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Kayla Montgomery, the estranged wife of New Hampshire resident Adam Montgomery, delivered her testimony on Friday, February 12. Adam Montgomery stands accused of the brutal beating death of his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony, in 2019. She recounted the horrifying events during the third day of the trial.
In her testimony on Friday, Kayla Montgomery revealed that Harmony Montgomery tragically passed away on December 7, 2019, inside the family car, where they had been residing following an eviction. Kayla recounted the alleged actions of Adam Montgomery, stating that he had punched his young daughter to death.
Subsequently, he folded Harmony's lifeless body into a duffel bag. The court heard that Adam concealed the duffel bag with Harmony's remains first in the trunk of his car. He then allegedly moved the duffel bag to a ceiling vent and later to a restaurant freezer.
As reported by the Independent, Kayla testified that Adam testified he wanted to get rid of Harmony's lifeless body,
“He wanted to use a handsaw and a NutriBullet.”
Throughout her testimony, Kayla Montgomery visibly struggled to contain her emotions. The court took into account Adam Montgomery's continued absence from the courtroom for the third consecutive day.
Kayla Montgomery reveals “He folded her in half and put her in the duffel bag”
During her testimony, Kayla Montgomery revealed that despite Harmony being potty trained, she began experiencing frequent accidents. Kayla shared that her husband, Adam Montgomery, allegedly punched Harmony in the head after two such accidents in the car.
Kayla continued, describing how Adam covered Harmony with a blanket as the child cried, moaned, and eventually fell silent. The situation worsened as their car broke down, forcing Adam Montgomery to place Harmony's lifeless body in a duffel bag.
As reported by CBS News, Kayla Montgomery recounted,
“He, like, folded her in half and put her in the duffel bag.”
Adam Montgomery, aged 34, is facing charges of second-degree murder, assault, and witness tampering. During the opening statements, his defense admitted guilt to two charges—falsifying evidence and abusing a corpse. However, they vehemently denied his involvement in Harmony's death, suggesting that Kayla Montgomery was fabricating the story to protect herself, as reported by Boston 25.
Under the prosecutors' scrutiny, Kayla Montgomery faced the jurors on Friday, vehemently denying any involvement in Harmony's death. However, during cross-examination, she admitted to falsely claiming ignorance about Harmony's whereabouts in May 2022.
“So, looking at jurors while you’re lying doesn’t change the lie, right?” questioned defense attorney Caroline Smith.
“Right,” responded Montgomery, who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to perjury for providing false information during grand jury testimony about her whereabouts when Harmony was last seen.
Under further questioning by Smith, Kayla Montgomery acknowledged making at least a dozen other false statements, as reported by AP News.
Kayla Montgomery testifies about helping Adam Montgomery transport the body
Police only became aware of Harmony's absence in December 2021, nearly two years after she was last seen alive. The duffel bag, initially stored in the trunk of a friend's car, was later discovered in a hallway cooler near Kayla's mother's apartment before being moved to a ceiling vent at a shelter where the family stayed for about six weeks. As Harmony's remains started emitting an odor, Adam Montgomery transferred them into trash bags, which were then placed in a large tote bag.
Kayla testified that she assisted her husband in transporting the bag to a restaurant where he worked, ultimately placing it in a freezer. She described Adam's talk of dismembering Harmony's body. He purchased tools and limes for it. Kayla admitted to aiding Adam as he removed Harmony's clothes from her decaying corpse, attempting to expedite decomposition with hot water and lime, as reported by the Independent.
She said
"I couldn't be there anymore. I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to see anything."
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Caroline Smith pointed out inconsistencies in Kayla's testimony, highlighting that she accurately described Harmony's clothing to the grand jury in 2022 but omitted her role in removing them.
Smith said,
“You talked to the jury with a straight face about remembering what she was wearing.”
Kayla, who is scheduled to return to stand on Monday, revealed that Adam drove away with Harmony's remains in a rental truck in March 2020. Fearing her potential involvement with the police, he allegedly began assaulting her, giving her black eyes. In March 2021, she escaped from him, as reported by Boston 25.
Adam Montgomery informed a judge via Zoom on Wednesday of his intention to plead guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse and falsifying evidence. Despite this plea, Adam faces charges of second-degree murder, assault, and witness tampering.
Meanwhile, Kayla is currently incarcerated in Concord, New Hampshire, serving a one-and-a-half-year sentence after pleading guilty to perjury.
Testimony in the trial concluded prematurely on Friday after Kayla complained of a headache while on the witness stand. Cross-examination is scheduled to resume on Monday, February 12, as reported by CBS News.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, Harmony's remains have yet to be discovered.
