- The New Hampshire Supreme Court overturned Adam Montgomery's murder conviction for the death of his daughter, Harmony Montgomery.
- The court ruled that murder and assault charges should have been tried separately due to strong evidence in the assault case.
- Prosecutors plan to pursue a new murder trial as Montgomery remains incarcerated on other convictions, including assault and witness tampering.
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Days after a murder charge was dropped against an Arkansas dad who killed his daughter’s rapist, another child victim case has taken a major legal turn. This time, New Hampshire’s highest court overturned Adam Montgomery’s murder conviction in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery.
Montgomery was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder after prosecutors said he killed Harmony in 2019 and hid her body for months. On Thursday, the New Hampshire Supreme Court reversed that murder conviction, ruling that part of the case should have been handled differently at trial.
Court Says Charges Should Have Been Tried Separately
Montgomery’s attorneys argued that the murder charge should not have been tried together with a separate assault charge involving Harmony.
The state Supreme Court agreed.
The justices ruled that evidence in the assault case was stronger than the evidence in the murder case. They said trying both charges together created a serious risk that jurors would use the assault evidence to assume Montgomery was also guilty of murder.
Because of that, the court unanimously overturned the murder conviction.
Prosecutors Plan New Trial
State prosecutors said they will pursue a new murder trial.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said it remains confident in the facts, the evidence, and the work done by prosecutors, investigators, and law enforcement.
Officials said they will continue trying to seek justice for Harmony and the people who loved her.
Harmony’s Body Has Never Been Found
Prosecutors said Harmony was killed in December 2019 after she soiled the car where Montgomery was living with his wife and children.
At trial, prosecutors alleged Montgomery beat the child in the face so badly that she died.
Harmony’s body was never found. Prosecutors said Montgomery spent months moving her remains from place to place before eventually disposing of them somewhere around Boston in 2020.
Wife Testified Against Him
Much of the murder trial relied on testimony from Montgomery’s wife, Kayla.
She testified that Harmony’s body was moved in a duffel bag and hidden in several places, including the trunk of a car, a cooler at an apartment building, a workplace freezer, and a ceiling vent at a homeless shelter.
Kayla Montgomery made a deal with prosecutors and received an 18-month sentence for lying about when she last saw Harmony.
Montgomery Remains in Prison
The ruling does not mean Montgomery will be released.
His other convictions remain in place, including charges tied to assault, abuse of a corpse, witness tampering, and falsifying evidence. He is also serving more than 32 years in a separate gun case.
Before the murder conviction was overturned, Montgomery was serving a combined sentence of 56 years to life.
For now, the case will continue as prosecutors prepare to bring the murder charge back to court.
To view more cases involving child victims, overturned convictions, and major courtroom developments, check out our video here:
