Crime & Safety
Judge Rules Convicted Murderer Adam Montgomery Must Attend Sentencing
Convicted of murdering his daughter Harmony, he requested not to be at sentencing, maintaining his innocence. He faces life in an NH prison.
MANCHESTER, NH — Convicted murderer Adam Montgomery is scheduled for sentencing on May 9 on the most serious charges brought against him in connection to the death of his daughter, Harmony.
During his most recent trial, he faced charges of second-degree murder, falsifying physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and witness tampering. Montgomery chose not to attend the lengthy trial in Hillsborough County Superior Court. The jury was told not to consider his absence in their findings. Montgomery was found guilty and faces life in prison in connection to the most recent convictions.
Montgomery is currently in the New Hampshire State Prison for Men, serving two stand-committed consecutive sentences of 15 to 30 years for each charge of being an armed career criminal, followed by an additional consecutive stand-committed sentence of seven and a half to 15 years for the remaining charges with five years of that minimum sentence suspended. In the aggregate, the defendant's sentence mandates a minimum of 32.5 years, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
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After being found guilty of the most recent charges, Montgomery’s attorney, Caroline Smith, requested that Montgomery not be present in the courtroom during sentencing. In the filing, he asked to waive his appearance because he maintains he is innocent of murder, tampering with a witness, and second-degree assault.
On Friday, Judge Amy Messer, who has proceeded over the trial, ruled Montgomery must appear in court for the sentencing, agreeing with prosecutors he had no legal right to skip the sentencing.
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Messer cited state law, RSA 651:4-a, which states, “The defendant shall personally appear in court when the victim or victim's next of kin addresses the judge unless excused by the court.”
“The court does not find that the defendant has raised an adequate factual or legal basis to do, the defendant has been found guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, by a jury as to those charges,” Messer wrote.
At the sentencing, at 1 p.m. on May 9, many family members of Harmony Montgomery are anticipated to share victim impact statements.
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