As a former judge and investigative author specializing in child welfare failures and legal injustices, there is no greater injustice than what happened to Harmony Montgomery in the State of New Hampshire. In my book, A Cruel Injustice – How Massachusetts Put Four-Year-Old Harmony in the Hands of a Monster, I exposed the systemic breakdowns that led to Harmony Montgomery being placed with her violent father—an outcome that ended in her widely publicized brutal murder.
When the Manchester Police first revealed that Harmony had been missing for two years, then-Governor Sununu criticized the Massachusetts judiciary for giving custody to “a monster.” What he didn’t know at the time, or maybe he did, was that it was New Hampshire DCYF and members of its staff that walked Harmony right into murder.
I have a deeply personal connection to this case having finalized the adoption of Harmony’s younger brother, Jamison Miller, just three weeks before her death. This experience, combined with years of presiding over child abuse cases, gave me unique insight into the catastrophic institutional failures, some of them quite possibly deliberate, that devastated Jamison and ultimately cost Harmony her life.
Together with Jamison’s adoptive dads—Atlanta news anchor and reporter, Blair Miller and emergency department nurse Johnathon Bobbitt Miller, we continue to advocate for urgent reforms in child welfare law. We’ve spoken out on Court TV, numerous podcasts, and in the national media about the dangerous deficiencies in current systems that put vulnerable children at risk.
Soon, I will be releasing a three part series: “Making the Case for a Federal Investigation into Violations of Harmony Montgomery’s Constitutional Rights – Can There Be Any Justice for Harmony Beyond Her Killer’s Conviction?”
This series makes the case that Harmony’s substantive and procedural due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment were violated by New Hampshire’s Division for Children Youth and Families (DCYF) and some of its employees. Through in-depth legal analysis, I document how DCYF repeatedly and possibly purposefully failed to act to protect Harmony despite clear state and policy legal mandates. I describe in detail the filing of reports of severe abuse and neglect, seventeen in total, that were generally ignored before Harmony was murdered.
A comprehensive, not-yet-filed petition has been drafted urging the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Civil Rights or the FBI under the District of New Hampshire U.S. Attorney, to investigate New Hampshire DCYF and its officials for potential civil rights and constitutional violations. To date, no federal inquiry has ever been proposed yet the evidence now strongly supports not only the need for such an investigation, but also the possibility of criminal sanctions.
The denial of justice for Harmony is more important than ever now that Adam Montgomery appealed his conviction to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Even more disturbing is the fact that in the recent settlement of a civil lawsuit, all parties agreed that the state does not have to admit any wrongdoing or unlawful conduct.. Apparently they cannot even speak publicly about the terms of the settlement.
The money paid out bought exactly what the state wanted: silence and secrets. There is only one loser in the settlement and that is “justice”… for Harmony. This, despite the fact that DCYF closed Harmony’s case in October 2019, concluding there was no physical abuse by her father. The state officials simply did not believe that Adam Montgomery brutally punched her in the head causing a black eye and other injuries. Of course we now know from the trial that it was true. They could have stopped the abuse but they didn’t. Harmony was dead seven weeks after they closed the case when he murdered her, once again punching her in the head.
In the most disingenuous statement ever, the Attorney General said, ““The state agreed to these settlements to avoid prolonged litigation and support closure for the families. We recognize their profound loss and hope this brings some measure of peace.” Rubbish! There will be no peace or justice for Harmony until the state admits its part in her death. The state got exactly what it paid for- a finding they did nothing wrong and a waiver of future liability. Luckily, that only counts in state claims.
No journalist, legal scholar, or social media outlet has yet to call for a federal civil rights investigation into this tragic and preventable death. I’m doing that now…along with the dads of Harmony’s brother Jamison. It’s just time.
Watch for my series coming soon as the shocking details of what happened to Harmony in New Hampshire will be revealed in a way that will strongly support the need for a federal investigation and hopefully criminal and other sanctions.
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1 thought on “Justice For Harmony: What’s Coming Soon?”
Wow. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for fighting for this beautiful and precious child Harmony. I followed her case and trial, and it was the worst case I have ever watched. I believe the state is responsible and that DCYF dropped the ball. I look forward to your series Judge Erskine. Thank you.