Harmony Montgomery prosecutor leaving NH Attorney General office
Jan. 16—The prosecutor handling the Harmony Montgomery case and other high-profile Manchester crimes is leaving his job with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office for a more lucrative job in the private sector.
Jesse O'Neill, a senior assistant attorney general, said he will leave the AG's office next month for a job in civil litigation with the McLane Middleton law firm.
O'Neill is the lead prosecutor in the Harmony Montgomery murder case. He also handles drug prosecutions, and he is the lead prosecutor of a drug ring allegedly led by Manchester resident Marcus Cherry. He also handled the tax-evasion prosecution of former Manchester alderman Tommy Katsiantonis several years ago.
His departure is one of several recent departures of high-profile prosecutors from Attorney General John Formella's office.
"We're really happy for Jesse. He's a wonderful guy. This is a great opportunity for him," said Deputy Attorney General James Boffetti.
O'Neill earns $91,000 a year. He has been with the Justice Department for more than 8 1/2 years.
In a brief interview, O'Neill said he is leaving for personal reasons. He mentioned he has four children at home.
"That's one of the problems," Boffetti said. "We do public service here, and people have financial opportunities in private practice and we can't compete."
O'Neill was so involved in Manchester cases that he had a cubicle at the police station.
His highest-profile case involved Harmony Montgomery, the 5-year-old who went missing in late 2019. For months, police handled it as a missing-child case, but O'Neill eventually brought murder charges against her father, Adam Montgomery.
Harmony's body has not been found. Any trial will weigh heavily on the testimony of Montgomery's wife, Kayla. Last year, she pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and was sent to prison for a year and a half in a deal orchestrated by O'Neill.
Boffetti said the AG's office has already hired a replacement — Christopher Knowles, the former district attorney in Bethel, Alaska. Knowles started work Friday and will join the Montgomery case.
"This is still an attractive place to work. We get high-quality resumes," Boffetti said.
Benjamin Agati, who heads the Attorney General's homicide prosecution unit, joined the Montgomery case in September and will be lead prosecutor. The case is scheduled for trial in August.
O'Neill's departure follows that of former Deputy Attorney General Jane Young, who left to become the top federal prosecutor in New Hampshire; Criminal Justice Bureau head Geoffrey Ward, who left to join Young at the U.S. Attorney's office in Concord; and Public Integrity Unit head Timothy Sullivan, who joined the Upton, Hatfield law firm.
Boffetti said the AG's office often hires attorneys at the start of their careers. As they begin having families, the attorneys must weigh their needs against public service. At times, they can't stay.
"We get it," he said. "It's part of public service. It's a sacrifice you make."
He said the department is close to full staff regarding attorneys. It is more challenging to reach full staffing for support positions such as legal assistants and paralegals, he said.
