Adam Montgomery, the New Hampshire dad convicted of beating his daughter, Harmony, to death and hiding the slaying for more than two years, was sentenced Thursday.
A judge sentenced Montgomery to 45 years to life in prison for the second-degree murder charge.
“You took a human life and you did so in the most callous and heartless of ways. You robbed a 5-year-old girl, your own daughter, of the life she was to lead. You stole from your sons a sister, you took a daughter from her mother,” Judge Amy Messer said while reading Montgomery’s sentence.
In addition to the 45 years to life sentence for second-degree murder, Montgomery was also sentenced to 4 to 8 years for assault, 3.5 to 7 years for witness tampering and 3.5 to 7 years for falsifying evidence. When it came to abuse of a corpse, he received a 12-month suspended sentence. The judge ruled that all sentences would be served consecutively – that means one after the other – for a total of at least 56 years in prison.
Adam Montgomery, Harmony’s father, allegedly pummeled the little girl in the head with a closed fist on Dec. 7, 2019. (Manchester Police)
“In light of the egregious nature of the crimes of which you have been convicted in this case, and taking into consideration your extremely violent criminal history, the court finds the only way to do this is to keep you off the streets,” Messer continued.
Montgomery has been in custody since the beginning of 2021 after his estranged ex-wife reported Harmony missing and Manchester police discovered she had been unaccounted for since 2019.
The family was homeless and living in a car at the time of Harmony’s suspected murder, according to investigators.
On Dec. 7, 2019, the day investigators believe Harmony died, she had soiled herself in her sleep, prosecutors said. Her father allegedly beat her over the head viciously, telling his wife, “I think I really hurt her this time.”
Left: Adam Montgomery, a convicted felon, was sentenced to 45 years to life for second-degree murder. Right: Harmony Montgomery smiling before her death. (Manchester Police)
When he realized his daughter was dead, he allegedly stuffed her into a duffle bag. Prosecutors say he transferred her body multiple times and kept it for weeks before chopping up her remains and disposing of them somewhere outside Boston.
As part of a plea deal, Kayla Montgomery, Harmony’s stepmother, gave investigators damning testimony implicating her husband on charges that include second-degree murder, abusing a corpse and falsifying evidence. She told detectives that Adam Montgomery kept Harmony’s corpse for three months, repeatedly hiding it in new places before allegedly dumping it somewhere near Boston. Although the girl’s body has not been recovered, investigators allegedly found her DNA in at least one location where he allegedly stowed it.
HARMONY MONTGOMERY: REWARD REACHES $104K FOR INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO MISSING GIRL
Manchester Police Public Information Officer Heather Hamel holds two reward posters at the police station showing photos of missing Harmony Montgomery in Manchester, NH on Jan. 4, 2022. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Prior to his sentencing, the prosecutor asked Adam Montgomery to disclose where Harmony’s body was in exchange for second-degree murder’s minimum 35-year sentence. Adam Montgomery stayed silent and did not offer any indication of where her body was hidden.
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Police are still searching for her remains, and anyone with information is asked to call the dedicated tip line at 603-203-6060.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Anida Milaj