Harmony Montgomery verdict: Child's father found guilty of murder
Father charged with murder in death of Harmony Montgomery
Adam Montgomery, 32, was charged with second-degree murder, in addition to other charges, in connection to the death of his 5-year-old daughter in late 2019. Authorities announced his arrest and charges in a press conference on Oct. 24, 2022.
Adam Montgomery, the father of 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery, was found guilty of her murder on Thursday.
Montgomery, 34, did not attend the trial and wasn’t present when jurors returned their verdict. He was convicted of four other charges in addition to second-degree murder: abuse of a corpse, falsifying physical evidence, assault and witness tampering.
The remains of Harmony Montgomery, who was killed in 2019 but not reported missing until 2021, have still not been found. Adam Montgomery pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2022.
Adam Montgomery (L) and Harmony Montgomery (R). (Photos courtesy of Manchester Police)
His attorneys earlier acknowledged his guilt on two lesser charges, that he "purposely and unlawfully removed, concealed or destroyed" her corpse and falsified physical evidence, but said he didn’t kill Harmony.
The case of Harmony Montgomery, who was born in Massachusetts to parents with a history of substance abuse, exposed weaknesses in child protection systems and provoked calls to prioritize the well-being of children over parents in custody matters. Harmony was moved between the homes of her mother and her foster parents multiple times before Adam Montgomery received custody in 2019 and moved to New Hampshire.
RELATED: Horrifying new details of Harmony Montgomery's murder revealed in unsealed affidavit
Harmony's mother reported her missing in 2021 and said she hadn't seen the child in more than two years.
A missing poster for Harmony Montgomery, inside the Manchester Police Department. Her father, Adam, has been convicted of her murder. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
According to an affidavit, Kayla Montgomery, Adam’s estranged wife, told police that her husband killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family lived in their car. Kayla Montgomery, who was Harmony’s stepmother, said he was driving to a fast food restaurant when he turned around and repeatedly punched Harmony in the face and head because he was angry that she was having bathroom accidents in the car.
Kayla Montgomery is serving 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to perjury charges related to the Harmony Montgomery investigation.
FOX’s Chris Williams and The Associated Press contributed to this report.