CONCORD, N.H. (Court TV) — Kayla Montgomery, who testified to witnessing her stepdaughter’s murder, will walk out of prison in May after she was granted parole at a hearing on Thursday.
Kayla Montgomery reacts to a question from the parole board at the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women in Concord, N.H., on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Kayla Montgomery, the estranged wife of Adam Montgomery, convicted of killing his 5-year-old daughter and moving the body around for months, has been granted parole more than a year after she was sentenced to prison for lying about where she was when the child was last seen. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)
Kayla was married to Adam Montgomery when he fatally beat his daughter, Harmony, in Dec. 2019. A jury convicted Adam of murder after Kayla testified at his trial last month. Her testimony was part of a plea agreement she reached with prosecutors and left her with a sentence of 3 1/2 – 7 years, with 18 months suspended.
Kayla walked into the parole board hearing on Thursday and sat at a wooden desk to face the panel’s questions. The first question was about why she was in prison, and what she understood about the perjury charges she had pleaded guilty to.
“What didn’t happen was I didn’t tell the truth about where I was during that time 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. “
The “situation” was the death of her 5-year-old stepdaughter, whose body was concealed in a cooler, duffel bag and ceiling vent for months before her father ultimately disposed of it.
Kayla confessed that when she first arrived in prison she was kicked out of the facility’s Focus Unit Program, a residential unit that focuses on substance use. She told the panel that “I wasn’t in the right headspace at the time,” and was caught “cheeking” medication. She explained that “cheeking” is when someone hides medication in their cheek, pretends to swallow it, and spits it out later.
The parole board noted that she had not faced any disciplinary action since July.
When the parole board asked her about her family, Kayla became tearful saying that she has four children but no relationship with them. She said her eldest son lives with his father and stepmother, while her three youngest live with her mother. She lost all parental rights and said that while she has been in prison, she has had no contact with any of them. She said that she has made them blankets and pictures, but doesn’t know if she is unable to communicate with them because of a court ruling or because her mother is keeping her from them.
Looking forward, Kayla will be released on May 3 and will be required to stay in a sober living facility for 90 days. She demurred when asked about what type of career or life she wanted in the future, saying that she once wanted to be a veterinarian but for now, “All I can do is take it one day at a time.”
Harmony’s biological mother, Crystal Sorey, was expected to attend the parole hearing, but no one outside of the board was invited to speak or ask questions.
