A New Hampshire man, Adam Montgomery, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery, on Thursday. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before reaching the verdict. Montgomery, who did not attend the trial, had been accused of killing Harmony in December 2019, but her body was not reported missing until almost two years later and has never been found.

The case revealed a disturbing history involving Harmony's parents. Adam Montgomery and Harmony's mother, Crystal Sorey, were not in a relationship when Harmony was born in 2014. Harmony lived with foster families and her mother until Sorey lost custody in 2018. Montgomery was awarded custody in early 2019, and Sorey testified that she last saw her daughter during a FaceTime call in April of that year. Sorey described Harmony as "amazing, rambunctious, very smart," despite being born blind in one eye.

The investigation into Harmony's disappearance took a dark turn when authorities searched a home where Montgomery had lived and charged him with assault, interference with custody, and child endangerment. His estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, was also charged with perjury for lying to a grand jury investigating Harmony's disappearance. Kayla eventually testified that Adam killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family was living in their car after being evicted from their home.

The trial revealed harrowing details of Harmony's final moments, with Kayla testifying that Adam repeatedly punched Harmony in the head because she had wet herself. She said he hid Harmony's body in various locations before disposing of it in March 2020. Despite Adam's lawyers suggesting that Kayla was responsible for Harmony's death, the jury found Adam guilty of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, falsifying evidence, assault, and witness tampering.

Harmony's birth mother, Crystal Sorey, expressed relief at the verdict and called Adam a coward for taking her daughter away from those who loved her. Sorey plans to give a victim impact statement at Adam's sentencing. Governor Chris Sununu referred to Adam as a “monster” and stated that he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. Adam Montgomery, who is already serving a 30-year prison sentence for an unrelated gun conviction, faces a potential sentence of 35 years to life for Harmony's murder. The sentencing is expected to take place between late March and the end of May.