Daijiworld Media Network - New Hampshire

New Hampshire, Jun 12: The New Hampshire Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of Adam Montgomery, who was found guilty of killing his five-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery, ruling that he did not receive a fair trial because key charges were improperly tried together.

Montgomery, 36, was convicted in February 2024 of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, abuse of a corpse, falsifying physical evidence and witness tampering in connection with the death of Harmony, whose body has never been recovered.

In a ruling issued on June 11, the state's highest court reversed the second-degree murder conviction, stating that the murder and assault charges should not have been prosecuted in a single trial. The court, however, upheld Montgomery’s convictions on the remaining charges and sent the murder charge back to a lower court for further proceedings.

Despite the decision, Montgomery will remain in prison. He continues to serve sentences related to the other convictions, as well as a separate prison term on unrelated firearms charges.

The New Hampshire Department of Justice expressed disappointment with the ruling and said prosecutors intend to pursue a retrial on the murder charge.

Authorities believe Harmony was killed in Manchester, New Hampshire, in late 2019. The child was last seen that year but was not reported missing until the end of 2021, triggering a lengthy investigation involving local, state and federal agencies.

Investigators concluded that Harmony had been murdered in early December 2019, despite her body never being found. Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Montgomery fatally assaulted the child, concealed her remains and later disposed of them. They also accused him of pressuring his wife to provide false information to investigators.

Montgomery maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and did not attend his 2024 trial or the announcement of the verdict.

The case attracted widespread attention across the United States due to the prolonged delay in reporting Harmony missing and the fact that her remains have never been recovered.