List of All Articles with Tag 'crime'

A January 6 fugitive had two guns and 400 rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested close to the home of former President Barack Obama this week, federal authorities said. Taylor Taranto, 37, was arrested on Thursday outside the Obamas’ Washington DC home hours after he shared a social media post from former president Donald Trump which revealed his predecessor’s address. Taranto was arrested on charges stemming from his activities during the Capitol riot two years ago. Law enforcement also discovered materials for a Molotov cocktail in his vehicle. The matter is being reviewed by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mr Taranto was detained by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement, and charged with being a fugitive from justice. “Arresting officers requested MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to perform a vehicle sweep of the individual’s van near the location of the arrest,” MPD said in a statement, according to CNN. “There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation.” Mr Taranto reposted a Truth Social post by Mr Trump which included an article containing the address of the Obamas as well as a number of other Democrats. Mr Taranto added his own comment: “Got them surrounded!” The 2017 article shared by Mr Trump was a piece in The Phyllis Schlafly Report, named after the conservative activist who passed away in 2016. It included the home address of the Obamas. In a live stream, Mr Taranto told his audience that he also had a “detonator,” according to Mediaite. The shocking scene played out in the wealthy neighbourhood of Kalorama on Thursday. Mr Taranto was chased by police and Secret Service while he ran towards the home of the Obamas and warned authorities that he had an explosive device. CBS News reported that he fled after being spotted by Secret Service, who had apparently been alerted to his intentions after Mr Taranto made “threats during recent live streams on social media”. Mr Taranto had an active arrest warrant related to the attack on the Capitol when he was captured near the former president’s home, according to CBS. DC police confirmed to The Independent that Mr Taranto had been charged with being a fugitive from justice pursuant to another arrest warrant and that officers had conducted an explosives sweep of his vehicle. “This afternoon, MPD and our federal law enforcement partners arrested 37-year-old Taylor Taranto, of no fixed address, in the 2400 block of Kalorama Road, Northwest. He has been charged with Fugitive from Justice, pursuant to an arrest warrant. Arresting officers requested MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to perform a vehicle sweep of the individual’s van near the location of the arrest. There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation,” wrote an MPD spokesperson. It wasn’t immediately clear if Mr Obama or any members of his family were home at the time of the incident. The former president was in DC earlier this week for lunch with his former VP, incumbent President Joe Biden, as the latter begins the long work of running for re-election. Read More Biden's Iran envoy placed on unpaid leave pending a review of his handling of classified documents Gun advocates challenge Biden administration rules on handgun braces at appeals court Biden is wrapping a campaign fundraising blitz aimed at making a bold early statement

Austin Salyer was lying in bed when he was fatally struck by a bullet his neighbour accidentally fired through the wall that separated their apartments. The criminal justice and military science student at Texas State University had gone to bed early on the night of 16 September 2021 because he had an early ROTC training the next morning. The pain his parents, Rodney and Bonnie Salyer, experienced as they went through the living hell of losing their only son is still very much present two years later. But they tell The Independent they’re committed to telling Austin’s story in hopes that it leads to much-delayed justice for their son. “He had just gone to basic camp at Fort Knox and he absolutely loved that. He was looking forward to the following summer when he would go to his advanced camp,” Mr Salyer says. “He was doing everything well, just everything that would make a parent proud.” Austin’s killer, 24-year-old Gabriel Brown, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide. However, the 180-day jail sentence Brown was given and the judge’s choice to then reduce it to just 90 days have left the Salyers in a seemingly endless search for answers. The judge’s and Hays County prosecutors’ refusal to explain that sentencing has only exacerbated their frustration. Following a court process they say was marked by disregard for Austin’s loved ones, the grieving parents believe their son was failed by the very system that he dreamed of serving. They are now determined to obtain some semblance of justice for Austin’s memory. “September will be two years, so we’ve had some time to grieve, some time to adjust,” Mr Salyer says. “We still grieve every day. It’s not as raw as it used to be, there’s kind of a scab from there, but it still hurts every day. There are triggers every day.” The shooting Brown told authorities that his gun misfired while he was modifying it with a micro-conversion kit and speaking on the phone with his father. According to the Salyers, he called Austin on Snapchat and tried to knock on his door but then went back to his apartment without getting any answer. The bullet he fired ripped through Austin’s left arm and travelled through both his lungs before it lodged in his right arm. It is unclear how long Austin was alive after he was shot, but he managed to at least get out of bed and make it to the living room of his apartment. “It’s just beyond our imagination how you could literally shoot a bullet through a crowded apartment wall, not get a response from the person that you know is living next door and then not do anything else. Just go to sleep,” Mr Salyer says. Austin’s body wasn’t found until the next morning, when his mother asked friends to check in on him after he failed to answer her calls and she became worried he had overslept. The Texas State student was supposed to wake up at 4.30am for his first road march with his Army platoon. “This is literally almost 12 hours later. [Brown] still had not called for help. He still had not gotten even something like the apartments to go check on him,” Mr Salyer adds. “Nothing. Nothing at this point.” Sentencing change Hays County prosecutors working on the case and Brown’s attorney reached a plea deal that resulted in the initial 180-day sentence. The Salyers hadn’t agreed with the charges of negligent homicide or the decision to skip a trial, but they came to terms with the results the system had delivered, they said. “Criminally negligent homicide would be an open and closed case,” Mr Salyer said. “And [they] would have to put more effort into proving manslaughter ... We don’t get to know everything in this situation, but it does feel like either they lack the passion, they’re overwhelmed, or whatever other motives they may have.” Confusion then emerged during Brown’s sentencing. According to a transcript the Salyers obtained from the court, the judge first sentenced Mr Brown to serve a total of 18 days in prison every year - nine of them for Austin’s birthday, and nine others for the anniversary of his death. But with a five-year probation, that only equalled a 90-day sentence. The judge then corrected herself, noting that every separate sentence would be 18 days, bringing the total of days Brown would spend in jail to 36 every year, and 180 in the five years of probation. He was also given community service and was ordered to pay a small restitution to the Salyers. But court records show that at some point in the following days, the bi-yearly 18-day sentence was scratched out and changed to nine. “There was no other documentation. There was no initials. There was no indication of who made this change. Today, we still do not know who made this change,” Mr Salyer tells The Independent. A later amendment indicated the change was made by the judge, but did not explain the reasoning behind it. The Salyers allege they were not made aware of the change until they followed up in regard to Brown’s probation. District Attorney Kelly Higgins told Fox 7 that the case is not over and the judge is the only one who can “explain why she decided what she decided.” But when the Salyers requested a hearing with the judge to review the developments, they were told they can send her mail but can’t meet with her in person to discuss the changes. The defence attorney also filed a motion for “clarification for conditions of probations.” The Salyers say although they don’t fully understand what goes behind the scenes, court officials have never bothered to explain to them what exactly led up to the sudden sentencing change. “We’re not even allowed to talk to her. We’ve asked to speak to her so that we could get an explanation so that we could put our mind at ease and we were told she doesn’t,” Mr Salyer says. “We’re reasonable people ... If there’s a legitimate reason we could understand that.” Austin’s parents have now filed a civil lawsuit against Brown, his father and his girlfriend, who is believed to have been in his apartment around the time the shooting took place. They said that’s their last recourse to seek accountability. “And so that’s kind of the point we’re at now. It’s more about trying to understand why the justice system has failed Austin, why the justice system has failed us, why it’s failed his friends, and why it’s failed society as a whole,” Mr Salyer says. ‘It’s a life sentence for us’ When they were at the police station following Austin’s shooting, Mr Salyer says his wife asked about the shooter. “We’re thinking this is just a kid that just made a stupid mistake, this guy feels terrible,” he tells The Independent. “‘What condition must this guy be in?’ You know, to have killed somebody and seen this. And we’re thinking, ‘This must be really bad for him.’ So one of the first questions my wife asked the police was, ‘How is he?’” They said they have yet to see Brown extend the same courtesy to them, or even express remorse for taking their son’s life. In fact, when Ms Salyer took the stand as a witness during the plea deal hearing, Brown’s attorney reportedly asked her if she’d want Austin to serve “the maximum sentence” if the roles were reversed, a hypothetical that Ms Salyer found hurtful. “The only thing [Brown] said on the stand was, ‘If I could take that date back, I would.’ But that’s not saying I’m sorry,” Ms Salyer says. “It’s salt in the wound. To have somebody kill your son, your only son, your only child. And then from our perspective, not so much as even care.” “And to this day, again, we’re almost approaching two years. He has not once said, ‘I’m sorry.’ He has not once said, ‘Can you forgive me? There’s been no remorse,” Mr Salyer adds. “And that’s really what this story is about. We’re depending on the justice system to get accountability for his actions ... What little sentence he has is temporary. Ours is for the rest of our lives.” The Salyers want their son to be remembered for his heart of gold, for being the type of person who cried over commercials for animal charities, and for wanting to contribute to society in every way he could. “He would have done anything to help anybody. No matter who you were, no matter where you were from, no matter what your background was. He was there for everybody,” Ms Salyer says. Austins’ parents also regret that his body was found so long after he died. They believe had Brown called earlier, Austin, a registered organ donor, would have saved other people’s lives. “That was their magic moment to be able to get those organs from our son and it was just stripped away,” Mr Salyer says. Austin’s parents hope they can start a foundation in the future to continue their son’s legacy, but in the meantime, plenty of awards have been created in his honour. “Austin would have been commissioned as Second Lieutenant [this past May.] His ROTC actually invited us to that commissioning ceremony, where they honoured him,” Mr Salyer says, “[His high school created an award] called the Austin Salyer Teammate of the Year Award and the words that they’ve used to describe him are caring, helpful, selfless, noble, loyal, devoted, optimistic, enthusiastic.” From the home where they brought their son from the hospital after he was born, where they raised him and spent 18 years shaping him to be the great man he was on his way to becoming, Ms Salyer reads a letter from a friend of Austin who enlisted in the Army. After being stationed in Iraq, she asked the Salyers for one of Austin’s nametags, which she since has carried with her in every mission. “Mr and Ms Salyer ... Salyer’s flag was flown above Syria and Iraq for a total of 15.2 combat hours,” Ms Salyer reads from the letter. “Both Salyers and my flag were flown together on the Chinook ride I took back to Iraq, which was the only flight I did not take [while in] direct fire with enemy forces. I believe that was God and Sal. “Salyer’s patch has travelled to three locations in Syria and two locations in Iraq with me and has yet to ever leave my pocket. Thank you all for allowing me to carry him with me on my first deployment. He has kept me safe these last six months.” The Salyers say they have been embraced by a community of people whose lives were impacted by their son’s actions and character. With their help in continuing to share Austin’s legacy, the grieving parents have also learned to cope with the lingering pain. “It really honours us to have his memory carried on through his friends. It’s so special to us,” Ms Salyer says. Read More Ben Crump demands justice for Ajike Owens, the latest time he's supported a grieving Black family

A top official overseeing school lunches in New York City’s sprawling public school system took bribes and allowed dangerous chicken products contaminated with shards of metal and plastic to be served to children, a jury concluded on Wednesday. Eric Goldstein, who oversaw the city’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services, was convicted in a Brooklyn court of conspiracy, extortion, wire fraud, and taking bribes. Prosecutors said he was bribed with cash and an ownership stake in a food company by the owners of food supply company Somma – Blaine Iler, Michael Turley, Brian Twomey – in exchange for his cooperation facilitating lucrative contracts with the city. The trio of men were convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery. “Eric Goldstein was for sale,” prosecutor Laura Zuckerwise said in her closing statemnets. “And Michael Turley, Blaine Iler and Brian Twomey, they bought him.” Goldstein could face up to 20 years in prison, according to The New York Post. The former school official, who previously started a food company of his own alongside Turley, Iler, and Twomey called Range Meats Supply, helped fast-track Somma to get contracts supply nearly 2,000 schools in 2015, leading to a huge spike in demand and millions of dollars of food orders. “I’m going to buy a lot of f***ing chicken from you guys, let’s do the beef,” Goldstein allegedly told Iler at a 2015 meeting, according to prosecutors. By September of 2016, people were complaining that Somma chicken contained pieces of wire-like metal and plastic, according to school incident logs shown to jurors. The chicken caused people to bleed and in one case choke on a bone in a supposedly boneless dish, according to officials. As complaints mounted, Turley, Iler, and Twomey allegedly offered Goldstein ownership of Range Meats and $66,000. The trio also sent money to Goldstein’s divorce lawyer and took the school official on trips around the world. The group used the code name “Roger Rabbit” to refer to Goldstein, according to law enforcement. During the trial, prosecutors showed jurors emails between the now-convicted conspirators, and showed photos of one of the tainted drumsticks, which had a bright red liquid oozing out of it. A lawyer for Goldstein told The New York Times has was “extremely disappointed” and would appeal the verdict.

The former sheriff’s deputy who failed to act during the Parkland high school shooting in 2018 when 17 people were killed has been found not guilty of child neglect and other charges. Scot Peterson moved away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as children and teachers were inside with the gunman. The ex-Broward County sheriff’s deputy was found not guilty on seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence in connection to the deaths and injuries of 10 people on the third floor of the school where the massacre took place, The New York Times noted. Mr Peterson was also acquitted on a perjury charge after telling police that he only heard a few gunshots and that he didn’t see any students fleeing the area. A father of one of the victims has told the former deputy to “rot in hell” and he was branded as the “coward in Broward” after facing criticism from some fellow officers for supposedly being too scared to take action. The gunman, Nicholas Cruz, was sentenced last year to life in prison several years after the shooting that killed 17 people and injured another 17 on 14 February 2018 – Mr Peterson was the only armed resource officer at the school on that day. Mr Peterson, 60, became emotional on Thursday as the Broward County Judge read the verdict at the Fort Lauderdale court. A few family members of the victims were in the courtroom as the verdict was announced. More follows...

The case of Adnan Syed, whose conviction for a Maryland murder was overturned and later reinstated, will be

NEW YORK The former U.S. Marine sergeant accused of fatally strangling Jordan Neely, a homeless man, in a

A man has been indicted on five drugging murders in New York City, including that of a fashion designer who worked with Lady Gaga. Kenwood Allen, 33, is facing allegations that he was part of a widespread campaign of drugging and robberies in the city. He was indicted for the murder of designer Kathryn Gallagher, the office of the Manhattan District Attorney said on Wednesday. Gallagher, 35, was found lifeless in her bed by her neighbour in July last year. There were no clear signs of trauma, according to The Daily Beast. The front door of her apartment was open with the keys still in the lock when she was discovered. The cause of death was unclear until the medical examiner determined that she had died from “acute intoxication” because of a cocktail of drugs. The indictment shared on Wednesday states that Mr Allen is suspected of three murders in addition to the two killings he was indicted for last year. Mr Allen is alleged to have worked both alone and with a group of others when he conducted a number of robberies between March and December last year. He allegedly drugged his victims with fentanyl and other opioids to steal their credit cards, watches, phones, and other items. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. He would then proceed to empty their accounts at ATMs and make a number of charges on the victims’ credit cards, according to authorities. The “drugging, robbery and larceny spree” affected a total of 21 victims, five of which died, according to the Manhattan DA. The three additional murders Mr Allen was indicted for on Wednesday allegedly took place on 22 July, 23 July, and 6 August last year. The New York Supreme Court indictment includes 10 counts of murder in the second degree, 13 counts of robbery in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the second degree, 11 counts of assault in the second degree, two counts of attempted robbery in the first degree, three counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree. The 10 murder counts, two for each of the five people who died, include one count of acting with depraved indifference to human life, and one count of acting in furtherance of another crime. “These alleged pernicious drugging and robbery schemes have left far too many families mourning the loss of their loved ones,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “The careful and meticulous work of our prosecutors and the NYPD has led us to charge this individual with a spree of criminal conduct that now includes five murders – four of which took place over a mere 15 days last summer. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover and investigate these incidents.” The Manhattan DA said in a press release that “in most of the incidents, Allen drugged his victims with fentanyl and other opioids in order to steal their credit cards, watches, phones, and other personal identifying information. Many of the victims were later found unconscious on the street. He would then withdraw cash from ATMs and use the stolen credit cards to make purchases and transfer money”. Vogue wrote that Ms Gallagher was “a hands-on artisan” who was “fiercely independent and sure of her vision”. Her pieces have been worn by Chrissy Teigen, Kourtney Kardashian, Rita Ora, Laverne Cox, and members of the New York Ballet. “Katie established her own fashion line, Katie Gallagher, in New York City in 2010. Under this label, she completed 26 collections that premiered during New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week,” her obituary said. “She was unique, beautiful, smart, unabashed, and always wanting. She was hardworking and talented, with so many ideas and plans for future projects,” it added. “We are so proud of who she was and all she achieved in her brief but full and beautiful life.” Police have said that in one of the robberies, the perpetrators smeared a white powder that included fentanyl under the nose of a victim, and in another case, they offered marijuana also laced with the drug. They took aim at people active in the nightlife in Lower Manhattan who looked like they were wealthy and waited for them to leave the club before pushing them against a wall to take what they had. The chief of detectives at the New York Police Department, James Essig, said on Thursday that “they bum-rushed them,” according to The New York Times. Mr Allen was charged in December with the deaths of Nurbo Shera and Ardijan Berisha. On Wednesday, he was charged with the deaths of Ms Gallagher, 25-year-old student Alexander Rudnitsky, and Sadath Ahmed, 33. Sean Shirley, 36, is charged in the drugging deaths of Mr Rudnitsky and Mr Ahmed. Facing charges of second-degree murder, robbery, and grand larceny, he was arraigned on Thursday. He also pled not guilty. Assistant district attorney Brian Rodkey said in court that Mr Allen and Mr Shirley “robbed them, and left them on the street, not caring whether they lived or died,” according to The New York Times. The Gallagher family said in a statement that they hope the case will make people aware of how fentanyl and other drugs have been used “as weapons against innocent people”. “The number of victims confirmed at this point is shocking. We are gutted by the magnitude of this collective and senseless loss,” the family said, according to The New York Times. In a separate case, five men were accused in April of the druggings and killings of people going to gay bars in Manhattan. Read More Police identify suspects in fatal drugging of men at New York City gay bars Julia Fox’s brother arrested in NYC apartment raid as police find ghost guns, drugs and ‘explosive materials’ NYC robbery crews drug unsuspecting men, some fatally

By Andrew Osborn and Olzhas Auyezov (Reuters) -Ukrainian missiles struck the Chonhar road bridge connecting Crimea with Russian-held parts of

Three women were attacked in a string of Manhattan subway slashings in New York on Sunday, 18 June. Police on 19 June said they believed the same man was responsible for all three attacks, and released Metropolitan Travel Authority (MTA) surveillance footage of the alleged perpetrator. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the man attacked two women at the 86th Street and Lexington Avenue station, before slashing the leg of a third woman while riding a southbound 4 train. The first attack took place shortly after 4pm on Sunday, when a man wearing a Boston Red Sox cap approached 19-year-old Bianchelli Diplan and slashed her right leg with a sharp object. “I started up the steps and then I felt something [on] the back of my leg. So I like, hold on to it. And I saw there was blood.” Ms Diplan, who was on her way to buy a Father’s Day cake, told ABC7. “So I turned around I saw him and, like, he just stared at me and I was crying. And he just walked away.” She reportedly needed 19 stitches and is recovering at home. The NYPD believes he also attacked a 48-year-old woman at the same station before riding the 4 train to Brooklyn Bridge Station where he slashed a 26-year-old woman’s left leg at around 4.32pm. The cut was so deep that a tourniquet had to be applied on her leg before she was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the New York Post. Surveillance footage shows the suspect jumping the turnstile at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station after slashing his third victim. During a briefing on 19 June, NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said he was confident the perpetrator’s “identity will be obtained shortly”. “I’m also confident that he’ll be apprehended shortly,” Mr Kemper said. Ms Diplan urged commuters to “be aware of your surroundings” while travelling on the subway “because this could happen to anybody”. Anyone with information about the attacker, who is 5ft 8in and weighs 220 pounds, can send the NYPD a direct message on Twitter or call 800-577-TIPS. The attacks come one day after the death of a man who was found with fatal stab wounds on a 4 train at Union Square Station. Police have charged Claude White, a 33-year-old homeless man, with the murder of Tavon Silver. Charges against Mr White also include criminal possession of a weapon. While Mr White didn’t know the victim, police believe they became embroiled in a dispute which ultimately led to Mr Silver’s death. Read More Russia tried to kill ‘CIA informant’ in Florida, report says Missing Titanic submarine with five onboard may have 50 hours left as US accused of hampering rescue – live Inside Titan: Titanic-spotting submarine steered by video game controller Where is the Titanic wreckage? British Navy expert warns ‘timescale’ of missing Titanic sub is ‘very concerning’

Authorities in Idaho have revealed an alleged quadruple murderer opened fire on his victims after one of them exposed himself to the suspect’s daughters. Majorjon Kaylor, 31, has been charged with the killings of Kenneth Guardipee, 65, his daughter Kenna 41, and her sons 18-year-old Devin Smith and 16-year-old Aiken Smith on Sunday. The victims lived below the suspect and his family in a duplex at 515 W Brown Ave in Kellogg. The carnage last week shocked the community of Kellogg, with court documents shedding some light on the circumstances surrounding the shooting. According to an affidavit unsealed on Tuesday, Mr Kaylor reportedly told law enforcement that he “snapped” and “lost it” during an argument with his neighbours. Mr Kaylor and his wife, Kaylie Kaylor, told police that they were upset because several days earlier, Devin had allegedly masturbated in front of his bedroom window in full view of the Kaylors’ young daughters. The families shared a duplex, and the girls were playing outside in the yard when the exposure allegedly occurred. The incident was reported to the police, and the report was forwarded to the county prosecutor so a criminal charge of indecent exposure could be filed. But on Sunday evening, the Kaylors had an argument with the Guardipees over how the allegations were being handled. Police arrived at the house after reports of a shooting at around 7.20pm on Sunday. Mr Guardipee, his daughter and youngest grandson were found shot in the temple at close range, while Devin was shot multiple times in the head. Kaylor is being held without bond and has not yet entered a plea. A preliminary hearing has been set for 3 July. This is a developing story ... check again for updates.

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK The founder of OneTaste, a sexual wellness company that claims to teach "orgasmic

It’s been 10 months since the name Harmony Montgomery first hit headlines across the US when a missing persons investigation was launched to find the seven-year-old girl. Since then, her father and stepmother have both been arrested and charged. A home where she used to live in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been searched for days on end. And a reward for information leading to her discovery has topped $150,000. But, despite the national attention and the painstaking efforts to find the missing child, who is blind in one eye, investigators made little headway. In a press conference in mid-January, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg admitted he was a “little discouraged”. Though concerning, the lack of progress was perhaps unsurprising as whoever had information about what happened to the little girl had a more than two-year head start on investigators. Manchester Police said Harmony has not been seen since around October or November 2019 when she was five years old. Yet, a missing persons investigation was only launched in December 2021. However, on Monday a definitive move was finally made on the case, possibly bringing the years-long investigation closer to a close; Harmony’s father, Adam Montgomery, was charged with murdering his daughter. When was Harmony Montgomery last seen? The last confirmed sighting of Harmony by law enforcement was on 11 September 2019 when Manchester police officers were called to the home on 77 Gilford Street in Manchester where she lived. Harmony was living with her father Adam Montgomery, who had been given custody of his daughter in February 2019, as well as his wife Kayla Montgomery and their children at the property at the time. The little girl had been in and out of foster care for much of her life. Then, in 2018, her mother Crystal Sorey lost custody of her due in part to substance abuse. Ms Sorey lived in Massachusetts so the child was moved to New Hampshire where Mr Montgomery lived. Chief Aldenberg previously said the last police callout to the property was in October 2019 but confirmed he had muddled the dates in a press briefing on 12 January. Despite the date change, the police chief said investigators are still working to the belief that Harmony was last seen in October or November of that year. This timeline appears to be based on police interviews and statements from various family members. Ms Sorey told police she had not been able to contact her since they spoke on a video call in April 2019. After that, she said Mr Montgomery cut off all contact between her and her daughter. Mr Montgomery claimed to investigators he last saw his daughter around Thanksgiving 2019, claiming that Ms Sorey had picked her up from Manchester to take her to live with her. The criminal complaint says that Mr Montgomery claimed to believe his daughter was living with his ex and did “not show much emotion or reaction” when officers said they were concerned whether Harmony was alive when they contacted him in December. His story was also contradicted by Ms Montgomery’s account, who said she last saw Harmony the day after Thanksgiving when her husband said he was driving her to see Ms Sorey. Mr Montgomery’s uncle Kevin Montgomery told investigators he has not seen Harmony or his nephew since late 2019 when she was five years old. Who has been charged? On Monday, Harmony’s father, Adam, was charged with murdering his daughter. Attorney General John Formella made the announcement Monday at the Manchester Police Department. “Earlier this morning, Adam Montgomery was arrested for the murder of Harmony Montgomery in 2019 and other related charges,” Mr Formella said. According to Mr Formella, Mr Montgomery is facing four new charges in addition to others brought against him in early 2022. Those charges are one count of second-degree murder for recklessly causing the death of Harmony; falsifying physical evidence for altering, destroying, concealing or removing the girl’s body; abuse of a corpse for unlawfully removing, concealing or destroying Harmony’s body; and tampering with witnesses or informants, which he allegedly did by attempting to coerce his estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, to lie to investigators. “I do want to again express my deepest sympathies to Harmony’s family, friends and loved ones,” Mr Formella said at the news conference in Manchester. “We understand that today’s news, while significant for purposes of this investigation, is yet another difficult moment for those who loved Harmony and those who have followed this case.” The charges accuse Mr Montgomery of repeatedly striking Harmony with his fist sometime around 7 December, 2021. His arraignment is scheduled for 25 October, according to the Department of Justice. In early January, Harmony’s father and his wife were both arrested and charged on counts related to the missing child. Mr Montgomery was arrested on 4 January and charged with second-degree felony assault, two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and one misdemeanor count of interference with custody. On the assault charge, he is accused of “striking [Harmony] in the face” sometime in July 2019, giving her a black eye, according to the criminal complaint. Police interviews with other family members revealed Mr Montgomery was allegedly abusive toward his daughter, including giving her a black eye, forcing her to clean the toilet with her own toothbrush and making her stand in a corner for hours as a punishment. Mr Montgomery’s brother Michael Montgomery told investigators he “had concerns that Adam was physically abusive” to the child and was “super short” with her. Kevin Montgomery said he noticed Harmony had a black eye in July 2019, which his nephew confessed to causing by hitting her in the face, according to the criminal complaint. “I bashed her around this house,” he said his nephew told him. Kevin said he contacted DCYF that time and had also noticed Mr Montgomery subject Harmony to other forms of “abusive discipline” including scrubbing a toilet with her toothbrush and her being “spanked hard on the butt”. Officials said Mr Montgomery was not cooperating with the investigation into his daughter’s disappearance and has refused to say where she is. The day after her husband’s arrest, Ms Montgomery was arrested on one felony charge of welfare fraud for allegedly fraudulently collecting welfare benefits for the missing child between December 2019 and June 2021. Ms Montgomery, who has three children with her husband, is accused of fraudulently obtaining $1,500 in food stamp benefits meant for Harmony between December 2019 and June 2021 even though the girl was not living with them. Prosecutors have now dropped that welfare fraud charge and added three new charges - one count of theft by deception and two misdemeanor charges of welfare fraud. The charges accuse Ms Montgomery of making intentional false statements about her stepdaughter’s whereabouts in February and March 2021 in order to claim benefits. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Mr Montgomery has a history of violence and a long criminal record including convictions for shooting a man in the head in a drug deal just six months before Harmony was born. He was also convicted in 2010 for attacking two women at gunpoint. It has also emerged that Mr Montgomery is a suspect in the cold case murder of a 28-year-old man in Lynn, New Hampshire, back in February 2008. Darlin Guzman was found shot in the chest in the parking lot of the former White Hen Convenience store in Lynn’s Austin Square on the night of 10 February 2008. He was pronounced dead in hospital. A law enforcement source told Boston 25 Newsthat Mr Montgomery, who was 18 at the time, and two members of his family, who were not named, have been the focus of the murder investigation since day one. The three family members had been in contact with the victim earlier that day and planned to meet with him at the convenience store, before the meeting culminated in gunfire, according to the source. The victim’s car was later found abandoned in the direction of Bedford, New Hampshire, where Mr Montgomery lived at the time. No one has ever been charged with the Mr Guzman’s murder but the source said Mr Montgomery remains the focus of the investigation to this day. Almost 14 years on from that killing, Mr Montgomery and his wife are now charged on counts related to his missing daughter, including, in her father’s case, her murder. Why was she not reported missing for two years? Questions arose over how a little girl could not be seen for more than two years without any action being taken by authorities. Multiple family members have said they raised concerns for Harmony’s safety with New Hampshire’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) over the last two years. Ms Sorey accused the authorities of “failing” her daughter. She said she made multiple attempts to report concerns to child services. On November 18 she contacted Manchester Police saying she believed her daughter was missing. Police officers contacted the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) about the location of the missing child. Then, on 27 December, the DCYF reported that it was also unable to locate Harmony. Manchester Police announced a search was launched on 31 December. Ms Sorey was so conviced that her daughter was in trouble that she sent emails to the Manchester mayor’s office, begging for help in finding the girl. “Please, I’m begging for help in finding my daughter,” she wrote on 29 December. Ms Sorey said Mr Montgomery had never enrolled their daughter in school and that she has missed “important doctor’s appointments she’s had since a baby due to a disability in her eye”. The emails were sent just two days before police finally reported Harmony missing. As well as the repeated attempts to raise the alarm, the family was well-known to child services. Records released on 12 January showed that police officers were called to the Gilford Street home at least 10 times between February 2019 - when Mr Montgomery got custody of Harmony - and when she was last seen in the fall. Reports ranged from claims of domestic disturbances to animal welfare and concerns about the living conditions in the home. The DCYF was notified about some of the incidents. A neighbour told The Independent that it was a “bad situation” at the property, describing lots of people living there at different times, adults seen arguing in the street, junk left piled up in the yard, and the electricity being switched off at one point. “We didn’t intermingle with them as it was a bad situation,” she said. “There was lots of different people living there, piles of junk in the driveway, junk outside. “The electricity was turned off and they ran the generator all summer with the wiring running through the window.” The neighbour said the Montgomerys were “basically squatting” at the home when it had fallen into foreclosure and Mr and Ms Montgomery were refusing to leave. She said she went away for the Thanksgiving holidays in 2019 and returned to find the family had finally packed up and moved out. This coincides with when Mr and Ms Montgomery claimed they last saw the little girl. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced on 12 January that the DCYF is carrying out an internal review of its handling of Harmony’s case. However, the governor defended the state’s work saying: “As soon as we found out that this child may not have been showing up for school for quite some time, it was reported up to us. “The team got right on it. It wasn’t a delay. It didn’t sit in a file on somebody’s desk.” An independent investigation was also launched by the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate after Harmony was moved from Massachusetts into the custody of Mr Montgomery in New Hampshire in February 2019. Officials in New Hampshire and Massachusetts passed the blame between each other. The New Hampshire governor sent a letter to Massachusetts court officials slamming a judge for placing Harmony in the care of her “monster” father, given his violent past and long rap sheet. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker responded to the criticism saying he “felt his pain” but said he wants to wait to see the results of the independent review by the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate. The report, released in May, found placed the blame on state agencies failing to consider Harmony’s needs above her parent’s rights to her custody. “The central and most important finding in this investigation and report is that Harmony’s individual needs, wellbeing, and safety were not prioritized or considered on an equal footing with the assertion of her parents’ rights to care for her in any aspect of the decision making by any state entity,” Maria Mossaides, Director, Office of the Child Advocate, said in the report. “When children are not at the center of every aspect of the child protection system, then the system cannot truly protect them. This report describes the ripple effect of miscalculations of risk and an unequal weight placed on parents’ rights versus a child’s wellbeing.” Mr Baker responded to the report a day later by saying “everybody failed in this case,” and pushed a bill that included $50 million to recruit, train and pay guardian ad litems within the Massachusetts court system. “There are a lot of lawyers who are in the room on this case, and none of them at the end of the day had just Harmony Montgomery’s interest as a primary concern,” Mr Baker said. Where is Harmony? Investigators have revealed little detail about what they think may have happened to Harmony. The girl’s remains have still not been found. The Gilford Street property was the focus of much of the search with investigators seen in the home and the backyard for multiple days. However, Manchester Police said the search concluded there. It is not clear if anything of interest was uncovered and no other locations for searches have been identified. Around 300 tips have been received from the public so far and the reward for information about Harmony’s disappearance has topped $150,000. Anyone with information is asked to call or text 603-203-606 Read More Harmony Montgomery last seen one month before first thought as police chief says ‘somebody knows something’ Stepmother faces new charges in case of missing girl Harmony Montgomery Harmony Montgomery’s mother says daughter was ‘failed by everybody’ as police search home Harmony Montgomery neighbour says family moved on Thanksgiving 2019 – the same time dad says he last saw missing child