Deceased/Not Found NH - Harmony Montgomery, 7, Manchester, Oct 2019 *reported missing Dec 2021* Arrest* MEDIA ONLY

MAR 7, 2024
[...]

Kayla Montgomery appeared at a parole board hearing Thursday and was granted parole later in the morning.

She will be released in May after completing mandated programs in prison. She will be under supervision when released.

[...]
 
Kayla Montgomery has been granted parole. Her minimum sentence date was March 4, but she will not be released right away. She must finish programs that she’s currently enrolled in. Her release will likely happen in early May. @WMUR9.

Kayla Montgomery will also be under intense supervision for 90 days following her release. It includes regular check-ins and gives her parole officer more leeway to act on any violations.
 

3/7/24

CONCORD, N.H. —
Kayla Montgomery, the stepmother of slain 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery, was granted parole Thursday morning.

Kayla Montgomery has been serving time since she pleaded guilty in 2022 to lying to a grand jury about when and where she was at the time Harmony was last seen in November 2019.

[..]

Kayla Montgomery's original minimum parole date was set for May, but earned time reduced it to March 4 this past Monday.

At a hearing Thursday morning at the New Hampshire State Prison for Women in Concord, the board approved her parole and ruled that she must complete all programs she is currently enrolled in and create a home plan before she can be released.

The board also imposed 90 days of intense supervision, which means she has to check in often, and her parole officer can act on any minor violation.
 
MAR 7, 2024

'I've Been Working On Myself': Kayla Montgomery Addresses Parole Board


A tearful Kayla Montgomery talked about her children and her future as the New Hampshire Parole Board granted her release. Kayla Montgomery, who witnessed her stepdaughter Harmony Montgomery's murder by Adam Montgomery and helped hide her body, will walk out of prison on May 3.
 
MAR 7, 2024
A conference on the other charges was scheduled for Thursday morning, but it was postponed after the prosecution and defense agreed that it made sense to deal with them at Adam Montgomery's sentencing hearing on May 9.
  • Adam Montgomery is still facing two charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
  • Adam Montgomery was convicted in June in a stolen weapons case and sentenced to decades in prison. That case is on appeal to the state Supreme Court.
  • Still outstanding is an indictment on a charge of being an armed career criminal in July 2019 and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
  • Adam Montgomery was indicted on a charge of being an armed career criminal for "knowingly having in his possession or under his control a rifle" from Feb. 22, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020. Prosecutors also indicted Montgomery on another charge involving the same weapon.
  • The charges are a combination of felonies and misdemeanors.
  • The other charges could add decades to his prison time.
 
MAR 7, 2024
  • She answered several questions about the crime she committed, what she has learned while in prison and her plans for the future.
  • "If I was honest from the beginning they could have done their job sooner...to find Harmony, know what happened to her," she said.
  • She was ordered to complete mandatory prison programs related to substance abuse treatment and have an approved home plan.
  • She will be under intense supervision for at least several months.
 
MAR 7, 2024
A conference on the other charges was scheduled for Thursday morning, but it was postponed after the prosecution and defense agreed that it made sense to deal with them at Adam Montgomery's sentencing hearing on May 9.
  • Adam Montgomery is still facing two charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
  • Adam Montgomery was convicted in June in a stolen weapons case and sentenced to decades in prison. That case is on appeal to the state Supreme Court.
  • Still outstanding is an indictment on a charge of being an armed career criminal in July 2019 and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
  • Adam Montgomery was indicted on a charge of being an armed career criminal for "knowingly having in his possession or under his control a rifle" from Feb. 22, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020. Prosecutors also indicted Montgomery on another charge involving the same weapon.
  • The charges are a combination of felonies and misdemeanors.
  • The other charges could add decades to his prison time.
Does anyone know when Judge Messer will rule on prosecution's motion to demand Adam Montgomery attend his sentencing hearing? Hoping he will have to listen to the many victim statements.
 
MAR 11, 2024
Harmony Montgomery's mother was in court Monday morning for a probate hearing.

Crystal Sorey petitioned the court to declare Harmony legally dead.

[...]

A transport order for Adam Montgomery was filed for the hearing. He declined transport and also opted to not appear at the hearing via a video conference.

No ruling was made Monday. The judge asked Sorey's attorney to submit additional paperwork for the process.
 
This morning: Crystal Sorey, the mother of #HarmonyMontgomery, will appear in Hillsborough Superior Court to ask a judge to name her as the head of Harmony’s estate. She is also asking the court to legally declare her daughter deceased. Hearing set for 9 a.m. @WMUR9

A judge gives conditional approval of Crystal Sorey becoming the administrator of Harmony Montgomery’s estate. This is a step needed for Sorey to pursue wrongful death action.The girl’s father, convicted in her murder was given a chance to appear but refused. #wcvb
 
Updated: 6:25 PM EDT Mar 11, 2024
[...]

She [Crystal Sorey] said she's working with a nonprofit organization to put together a community search in late April targeting the Rumney Marsh area.

"I just know him," Sorey said. "He would put her in the most difficult places to look, and that's just in my gut."

The court requires a certified copy of the jury verdict finding Adam Montgomery guilty of murder. For Sorey to be named the administrator of the estate, she must deliver a $10,000 corporate surety bond.

Once those conditions are met, the judge is expected to issue the orders.
 
MAR 12, 2024
A judge has ruled that a 5-year-old New Hampshire girl missing since 2019 is legally dead and her mother can become administrator of her estate, just weeks after the child’s father was convicted of killing her.

Crystal Sorey “has carried her burden to demonstrate” that her daughter, Harmony Montgomery, was killed “as a result of some catastrophic event” and that her body has not been found, a probate judge said in an order made public Tuesday, a day after Sorey went to court.

The girl did not have any financial assets, but the legal step will allow Sorey to pursue wrongful death lawsuits. The judge granted conditional approval.
 
Last edited:
MAR 12, 2024
Sorey's lawyer argued in court Monday that Harmony should be declared dead because of Adam Montgomery's conviction — he admitted during the trial that he abused her corpse. He requested that Sorey be named as the head of her daughter's estate — both she and Adam Montgomery were listed as Harmony's heirs.

Judge Beth Kissinger said that in light of Adam Montgomery's murder conviction, Sorey's request was granted and she will be appointed administrator of her late daughter's estate as long as she follows certain conditions set by the court.
 
MAR 12, 2024
"They wanted to keep this case active and going, because obviously, it has been several years since her presumed death and now, obviously, a conviction of murder, so they want to make sure the case stays on track, and this just makes sure that Crystal knows she has some obligations in order to keep the case going," said legal analyst Patricia LaFrance.

The order states that no death certificate will be issued because Harmony's body has not been found. Adam Montgomery refused to attend Monday's probate hearing and has refused to tell anyone where he placed Harmony's body. Searches are planned to continue this spring.

Now that the murder trial is over, Sorey said her priorities are shifting to finding her daughter's remains and to holding the systems designed to protect her child accountable.

Kissinger did not rule immediately, asking for court paperwork, including the jury's verdict and a probate surety bond from Sorey, which would guarantee she would fulfill her duties under the law as administrator.
 
#NewHampshire lawmakers want to make sure people who are convicted of serious felonies attend their sentencing. The new law stems from the conviction of #AdamMontgomery who was just found guilty of killing his 5-year-old daughter, #Harmony.

Montgomery chose to waive his right to appear and didn’t show up to a single day of his murder trial. Legally, he doesn't need to show up to his sentencing either.

Law&Crime’s @ImHeatherHansen breaks down the new push with retired #Florida judge Elizabeth Scherer.
 
MAR 25, 2024
[...]

Prosecutors said a law that has been in effect since 2016 should compel Montgomery to appear for his sentencing.

The law states that if the victim or the victim's kin are giving impact statements before sentencing, the defendant shall be there in person to hear it. The law is rarely tested, so prosecutors have also filed a motion.

[...]

"It's ultimately up to the court," LaFrance said. "There's a mandate – he 'shall' appear – but the court can excuse his appearance."

[...]
 

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