The man is facing trial nearly four years after killing Harmony.
A US man who murdered his five-year-old daughter told friends he “hated” the girl because she reminded him of his ex-wife, a court heard on Tuesday. Adam Montgomery’s trial reportedly began more than four years after Harmony was found alive in 2019. independent. After the girl disappeared, police searched for her for more than two years but were unable to find her alive. In 2022, Montgomery was charged with second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and falsification of physical evidence.
His estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, told police that Adam hit Harmony multiple times after Harmony’s bathroom incident.
After killing the little girl, Montgomery locked her body in a ceiling vent in the shelter where the family lived after her death. He later reportedly moved the remains to a refrigerator at his workplace and eventually disposed of them in March 2020. independent.
Among the witnesses who testified Tuesday was Rebecca Maines, a friend of Adam and his ex-girlfriend, Kelsey Small. She recalled what Adam told her about his attack on Harmony.
“He told me he was in the bathroom… He walked out and found Harmony and put his hands over the baby’s mouth and nose, and the baby wasn’t breathing and was blue. He said he saw red and just backhanded her,” quoted her words nbc boston.
Ms Mearns also said Adam once told her he “hated” Harmony because she reminded him of her mother, Crystal Sorey. When Harmony was born in 2014, Adam and Harmony’s mother, Crystal, were not in a relationship. The child was living separately from her foster family and her mother. Crystal Sorey lost custody of Harmony in 2018, and Adam Montgomery gained custody in February 2019.
Adam Montgomery’s attorneys happily dismissed some of the charges against him in court, including second-degree murder charges, second-degree assault charges and witness tampering charges, but Judge Amy Messer denied those charges.
They will have the opportunity to give evidence on Wednesday if they wish. Afterwards, both sides will make closing arguments and the case will be presented to the jury for consideration.
