Adam Montgomery accused of buying $400 in equipment to destroy Harmony’s body
Adam Montgomery’s defence tried to have evidence about a $400 Home Depot purchase excluded from his trial over the murder of his five-year-old daughter.
Montgomery’s trial is underway in Manchester, New Hampshire, more than four years after he allegedly beat Harmony Montgomery to death in December 2019. Authorities only began investigating the little girl’s disappearance in 2021, following desperate attempts by her mother to see her.
Prosecutors have argued in court that Montgomery killed his daughter after she soiled herself in the family vehicle. Harmony, her father, stepmother and two infant half-brothers were living in the car following an eviction.
The state’s case has largely hinged on testimony by Montgomery’s estranged wife, as well as DNA evidence of the horrific ways in which he worked to crush, reduce and dispose of Harmony’s remains. On Thursday, jurors heard about a February 2020 $400 purchase of limestone, a metal-cutting diamond blade, a lithium-ion battery and a power grinder.
The purchase was made at a Home Deport located just a mile away from Citizens Bank, where Montgomery’s wife, Kayla Montgomery, reportedly withdrew $500 the same day. Prosecutors suggested that Montgomery may have used the power tools to destroy Harmony’s body in the bathroom of his Union Square apartment.
Before the evidence was introduced, the defence had filed a last-minute motion seeking to have it banned from the trial. Montgomery’s attorney Caroline Smith argued that the purchase could not be traced back to her client, and that Kayla Montgomery had not discussed seeing power tools in the bathroom. Judge Amy Messer ultimately ruled in favour of the prosecution.
“I think there is enough information to allow the state to bring the evidence about the Home Depot,” Judge Messina said.
Earlier in the trial, Kayla Montgomery admitted that she briefly helped Montgomery cut off a Star Wars hoodie from Harmony’s frozen remains, which had been relocated several times for two months.
Manchester Police Department detective Max Rahill also told the court on Thursday that he attempted to retrieve surveillance video from the day the transaction was made in 2022, but the bank no longer had the footage available.
Repairman Dennis Cloutier told jurors that he fixed Adam Montgomery’s bathtub in 2020, presumably after he ran hot water on Harmony’s frozen remains and reduced them even further.
Mr Cloutier said the tub was not draining and noticed that the overflow drain was missing a screw.
“I snaked out the drain, he had dislodged the actual plunger that hooks to the lever so that was stuck down the drain,” Mr Cloutier said. “So, I removed that completely.”
Mr Cloutier said the job took just 35 minutes, and that Montgomery had been waited outside the bathroom.
“He was doing more pacing than talking,” Mr Cloutier said.
Earlier in the day, the court heard from Cameron Gibney, a former coworker of Montgomery at Portland Pie. Mr Gibney testified that he would often see Montgomery bring a bag with him to work. At the time, the family was living in a shelter and Montgomery brought Harmony’s remains to work with him.
“I’ve seen him inside a walk-in cooler that we used to have that was where the kitchen area used to be,” Mr Gibney said. “He would place it inside the walk-in cooler, on the lower left-hand side shelf inside the cooler ... We had mustard and other condiments there.”
Sometime in March 2020, Montgomery finally disposed of what was left of Harmony. Brendon Middleton, an acquaintance who also testified on Thursday, said that he rented a U-Haul under the impression that it was going to be used to transport furniture.
Mr Middleton’s friend Travis Beach then drove the vehicle to Montgomery, who used it to dump his daughter’s remains at an unknown location. Harmony’s body has never been found.
