The estranged wife of a New Hampshire man testified Friday that he beat their 5-year-old daughter to death. He then folded the girl’s body into a duffel bag, stuffed it in the trunk of his car, moved it to a ceiling vent and finally to the restaurant’s freezer while he figured out how to dispose of her body.of Associated Press.
Kayla Montgomery said her stepdaughter, Harmony Montgomery, died in the family’s car on Dec. 7, 2019, after being evicted from their home.
Harmony’s body has not yet been recovered by authorities.
The report said Kayla’s comments were made on the third day of Adam Montgomery’s murder trial, but Kayla was not present.
Kayla said Harmony was potty trained but had frequent accidents. She went on to say that her husband, Adam, hit their 5-year-old in the head after two similar accidents in her car. She added that Adam covered Harmony’s body with a blanket as Harmony cried and moaned and eventually fell silent.
Shortly after, Adam allegedly stuffed the girl’s body into a duffel bag when the family’s car broke down.
midland daily news report Adam was charged with second-degree murder, assault, and interrogation of a witness. His lawyer went on to say he was also guilty of two other charges: abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. However, they concluded that Adam did not kill his daughter and suggested that Kayla may have been lying to authorities to protect herself.
Public Defender James T. Brooks told the jury:[o]She’s the only one who knows the truth,” adding that Kayla is the only one who “profited from all the lies she told.”
Kayla appeared to suggest her husband was solely responsible for Harmony’s death, but told jurors in May 2022 that she did not know what happened to her stepdaughter.
Defense attorney Caroline Smith asked: “So if you lie and look at the jury, the lie is still the same?”
According to reports, Kayla is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to perjury for lying to a grand jury about Harmony’s whereabouts when she was last seen.
Kayla, questioned by Smith, appeared to admit to telling at least a dozen other lies during her testimony.
“The last time I saw Harmony, she said she was happy,” Smith said. “I had no problem lying to the grand jury.”
Authorities did not learn about Harmony’s disappearance until December 2021, two years after she was said to have died. Kayla tried to stop her husband from attacking her child, she claimed, but she said “her husband gave me this evil, crazy look”. added.
“It was scary,” she said.
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