Love & Death on HBO: The Shocking True Story of Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore

When you watch an HBO crime drama, it’s natural to wonder if the unbelievable story could be real. For viewers of Love & Death, the opening title that states “This is a true story” is not just a dramatic device. The series is a direct retelling of one of America’s most infamous and brutal murder cases from the early 1980s. It follows the life of a Texas housewife named Candy Montgomery, her secret affair, and the violent death of her friend Betty Gore that fractured a quiet church community.

The seven-episode miniseries, starring Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, first appeared on HBO Max (now called Max) in April 2023. It is based on meticulous research, drawing from a 1984 book called “Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs” and a series of articles published in Texas Monthly magazine titled “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie”. This isn’t the first time Hollywood has told this story—there was a TV movie in 1990 and a Hulu series called Candy in 2022—but HBO’s version has brought renewed attention to the disturbing facts of the case.

The Peaceful Life That Hid a Secret

Before June 1980, Candy Montgomery appeared to be living a perfect suburban life. She was a 30-year-old mother of two, a dedicated member of the Methodist Church of Lucas in Texas, and was married to Pat Montgomery, an electrical engineer. She was known as sweet, friendly, and deeply involved in her community. Her life seemed stereotypically normal.

This changed when she and her husband befriended another couple from church, Betty and Allan Gore. Betty was a fifth-grade teacher and a mother, and the two families grew close. However, Candy felt dissatisfied with her own marriage. In the summer of 1978, she became attracted to Allan Gore after a church volleyball game. In a bold move, she later confessed her feelings to him and famously asked, “Would you be interested in having an affair?”.

After weeks of discussion, they agreed to start a physical relationship with strict rules. They vowed not to get emotionally attached and to split all expenses equally. Their affair began on December 12, 1978, at a motel near Dallas and continued for months. They would meet regularly, sharing picnic lunches they had packed. The affair eventually ended in October 1979 after Allan decided to focus on saving his marriage, particularly after he and Betty attended a church-sponsored marriage counseling retreat. Candy was hurt by the breakup but tried to move on and repair her own marriage.

A Fateful Day: June 13, 1980

The ordinary routine of a Friday morning turned into a nightmare. On June 13, 1980, Candy had a busy schedule. After taking her children to Vacation Bible School, she went to the Gore home to pick up a swimsuit for the Gores’ daughter, Alisa, who was having a sleepover with the Montgomery kids. Allan Gore was away on a business trip to Minnesota.

What happened next inside the house at 410 Dogwood Drive in Wylie, Texas, is the central mystery of the case. According to Candy’s later testimony, her friendly chat with Betty took a dark turn when Betty directly asked if Candy had been involved with Allan. Candy admitted the affair had happened “a long time ago”. Betty then walked into the utility room and returned holding a three-foot wood-splitting axe.

Candy claimed she tried to leave, and Betty put the axe down. When Candy touched Betty’s arm and apologized, Betty allegedly pushed her, picked up the axe again, and said, “Shush. I’ve got to kill you”. A struggle ensued. Candy said she managed to get control of the axe and then struck Betty Gore. She did not stop. The attack was so ferocious that Betty Gore was hit with the axe 41 times. A forensic expert later testified that 40 of those blows occurred while Betty’s heart was still beating.

What Candy did after the killing stunned investigators and the public. She did not call the police. Instead, she took a shower in the Gore home to wash off the blood. She then left the house, leaving Betty’s one-year-old baby alone in a crib. The baby was discovered over 13 hours later, crying and covered in feces. Candy returned home, changed her clothes, and continued with her day as if nothing had happened. She picked up the children from church, including Alisa Gore, and later went to the movies with her family.

The Investigation and a Stunning Motive

Allan Gore, unable to reach his wife by phone, grew worried. He called neighbors and asked them to break into his home. They discovered Betty’s brutally attacked body in the utility room. Collin County sheriff’s deputy Steve Deffibaugh said the scene looked “like a scene from a horror film”.

At first, police had trouble believing the petite, church-going Candy Montgomery was capable of such a violent act. Their perspective changed when Allan Gore, distraught and questioned by police, confessed that he had been having an affair with Candy. This gave Candy a powerful motive. Candy turned herself in to authorities on June 26, 1980, 13 days after the killing.

The Trial That Divided a Community

Candy’s trial began in October 1980 in McKinney, Texas. She hired Don Crowder, a personal injury lawyer from her church, to defend her. Her plea was not guilty by reason of self-defense. The defense’s story was that Betty Gore was the initial aggressor who attacked with an axe, and Candy fought back to save her own life.

The most unusual part of the defense involved a psychiatrist named Dr. Fred Fason. He used hypnosis on Candy and argued that she experienced a “dissociative reaction” during the attack. He claimed that when Betty Gore told Candy to “shush,” it triggered a suppressed, traumatic memory from Candy’s childhood involving her mother, causing her to snap into an uncontrollable rage.

On the witness stand, Candy herself described the moment she lost control.

“I didn’t think,” Montgomery testified. “I didn’t think at all. I raise it and I hit her, and I hit her, and I hit her and I hit her.”

The prosecution, led by Tom O’Connell, argued that 41 axe blows could not possibly be self-defense. He stated that Candy could have simply run away instead of launching such a brutal counter-attack. The evidence was gruesome and the motive was clear, but the jury was convinced by the self-defense and psychological arguments. After just over three hours of deliberation, the jury of nine women and three men found Candy Montgomery not guilty of murder on October 30, 1980.

The verdict horrified the local community and Betty Gore’s family. As Candy left the courthouse, crowds chanted “Murderer! Murderer!” at her. Betty’s father, Bob Pomeroy, expressed his anguish, saying, “As far as I’m concerned, justice will be served. She has to live with it”.

Where Are They Now?

After the trial, Candy and Pat Montgomery tried to rebuild their lives but eventually divorced in 1986. Candy moved to Georgia, reverted to using her maiden name, Candace Wheeler, and largely disappeared from public view.

Reports indicate that she later became a licensed mental health therapist. A Georgia license shows she practiced under the name Candace Wheeler from around 1996 until her license expired in 2012. A relative told The Dallas Morning News in 2021 that Candy Montgomery suffers from PTSD and wishes to live a private life.

The HBO series Love & Death ends with the Montgomery family driving away from Texas, a symbolic departure from the community shattered by the crime. The series became a major hit for Max, announced as their most-watched original limited series globally in June 2023. Actor Jesse Plemons, who played Allan Gore, received an Emmy nomination for his supporting role.

The story continues to fascinate because it strips away the facade of a perfect suburban life, revealing the hidden passions, betrayals, and violence that can lie beneath. It asks difficult questions about marriage, identity, and the limits of self-defense that remain relevant today.

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