Spurred to act by a recent murder case, the New Hampshire House voted Thursday to require those charged with serious crimes to be present

 Spurred to act by a recent murder case, the New Hampshire House voted Thursday to require those charged with serious crimes to be present when they learn their fate. Under the federal rules of criminal procedure, defendants are allowed to be absent from the courtroom in non-capital cases if they so choose after a trial has begun. Adam Montgomery took that option last month when he was convicted of killing his 5-year-old daughter, Harmony. While prosecutors are seeking an order requiring him to appear for sentencing, nothing in current law compels it. That would change for future cases under a bill the House sent to the Senate. As originally drafted, the bill would have required defendants charged with crimes punishable by incarceration of at least 15 years to appear in court for their entire trials as well as sentencing hearings. But opponents argued that only those who have been convicted should be required to appear.