Harmony Montgomery murder case: Adam Montgomery seeks to exclude prior gun convictions from trial for killing 5-year-old daughter
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Adam Montgomery, accused of the 2019 murder of his 5-year-old daughter, seeks to prevent specific information from being used as evidence during his upcoming murder trial.
Adam Montgomery faces second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his daughter, Harmony. According to court records, Montgomery is alleged to have repeatedly struck the girl, resulting in her death.
Montgomery's legal team is requesting the judge to prohibit the mention of certain details during testimony.
This includes accusations of mistreatment towards romantic partners, "assault or assaultive behavior" against Harmony, involvement in drug sales, and the sale of firearms, per WMUR.
Adam Montgomery's defense's request
Adam Montgomery is seeking to exclude his six felony weapon convictions as evidence in court, per the New York Post.
He previously denied the allegation of killing his daughter, Harmony, expressing unconditional love for her in court just before receiving a 30-year sentence on weapons charges in August.
Recently, Montgomery's public defenders filed a motion aiming to restrict evidence related to "assaults or assaultive behavior" against Harmony, except for the conduct around December 7, 2019, which led to Harmony's death according to the allegations made by his estranged wife, Kayla Montogomery.
The defense is also requesting permission to introduce information about the criminal records of Adam Montgomery's estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery.
Primarily, the motion aims to incorporate aspects of Kayla Montgomery's criminal history, including convictions for drug-related offenses and perjury.
Further, Kayla Montgomery could potentially serve as a crucial witness for the prosecution, as indicated by court records as she is the one who informed investigators that Adam Montgomery was responsible for Harmony's death.
Legal analyst Patricia LaFrance remarked, "The defense's chief goal is to have the jury not believe a word Kayla Montgomery is saying and they are using her prior convictions to try and do that."
What did Kayla Montgomery report?
According to the police affidavit, the tragic incident occurred when Adam and Kayla were living in a car following their eviction from their residence on Gilford Street in Manchester.
Kayla informed investigators that Harmony's "bathroom accident" in the car that the family had been living in sent Adam into a fit of rage and he went too far and took Harmony's life.
It was only when the car malfunctioned that the two discovered Harmony was dead.
According to Kayla, Adam placed her body in a duffel bag, which was moved around for the next few months, including in the trunk of the family friend's car, an apartment freezer, and a cooler in his mother-in-law's apartment building.
Adam purportedly relocated the body multiple times over three months before eventually disposing of it at an "unknown destination" in March 2020.
Kayla asserted that Adam never disclosed the body's location to her, and authorities have yet to locate Harmony's remains as per NBC News.
