MANCHESTER, N.H. (Court TV) — He managed to avoid coming to court for his entire trial, but prosecutors in New Hampshire want to make sure Adam Montgomery is there when a judge sentences him for murdering his young daughter.
Adam Montgomery enters the courtroom for jury selection ahead of his murder trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)
A jury convicted Montgomery in February on charges he brutally beat his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony, to death. Harmony’s body has never been found, and shortly before his trial began, Montgomery admitted to disposing of her body after spending months hiding it in a duffel bag, a ceiling vent and a cooler. Harmony was last seen alive in 2019 but was not reported missing for nearly two years.
Though he did appear in court for a weapons trial months prior, Montgomery refused transport on each day of his murder trial. He attended one day of jury selection before waiving his right to appear.
Now the prosecutors want to ensure he’s in court on the day he learns his sentence. In a motion filed with the court, prosecutors asked the judge to compel Montgomery’s appearance, citing New Hampshire law which requires that “‘the defendant shall personally appear in court when the victim or victim’s next of kin addresses the judge,’ unless excused by the court when sentencing for the crime of second-degree murder.”
On Thursday, Montgomery responded to the prosecution’s motion by asking the court to “exercise the discretion afforded to it under the Statue (sic) and excuse his appearance at the Sentencing hearing.”
The state noted that Harmony Montgomery’s next of kin “will be personally appearing in court along with other individuals victimized by the defendant’s crimes” to provide victim impact statements. Harmony’s next of kin is her biological mother, Crystal Sorey, who was recently granted a petition to declare Harmony legally dead as part of a planned wrongful death lawsuit. Similarly, Montgomery declined to appear at the probate hearing in his daughter’s case on March 11.
Adam Montgomery’s sentencing is scheduled for May 9. He is already serving a sentence of at least 30 years in prison for being an armed career criminal.
