New Hampshire, February 21: A court heard testimony on Tuesday, February 21, from a father in New Hampshire, United States, who killed his five-year-old daughter, saying to his friend that he "hated" the kid "to his core" because she reminded him of his ex-wife. The Independent reports that Adam Montgomery's trial started almost four years after Harmony was last seen alive in 2019. For more than two years after the girl went missing, police looked for her but were unable to locate her alive. Montgomery faced accusations in 2022 of second-degree murder, mishandling a corpse, and fabricating tangible proof.

After Harmony had an altercation in the restroom, his estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, reported to the police that Adam had struck her many times. US Horror: Man Beats Five-Year-Old Daughter To Death While Consuming Drugs in New Hampshire, Body Still Missing; Prosecutors Reveal Gruesome Details.

Montgomery killed the small girl and then, at the shelter where her family resided following her murder, locked her remains in a ceiling vent. According to The Independent, he eventually disposed of the remains in March 2020 after moving them into his office freezer. Rebecca Maines, a friend of Adam's and his ex-girlfriend Kelsey Small, was one of the witnesses who took a deposition on Tuesday. She remembered what Adam had told her about his last encounter with Harmony.

He told to me that he was in the loo. When he stepped outside, Harmony was blue and not breathing, and he had put his hands over the baby's mouth and nose. He said he saw red and just backhanded her, Small was quoted saying by NBC Boston. UP Shocker: Five-Year-Old Boy Killed by Neighbour Over Enmity With Child's Father in Pratapgarh, Accused Arrested (Watch Video).

Maines said that Harmony's resemblance to her mother, Crystal Sorey, was the reason Adam allegedly informed her he "hated" Harmony. When Harmony was born in 2014, her mother, Crystal and her father, Adam, were not together. The youngster alternated between her mother and foster families. Harmony was taken from Crystal Sorey's care in 2018, and in February 2019, Adam Montgomery was granted custody.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 21, 2024 06:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).