NH Supreme Court Overturns Murder Conviction in High-Profile Child Death Case
New Hampshire Supreme Court overturned Adam Montgomery’s second-degree murder conviction.
Why it matters: The ruling underscores procedural challenges in prosecuting homicide in child abuse cases and shapes future legal strategies.
- The court overturned Montgomery’s 2024 second-degree murder conviction for his daughter’s 2019 death due to trial procedure errors.
- Convictions for assault, falsifying evidence, witness tampering, and abuse of a corpse were upheld.
- Montgomery was originally sentenced to 45 years to life for murder before the ruling.
- A $15.5 million wrongful death judgment against Montgomery was issued in May 2026.
On June 11, 2026, the New Hampshire Supreme Court overturned Adam Montgomery’s second-degree murder conviction for the 2019 death of his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery.
The court ruled that combining the murder charge with a second-degree assault charge in the same trial violated Montgomery’s right to a fair trial, leading to the reversal. However, it upheld his convictions related to assault, falsifying physical evidence, witness tampering, and abuse of a corpse, as reported by NBC Boston.
Prior to this decision, Montgomery had been sentenced in 2024 to 45 years to life for the murder of Harmony, whose body has never been recovered (CBS News).
In May 2026, Montgomery was also ordered to pay $15.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey (NHPR).
Assistant Attorney General Sam Gonyea emphasized the complexity of the case, stating, "This murder did not happen in a vacuum. The whole story is not told by simply recounting the events of Dec. 7, 2019." Montgomery’s defense attorney, Pamela Phelan, argued the homicide charge reflected "extreme indifference." The ruling highlights the difficulty of proving homicide charges alongside lesser offenses in child abuse cases and will likely influence prosecutorial approaches in similar cases.
By the numbers:
- 45 years to life — Original prison sentence for Adam Montgomery’s murder conviction.
- $15.5 million — Wrongful death judgment awarded to Harmony Montgomery’s mother, Crystal Sorey.
- 2019 — Year Harmony Montgomery died.
Yes, but: While the murder conviction was overturned, Montgomery remains convicted on multiple serious charges, sustaining significant legal consequences.
What's next: It remains unclear if prosecutors will retry Montgomery on the second-degree murder charge following the Supreme Court’s decision.