Where is Candy Montgomery Now? Know More Details Here!
by Alaguvelan M
Updated May 06, 2023
Candy Montgomery
Candace Lynn "Candy" Montgomery is the birth name of Candy Montgomery and he was born on November 15, 1949. On June 13, 1980, Candy Montgomery, an American housewife, was accused of killing Betty Gore, the wife of her lover, in Wylie, Texas. During the assault, Gore was struck 41 times with a wood-splitting axe.
Civil law attorney Don Crowder and defense attorney Robert Udashen represented Candy Montgomery during her trial, which lasted eight days and was presided over by District Judge Tom Ryan in McKinney, Texas. Montgomery claimed self-defense, saying that Betty Gore attacked her after confronting her about her affair with Gore's husband, Allan.
Montgomery said she used an axe to defend herself after Gore attempted to strike her with the same weapon. Montgomery passed a polygraph test before the trial, indicating her truthfulness. District attorney Tom O'Connell argued that Montgomery could have fled the scene instead of attacking Gore and that striking 41 times was excessive. However, a jury of nine women and three men found Montgomery not guilty on October 30, 1980.
In the HBO Max series Love & Death, which premiered in April 2023, Elizabeth Olsen portrays Montgomery. The real-life case of Candy Montgomery, who was accused of murdering her lover's wife, is the subject of the 2018 true-crime book, Evidence of Love, which served as the basis for the HBO Max series Love & Death.
Where is Candy Montgomery Now?
Candy Montgomery is still alive and living in Georgia. After the trial in 1980, she and her husband Pat moved out of Texas and settled in Georgia. They later divorced, and Candy reportedly goes by the name Candace Wheeler. She has worked as a certified family counselor and mental health worker but has largely lived her life out of the public eye in recent years. It may be hard to believe, but Candy Montgomery is now a free woman. To understand how she got there, let's look back at the events leading up to her release.
In 1980, Montgomery was accused of murdering her friend Betty Gore in Texas. The motive was believed to be Montgomery's affair with Gore's husband, Allan. When Montgomery visited the Gore residence to pick up a swimsuit for their daughter, Betty confronted her about the affair, leading to a physical fight. Montgomery allegedly stabbed Gore 41 times with a three-foot-long ax while Allan was out of town.
Montgomery was eventually caught after Allan confessed to the affair and she was brought in for questioning. She denied responsibility and refused to take a polygraph test. However, the evidence at the crime scene, including footprints, was enough to obtain an arrest warrant.
During her trial, Montgomery claimed self-defense, saying that Gore had grabbed the ax from the garage. Psychiatrists claimed she had a "dissociative reaction" during the altercation, and her rage was due to childhood trauma. Montgomery was acquitted of murder charges by a jury on October 29, 1980.
Why Did Candy Montgomery Kill Betty Gore?
Candace Montgomery, a housewife, and Betty Gore, a middle school teacher, met at a service at the United Methodist Church of Lucas in Collin County, Texas, and soon became close friends. The two families lived in close proximity, with Candy, her husband Pat, and their two children residing nearby to Betty and her husband Allan.
Candy and Allan started having an extramarital affair in the summer of 1978. According to Texas Monthly, their affair began after Candy and Allan accidentally bumped into each other while playing in a church volleyball game, and Candy became attracted to Allan's scent. Candy later revealed to her friends that she wanted to bring excitement into her "very boring" life with Pat and desired "fireworks".
Several weeks after the initial attraction, Candy asked Allan to talk to her in his car after choir practice. She disclosed to Allan that she was very attracted to him and had been thinking about it a lot, and was unsure whether she wanted him to act on it. She exited Allan's car before he could respond. This incident was reported in the 2018 true-crime book, Evidence of Love, on which the HBO Max series Love & Death is based.
A week later, Candy and Allan encountered each other once again at choir practice, and Allan escorted Candy to her car, where Candy asked him if he was interested in having an affair. Allan hesitated, revealing that his wife, Betty, was pregnant with their second child. Candy responded by saying that she only wanted to sleep with him once.
Allan then kissed Candy for the first time in her car before leaving. Allan and Candy stayed in touch, with Allan eventually warming up to the idea of an affair and agreeing to sleep with Candy. On December 12, 1978, they had sex for the first time at a Continental Inn located just three minutes away from Allan's home. For the remainder of 1978 and the beginning of 1979, they slept with each other almost every other week. In June 1979, Candy and Allan agreed to put their affair on hold because Betty was seven months pregnant and close to giving birth.
After Betty gave birth to their baby, Bethany, in July 1979, Allan and Candy resumed their affair. However, Allan later informed Candy that he wanted to end their affair after he and Betty completed a Marriage Encounter program, a religious-based program designed to improve couples' relationships.
Seven months after Allan and Candy's affair ended, Candy murdered Betty. Allan informed the police weeks after Betty's death that he had an affair with Candy, which gave authorities a motive for the murder. Candy was subsequently arrested by the police, who charged her with murder. For her defense, Candy enlisted the aid of Don Crowder, a lawyer from church, who recruited Dr. Fred Fason, a psychiatrist, to assist Candy in unlocking the memories she couldn't recall.
During a hypnosis session with Dr. Fason, Candy revealed that she despised Betty, exclaiming, "I hate her. She's messed up my whole life. Look at this. I hate her. I hate her." Dr. Fason then inquired about Candy's earliest recollection of feeling angry, which occurred when she was four years old and lost a race to a boy named Johnny, causing her to break a jar.
How Did Candy Montgomery kill Betty Gore?
On June 13, 1980, Candice Wheeler, who went by the name Candy, murdered her friend Betty in their hometown of Wylie, Texas. According to a hypnosis session with psychiatrist Dr. Fred Fason, Candy claimed that she had gone to Betty's home to pick up a swimsuit for Betty's daughter, Alisa, who was staying with Candy and her husband, Pat. While there, Betty accused Candy of having an affair with her husband, Allan, which Candy admitted to. Betty then retrieved an ax and threatened Candy, ordering her to never see Allan again, to which Candy agreed.
According to Candy's account during a hypnosis session with psychiatrist Dr. Fred Fason, as she was leaving Betty's home with Alisa's swimsuit, Betty accused her of having an affair with Allan and became angry. Betty pushed Candy into a utility room where a struggle broke out, resulting in cuts on Candy's toe and head. Candy claimed that Betty threatened to kill her during the fight. In self-defense, Candy took the ax from Betty and used it against her. However, Betty stopped Candy from leaving the room by slamming her body against the door, leaving Candy in fear that she had killed her friend.
During the struggle, Betty ordered Candy to be quiet, which triggered Candy's childhood trauma, causing her to strike Betty repeatedly with the ax until she was exhausted. On the day of the alleged murder, Allan was away. When he couldn't reach Betty, he asked neighbors to check on her. They found Betty dead and their 1-year-old daughter, Bethany, crying in another room. Authorities found a three-foot-long ax near Betty and determined that Candy had used it to strike Betty 41 times, including 28 times on her head and face.
Where is Candy Montgomery Now - FAQs
Candy Montgomery was a housewife in rural Texas who gained notoriety for killing Betty Gore in 1980. Montgomery had been having an affair with Gore's husband, Allan, and the killing was believed to be related to this affair.
Montgomery's motive for killing Betty Gore was related to her affair with Allan Gore. Betty had reportedly discovered the affair and confronted Candy about it, leading to a violent altercation that ended with Betty's death.
Montgomery was acquitted of murder on the grounds of temporary insanity. Her defense team argued that she had been driven to the point of madness by Betty's attack and that she had not been in her right mind at the time of the killing.
Montgomery has lived a private life out of the public eye since her trial. She reportedly goes by the name Candace Wheeler and has worked as a family counselor and mental health worker.
The Montgomery case raised questions about the ways in which domestic violence and mental health were perceived and treated in the criminal justice system. Some argued that Montgomery's acquittal was evidence of a failure to take domestic violence and mental illness seriously.