Harmony Montgomery trial resumes after chilling murder details and ‘betrayal letter’ revealed: Live

Harmony Montgomery had a set of maybe seven or eight underwear, and a few sets of clothes.

The family often stopped at public bathrooms to wash themselves.

Defence attorney Caroline Smith is grilling Ms Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery’s harrowing testimony in court included disturbing descriptions of the plans to dispose of Harmony’s body that Adam Montgomery discussed after the little girl was murdered on 7 December.

Montgomery, 34, is currently standing trial in Manchester, New Hampshire on a second-degree murder charge after conceding on two lesser charges of abuse of a corpse and falsifying information.

The first week of Adam Montgomery’s trial over the murder of his five-year-old daughter Harmony was set off to a harrowing start as the court heard disturbing theories of the things he did to conceal the little girl’s corpse.

Montgomery, 34, is charged with second-degree murder in the December 2019 death of Harmony Montgomery. On Wednesday, he said he intended to plead guilty to two lesser charges of abuse of a corpse and falsifying information.

During opening statements, the defence introduced a prison letter allegedly written by Kayla Montgomery after she was arrested on theft charges for collecting welfare benefits for the missing child between December 2019 and June 2021.

In the letter, she allegedly wrote the things she wanted in exchange for “betraying Adam.”

Among the things she reportedly requested were “immunity from everything, all charges she was facing … maybe ankle bracelet, or probation or drug rehab, kids in my life, not lose custody and have kids live with me.”

Kayla Montgomery testified that her stepdaughter, Harmony Montgomery, whose body has not been found, died 7 December 2019, in a car the family was living in after getting evicted. It was the third day of Adam Montgomery’s murder trial in Manchester, which he hasn’t been attending.

Kayla Montgomery said Harmony was potty trained, but had begun having frequent accidents. She testified that her husband punched Harmony in the head after two such accidents in the car.

He later covered Harmony with a blanket as the child cried, moaned and eventually went silent, the stepmother said. Their car broke down soon afterward and Adam Montgomery put Harmony’s body in the duffel bag, she said.

“He, like, folded her in half and put her in the duffel bag,” she said.

Adam Montgomery, 34, is charged with second-degree murder, assault and witness tampering. In opening statements Thursday, his lawyers acknowledged he was guilty of two other charges — falsifying evidence and abusing a corpse. But they said he did not kill Harmony and repeatedly suggested Kayla Montgomery was lying to protect herself.

On Thursday, Montgomery’s lawyer gave a dramatic preview of the line of defence they will be pursuing during trial. During opening statement, attorney James Brooks claimed that it was Kayla Montgomery, his client’s estranged wife and Harmony’s stepmother, who last saw the little girl alive.

“In a few minutes, we are going to get on a bus to see a couple of locations in Manchester. In some ways, it’ll be the beginning of a journey that you will likely never forget,” prosecutor Ben Agati said on Wednesday.

“It’s also the last journey that Harmony Montgomery took when she was alive and where her body went afterwards. It’s a journey into the actions of the defendant on the days of the attack and after. We’re going to drive by the place where Harmony was first assaulted, or where she was killed, or where she was … crushed.”

During opening statements, the defence introduced a prison letter allegedly written by Kayla Montgomery after she was arrested on theft charges for collecting welfare benefits for the missing child between December 2019 and June 2021.

In the letter, she allegedly wrote the things she wanted in exchange for “betraying Adam.”

Among the things she reportedly requested were “immunity from everything, all charges she was facing … maybe ankle bracelet, or probation or drug rehab, kids in my life, not lose custody and have kids live with me.”

The prosecution had previously suggested during their opening statements that Harmony died after her father repeatedly hit her in the head because she had soiled herself. The state argued that Kayla Montgomery didn’t come forward with information sooner because she was being abused and “terrorised” by her husband.

On Friday, defence attorney Caroline Smith read the letter out loud. Among other demands, Kayla wrote that she wanted to see Montgomery “one last time, kiss him, and maybe make love to him,” Ms Smith said — casting doubt on the prosecution’s argument that Kayla initially lied to officials because she was being threatened by Montgomery.

“What you didn’t write was protection from Adam, what you didn’t write was that you were afraid of Adam,” Ms Smith asked. “You just wanted to be with him before you, as you put it, betray him, right?”

“I wasn’t thinking about that …. yes,” Kayla answered.

Kayla Montgomery, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison last year over perjury charges, is expected to be the prosecution’s strongest witness.