Adam Montgomery's trial dates set for May and August

Nov. 22—Prosecutors and defense lawyers have agreed on dates for two trials of Adam Montgomery, one for charges of stealing firearms and the other for the murder of his daughter, Harmony.

Both parties hashed out the dates during a brief hearing at Hillsborough Superior Court Tuesday morning. Montgomery was not in attendance.

Jury selection for Montgomery's trial on 12 charges involving the theft of a shotgun and AK-47-style rifle from a Manchester home is set to begin on May 30. The trial is expected to last no more than eight days.

The murder trial is set for August and could last three to four weeks.

Last month, Montgomery, 32, was charged with the murder of Harmony Montgomery, 5, in December 2019.

According to the murder charge, Montgomery struck Harmony in the head repeatedly on Dec. 7, 2019, with a closed fist.

The charges came 10 months after authorities announced that Harmony had been last seen in late 2019 and asked the public to help find her.

The firearms trial was set to begin this month, but was delayed after statements made by his estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, implicated her husband in the murder and the weapons theft.

The "new information" changed the case significantly, said Caroline Smith, a lawyer for Montgomery. The trial is expected to take longer than originally planned.

"The additional witnesses that I would be probably calling have made that change," she said.

Kayla Montgomery pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury last week and was sentenced to serve a year and a half in state prison.

Charges against another assault of Harmony, child endangerment and interfering with custody by Adam Montgomery is expected to be merged with the murder trial.

Superior Court Judge Amy Messer is presiding over the case.