The true story behind the Candy Montgomery case shown in Love & Death

In Wylie, Texas, on a Friday morning in June 1980, two churchgoing mothers faced off in a struggle that shocked the nation. Candy Montgomery, a homemaker, visited her friend Betty Gore's home to drop off a child.

What began as a conversation about a hidden affair escalated into violence. Betty, armed with an axe, attacked Candy, who fought back, striking Betty 41 times in what she described as self-defence. 

Betty died from her wounds, leaving behind a husband and two young daughters. Candy Montgomery was arrested but acquitted after a trial that gripped the media, raising questions about infidelity, rage, and justice in a conservative community. The case exposed cracks in the facade of small-town life, where church activities masked personal turmoil.

The series Love & Death was released on 1 December 2025 on Netflix.

Love & Death: The lives of Candy  Montgomery and Betty Gore 

Candy Montgomery and her husband Pat moved to a rural area near Lucas, Texas, in 1977 with their two young children. Candy, a former secretary, stayed home while Pat worked as an electrical engineer at Texas Instruments, earning a comfortable $70,000 a year.

The couple attended the First United Methodist Church in Lucas, where Candy Montgomery joined the choir and volleyball team. She felt bored in her marriage, seeking excitement beyond her daily routine, as per Texas Monthly.

Betty and Allan Gore also belonged to the same church. Allan, an electronics analyst, married Betty in January 1970. They had two daughters: Alisa, born in 1974, and Bethany, born in July 1979. Betty, originally from Kansas, taught elementary school briefly but quit due to stress and health issues like high blood pressure.

She hosted church events and struggled with postpartum challenges after Bethany's birth. The affair between Candy and Allan started in late summer 1978 during a church volleyball game, where they collided on the court.

Candy, attracted to Allan, flirted through choir practices and notes. December 12, 1978, on her 29th birthday, they met at a Richardson motel for their first encounter. They set rules: no emotions, equal costs, meetings only on weekdays every two weeks.

The relationship lasted seven months, pausing briefly during Betty's pregnancy, before Allan ended it in August 1979 to focus on his family. Candy Montgomery confided in a friend but kept it from Pat, according to Texas Monthly. 

The fatal confrontation

On June 13, 1980, Allan was on a business trip in Minnesota. Betty stayed home with 9-month-old Bethany while 5-year-old Alisa slept over at the Montgomerys' for a Bible school event the next day.

Around 8:30 a.m., Candy Montgomery arrived at the Gores' home on Dogwood Street in Wylie to return Alisa and confess the affair, hoping to salvage their friendship. In the utility room, Betty accused Candy of the betrayal. Words turned to shoves, and Betty grabbed a three-foot wood-splitting axe from a shelf.

She swung it, hitting Candy's head with the flat side and cutting her toe. Candy seized the blade, suffering a deep gash on her finger. The women grappled on the blood-slick floor as Betty bit Candy's hand and tried to block the garage door. 

Candy Montgomery wrestled the axe and struck back, hitting Betty on the head. The fight lasted about 90 seconds, with Candy delivering 41 blows, most to the head and face, until Betty stopped moving.

Covered the room, and the axe head detached from the handle, as per Texas Monthly. Candy washed up, left Bethany crying in her crib, and drove home. She showered, bandaged wounds, and changed clothes, later cutting up her bloody sandals with shears. 

That evening, neighbours found Betty's body after Allan's worried calls. They discovered trails of blood, and Bethany soiled beside her mother, who had been dead for over 13 hours, according to People. 

The investigation and trial of Candy Montgomery

Police arrived at the Gores' home around 10 p.m. on June 13, 1980, noting the axe's savagery and a sandal print matching Candy's size. As the last visitor, she faced questions. Candy Montgomery claimed a brief drop-off, but traces of blood in her car raised suspicions. Allan admitted the affair to investigators, providing a motive, as People reported.

On June 26, Candy Montgomery surrendered and was charged with first-degree murder. Released on $100,000 bail, her church rallied support. Her lawyer, Don Crowder, hired psychiatrist Fred Fason for hypnosis sessions. Under hypnosis, Candy recalled childhood trauma and detailed the attack as self-defence. She passed a polygraph test.

The trial opened in October 1980 in McKinney, Texas, drawing national reporters. Prosecutors argued overkill, pointing to the 41 wounds and destroyed sandals. Candy testified for three days, demonstrating blows and explaining her fear.

Fason linked her response to past abuse, according to People. The jury, mostly women from similar backgrounds, deliberated three hours before acquitting her on October 30, 1980, under Texas self-defence laws. Crowds outside jeered as she left, but the verdict stood. 

Life after the verdict

The acquittal divided Wylie, with some viewing Candy Montgomery as a victim and others as guilty. She and Pat moved to Georgia in 1981 to escape the media. They divorced in 1986. Candy, now Candace Wheeler, earned a psychology degree and works as a mental health counsellor in the Atlanta area.

She lives privately, occasionally discussing survivor stories, as per People. Pat retired from engineering and resides in Georgia. Allan Gore remarried briefly post-trial but divorced. He retired from Texas Instruments and mended ties with his daughters over time. Betty's parents, Bob and Bertha Pomeroy, raised Alisa and Bethany in Norwich, Kansas.

Alisa works as a graphic designer, and Bethany works in education; both have families and avoid public comments on the case, according to People.

Watch Love & Death streaming on Netflix.