A New Hampshire man’s murder conviction has been overturned in the case of his daughter, Harmony Montgomery, whose remains have not been found. The father of the 5-year-old girl had his conviction for second-degree murder reversed by the Supreme Court of New Hampshire.

Background of the Case

Adam Montgomery was found guilty in February 2024 and was sentenced that May to a total of 56 years to life. He was already serving a 33- to 67-year sentence from a 2023 firearms conviction. The sentences were to be served consecutively.

According to the ruling, the justices of the NH Supreme Court agreed that the trial court should have separated the second-degree assault from the murder charge. Montgomery also argued the court improperly admitted certain evidence about how Harmony’s mother came to contact law enforcement, and the justices agreed that it was not ‘intrinsic’ to the murder charge.

Prosecutors said Adam Montgomery violently beat the girl to death in a car in which they were living, then hid and stuffed her body into various bags and locations. Before the sentencing in 2024, the prosecutor asked Adam Montgomery to disclose where the girl’s body was in exchange for a minimum 35-year sentence for second-degree murder.

Aftermath and Other Developments

Earlier this year, Montgomery was ordered to pay $15 million to Crystal Sorey, Harmony’s mother, after he failed to respond to a wrongful death lawsuit. The New Hampshire Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the murder conviction does not necessarily mean Montgomery will be released from prison, as he still faces other convictions, including second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence, witness tampering, and abuse of a corpse.

Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.