Adam Montgomery sentenced to 45 years to life for murder of daughter Harmony in New Hampshire
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Adam Montgomery was sentenced to 45 years to life for the murder of his daughter, 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery.
Montgomery was convicted of killing Harmony, whose body has never been found. A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder earlier this year.
The 34-year-old is currently serving a minimum sentence of 32.5 years in prison on unrelated gun charges.
Adam Montgomery ordered to be in court
Montgomery was present on the first day of jury selection in February. But after that day, he never attended proceedings during his two-week trial.
Last month, a judge ruled that Montgomery will be required to attend his sentencing. He appeared in court for the sentencing on Thursday.
New Hampshire state law says that in second-degree murder cases, "The defendant shall personally appear in court when the victim or victim's next of kin addresses the judge, unless excused by the court."
Adam Montgomery refuses to say where Harmony's body is
Prosecutors say Montgomery killed Harmony then moved her body around in the trunk of his car, in the ceiling vent of a homeless shelter, and in the walk-in freezer at the restaurant where he worked. Montgomery eventually disposed of his daughter's body in March 2020.
"There is nothing minimal about the crimes that he is being convicted for today," said prosecutor Ben Agati at Montgomery's sentencing. He offered to reduce the request to 35 years to life, instead of 45 to life, if Montgomery revealed where Harmony's body could be found but Montgomery said nothing. "He has just yet shown you again in this courtroom and for anybody else that he is heartless, immoral, selfish and an unapologetic murderer of his own child," said Agati.
Victim impact statements given
The first victim impact statement came from Crystal Sorey, Harmony's birth mother. "She had a life worth living, unlike your own, and it bothered you to her core that she was nothing like you and everything like me," said Sorey, who addressed Montgomery as "the monster who murdered my baby."
Sorey said her daughter lit up a room and was a proud big sister to her younger siblings. "Did she cry for me? Did she scream? Did she beg you to stop? I'll never know because like I said, you're too much of a coward to tell the truth and do one good thing for Harmony," said Sorey.
"I hope that every day and every night you're on this earth, you hear nothing but my baby's giggle. I doubt you ever heard it in this life," said Sorey. "All she knew with you was misery and fear. I hope you hear her sweet voice telling you to stop hitting her over and over, or how she looked the very last time you saw her, broken and bruised." Sorey vowed to keep looking for Harmony for the rest of her life.
The second victim impact statement was from Sorey's sister, who said Montgomery was in prison when Harmony was born. "I was talking you down from how scared you were because you wanted to be the best dad and I believed in you and reminded you how good you were with my daughter, that you would be the best dad and not to worry. I couldn't even believe how wrong I actually was." She called Montgomery a monster and a coward and accused him of never loving his daughter, "because if you did, she'd still be here today."
A statement was also read by a victim advocate from Kayla Montgomery, Montgomery's estranged wife. Kayla Montgomery was a star witness for the prosecution, who testified how he killed Harmony and hid her body for months. Kayla Montgomery also testified she was scared of him and that's why she lied on his behalf to protect him.
In her statement, Kayla Montgomery said she and Montgomery were happy to have custody of Harmony but then everything changed when they fell deeper into addiction and their lives fell apart.
"You are not the person I married, not the person who loved me and who never hurt me," Kayla Montgomery said in her statement.
Blair and Johnathan Miller, the adoptive fathers of Harmony's 7-year-old brother Jamison, spoke next. Johnathan Miller initially said the judge was limiting them from addressing the court, saying that making Jamison speak would retraumatize him. The judge eventually let both men speak on their son's behalf.
Blair Miller said Jamison and Harmony were in and out of foster care together before he adopted him in 2019. He said when he and his husband first adopted Jamison, he would always tell them about his sister and her glasses and blonde hair and how she always looked out for him.
Blair Miller said Jamison has suffered since learning his sister was dead and keeps asking "Who took my sister away?"
"Adam, you took away his best friend, his sister," said Blair Miller, addressing Montgomery. "You introduced murder into his life and forever created a void that can never be filled." He said he and his husband have told Jamison that Harmony is an angel now.
Johnathan Bobbitt-Miller said Adam introduced a nightmare into his son's life. Through tears, he recounted Jamison's reaction to when he was told Harmony was dead. "He's a very active kid and that day, he just stopped and he held us and he said, 'No, I need my big sister. Why? Why did this happen?'" He said Jamison keeps asking what happened to her.
"How do we tell our 7-year-old that you murdered his sister? His protector, his best friend, and you showed no remorse. I wish they could be happy together today," said Johnathan Miller. He then read words from Jamison himself.
"I'm really sad she's an angel. I miss her. She was my best friend. I hope she can see me playing basketball, being silly with my brothers and I wish I could bring Harmony to my school to meet my friends and my teacher," read Johnathan Bobbitt-Miller.
The final victim impact statement was from Harmony's foster mother. Michelle Raftery said Harmony filled her family's life with joy and laughter when she lived with them. She described Harmony as a kind and compassionate girl who loved Minnie Mouse and playing dress-up and was always willing to share. "We lost a daughter and my children lost their sister," said Raftery.
Raftery said since learning what happened to Harmony, she's had trouble sleeping and concentrating. "We had to explain to our children things that we never wanted them to hear and explain why a father, who was supposed to love and protect her, was being arrested for murder," said Raftery.
Search for Harmony continues
After court, Sorey said she won't give up searching for her daughter's remains.
"I don't want people to think that it's over because it's not, it's not over," said Sorey. "She's still out there and she's all alone."
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg also confirmed that the search for Harmony will continue.
"We'll continue to take steps to make sure this does not happen again in the state of New Hampshire or anywhere else," said Aldenberg.
