the investigation into the child’s disappearance. She testified that that her husband killed Harmony Montgomery on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family lived in their car after being evicted.
Adam Montgomery had custody of the girl. Her mother, Crystal Sorey, who no longer was in a relationship with him, said the last time she saw Harmony was during a video call in April 2019. She eventually went to police, who announced on New Year’s Eve 2021 they were looking for the missing child. Photos of the girl were circulated widely on social media. Police eventually determined she had been killed.
On Thursday, Sorey told WMUR-TV she is relieved that "some justice is being served."
“Obviously, it’s not over. I have a little bit of peace knowing that he’s being held accountable because he thought he was so untouchable and that she didn’t matter, that nobody would miss her. He was so wrong, he was so wrong.”
She said she still want to find the remains of her daughter so she can bring her home.
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