Adam Montgomery appears in a mugshot. (Manchester Police Department)
Adam Montgomery, 33, the father of long-missing and presumed dead 5-year-old New Hampshire girl, Harmony Montgomery, is facing trial for gun charges unrelated to his daughter’s case.
Jury selection in the case wrapped up earlier this week – with Judge Amy Messer ruling in an evidentiary hearing that the defendant will be allowed to present an “alternative suspect” defense. Prosecutors pleaded with the court to limit such arguments but the judge declined, saying that jurors will be able to hear everything the defense can offer.
Montgomery originally faced eight gun-related offenses in an April 2022 indictment out of Hillsborough County that stem from the theft of two guns from a home in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Two of those counts were later dropped – one charge each for being a felon in possession of a rifle, and in possession of a shotgun.
The six remaining counts include two counts of theft by unauthorized taking and two counts of receiving stolen property for retaining the guns. He is also charged with one count each of being an armed career criminal – having been convicted of three or more qualifying felonies – for possessing the rifle, and for possessing the shotgun.
He faces up to 70 years in prison on the firearms charges.
Montgomery’s murder trial will begin in late November. His estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, is expected to testify against him during both trials as a condition of her November 2022 plea deal for perjury charges related to the death and disappearance of her stepdaughter.