Adam Montgomery's estranged wife finishes testimony in New Hampshire murder trial
MANCHESTER, NH - After nearly two full extended days, Kayla Montgomery finished testifying against her estranged husband Adam in his trial for the murder of his daughter Harmony.
Harmony Montgomery was reported missing in late 2021, but hadn't been seen since 2019. Prosecutors are making the case that her father Adam beat the little girl to death on December 7, 2019, due to a bathroom accident, before spending months manipulating and concealing her corpse to avoid getting caught. Adam's wife Kayla, Harmony's stepmother, is the state's key witness.
According to prosecutors, Kayla is a recovering drug addict and domestic abuse victim who lied about Harmony for years to protect Adam as he abused her, and she was too scared to come forward. "Why stay with someone who does what he did to a helpless girl like this?" prosecutor Christopher Knowles asked Kayla on the stand Monday. "Because I still cared about him," Kayla answered through sobs.
According to the defense, Kayla is a liar who is only telling this story about Harmony's death to increase her chances of getting out of jail and reuniting with hers and Adam's two children.
Kayla is currently in jail for perjury charges due to lying to a grand jury about what happened in this case. During an extensive cross examination Monday, defense attorney Caroline Smith suggested to Kayla that perhaps Harmony died alone in her care, not Adam's. "No," Kayla said repeatedly. Smith made every effort to point out all the times Kayla has lied to poke holes in her credibility as a witness.
Once Kayla was finished on the stand, two more witnesses came forward for the state - family friends who testified about the final times they saw Harmony alive.
Barring any severe weather, the trial will resume on Tuesday with the state will making its case.