Stepmother of Harmony Montgomery, five-year-old murdered by father, granted parole in New Hampshire

Kayla Montgomery testified last month at the murder trial of her estranged husband

Stepmother of murdered Harmony Montgomery granted early release (Nicole Sorey/Facebook)

Harmony Montgomery’s stepmother has been granted early release in New Hampshire more than a year after she was sent to prison for lying about where she was on the day her husband killed his 5-year-old daughter.

Last month, Kayla Montgomery’s estranged husband, Adam Montgomery, was convicted of the murder of his young child, whose body has never been found.

During her hearing before the New Hampshire Adult Parole Board, Ms Montgomery expressed remorse over not coming forward sooner, according to the Associated Press.

“I didn’t tell the truth about where I was during that time,” Ms Montgomery said. “And not being able to cooperate with the detectives, I got all caught up in the situation and if I just was honest from the beginning, they could have done their job sooner.”

Though Harmony was last seen in New Hampshire in the fall of 2019, she was not reported missing for two years.

Her father was arrested after Ms Montgomery came forward, telling authorities he killed Harmony by repeatedly punching her in the head because he was angry that she’d had a bathroom accident in the car.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the father “delivered sets of three to four blows with a closed fist to Harmony’s face/head on three separate occasions over the course of a few minutes.”

Afterwards, he said, “I think I really hurt her this time. I think I did something.”

For about five minutes, Harmony made a “moaning type noise,” and “then stopped.” The family continued driving, not stopping to check on the child or seek medical attention. They later realized she had died.

Harmony’s body, which Mr Montgomery hid for months before dumping, has never been found.

In 2022, Ms Montgomery pleaded guilty to perjury charges for lying under oath about what happened to Harmony when the investigation began.

She was sentenced to 18 months in prison and agreed to testify in the trial against her husband as part of the deal.

She will be released in May, after which she will remain under supervision and be required to participate in substance abuse treatment.