The New Hampshire man convicted of the gruesome 2019 killing of his five-year-old daughter will have to appear at his sentencing hearing, a state superior court judge ruled.

Adam Montgomery, hated his daughter Harmony, "right to his core" because she reminded him of her mother, one friend testified during his trial. 

Montgomery, who is already serving a 30-year prison sentence for an unrelated gun charge, chose not to appear in court before he was convicted of second-degree murder and related charges.

Montgomery's attorneys filed a motion maintaining his innocence and asking that he be excused from the sentencing hearing. The state judge denied the request, writing "the only factual basis the defendant asserts is his contention that he is innocent as to some of the charges."

"However, the defendant has been found guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, by a jury as to those charges. He asserts no other factual basis for excusal."

Investigators believe that Montgomery killed Harmony in December 2019 but her family did not report her missing for another two years. Montgomery's estranged wife Kayla testified that the family hid Harmony's corpse in the ceiling of a homeless shelter and the walk-in freezer at Montgomery's job.

In response to Montgomery's decision to not appear in court for the trial, the New Hampshire legislature is considering requiring people charged with Class A felonies to be present for the verdict.