New Hampshire's Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of Adam Montgomery, an ex-con drug addict who had been found guilty of brutally killing his 5-year-old daughter Harmony and hiding her remains, which have not been found."Trying the second degree assault and second degree murder charges in a single trial jeopardized the defendant's right to a fair trial," the court decided.The court upheld his convictions on related charges, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and assault.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XAdam Montgomery and his lawyers Caroline Smith and James Brooks watch potential jurors enter the courtroom for jury selection ahead of his murder trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H., on Feb.6, 2024.
(David Lane/Union Leader Pool)According to the ruling, jurors were given strong evidence that Adam Montgomery beat Harmony months before her death, which improperly allowed them to draw the conclusion that he beat her again in December 2019, resulting in her death, in an incident where there was less evidence.ALEX MURDAUGH WINS NEW TRIAL AFTER COURT CLERK ALLEGEDLY TOLD JURORS NOT TO BE 'FOOLED' BY DEFENSE"The State's case on the second degree assault charge was strong," the court's opinion reads."Three witnesses testified to observing the victim with a black eye in July 2019.
Four witnesses, including two who observed the victim's black eye, testified that the defendant admitted striking the victim."SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTEROnly one witness linked him to the December assault believed to have resulted in Harmony's death, however.That was Kayla Montgomery, Adam's then-wife and Harmony's stepmother.
She was granted a deal with prosecutors in exchange for her testimony, and the defense challenged her credibility."We are absolutely disgusted by the decision of the New Hampshire Supreme Court," said the adoptive parents of Harmony's brother, Jamison, Johnathon Miller and Bob Ward."The reality is —...