The New Hampshire dad who brutally beat his 5-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery to death was given 45 years to life in prison after he dramatically refused to reveal where her body was in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Adam Montgomery, 34, who was found guilty of murdering his Harmony, remained silent and stone-faced at his court hearing Thursday despite a surprise offer from prosecutors to reduce his sentence by as much as 21 years, WMUR reports.
Montgomery stuffed his daughter’s body in a tote bag, then a cooler as he hid her death for months, prosecutors said. He even stashed the little girl in the freezer at the restaurant where he worked — before disposing of it in an unknown location, authorities allege.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati told the judge that if Montgomery could give Harmony’s family closure by revealing where he left the toddler’s body, then the state would no longer ask for a that maximum of 56-years to life, but instead seek 35-to-life.
When Montgomery, who maintains his innocence, refused to anser, Agati told the judge that the convicted killer’s inability to repent “is yet another reason” why the judge should throw the book at him.
Judge Amy Messer ultimately sentenced Montgomery to 45 years to life in prison, which will be served consecutively to the decades-long sentences he is already serving for weapons charges.
“In light of the egregious nature of the crimes of which you have been convicted in this case, and taking into consideration your extremely violent criminal history, the court finds the only way to do this is to keep you off the streets,” Judge Amy Messer said.
The prosecutor’s offer came after Harmony’s aunt, Brittany Sorey, demanded Montgomery give up the location.
“You are a selfish, evil, conniving, poor excuse for a human being,” Sorey told the convicted killer. “If you’re any type of man at all Adam, or [if[ you loved her for just a second, you would tell us where she is.”
Defense attorney Caroline Smith slammed the offer as “a stunt” and accused the prosecution of trying to get a reaction out of her client.
“Mr. Montgomery does not have to express remorse here for something for which he maintains his innocence,” Smith told the court.
Smith also claimed that Montgomery did not kill his child, and chalked up his behavior following her death to grief.
“When he discovered his daughter’s death, he broke, and he did inexplicable things. Even he can’t explain his actions,” Smith said. “But eventually he puled it together, and he was able to say goodbye to his daughter, and that’s what he did.”
Montgomery faces the possibility of life in prison after he was convicted in February of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence, abuse of a corpse and tampering with a witness and informants.
