The murder of Betty Gore shocked a small North Texas town and will be brought to life in two true crime series: Hulu’s “Candy” and HBO Max’s “Love and Death.”
DALLAS — It was a brutal ax murder that rocked the small North Texas town of Wylie in 1980.
Candy Montgomery killed Betty Gore by hacking her with an ax 41 times, following a confrontation over Montgomery’s months-long affair with Gore’s husband, according to Texas Monthly’s report on Montgomery’s trial.
Now, 42 years later, two new true crime series: Hulu’s Candy starring Jessica Biel and HBO Max Love and death starring Elizabeth Olsen, are bringing the case back to life.
Candy It will be a five-night event from May 9-13. Love and death is scheduled to be released later this year.
Each series traces the harrowing story of two churchgoing couples enjoying small-town family life, until that fateful Friday, June 13, 1980.
Here’s a look at the true crime story behind Candy Y Love and death.
The case
Candy Montgomery was married to Pat Montgomery, a young electrical engineer at Texas Instruments and the mother of two children. Betty Gore was a high school teacher married to Allan Gore.
Both the Montgomerys and the Gores regularly attended service at Lucas First United Methodist Church, according to a 1984 Texas Monthly profile. This is what brought Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore together and ultimately led to affair and murder.
According to Texas Monthly, the romance between Candy Montgomery and Allan Gore began after the two collided in a play on the church volleyball court, which set Candy’s gaze on Allan. She pursued Allan Gore for months before he finally agreed to have an affair. The affair continued until Allan Gore ended it to turn his attention to Betty, who had become more anxious about her relationship and her family, Texas magazine reported.
The crime and the trial
Then, on Friday, June 13, 1980, Gore’s Wylie house became the site of one of the most notorious crimes in Texas.
Betty Gore confronted Candy Montgomery about the matter, leading to an ax fight. Candy Montgomery prevailed in the fight and later reportedly assaulted Betty Gore 41 times, killing her.
Candy Montgomery was eventually arrested and charged with the murder of Betty Gore. In court, she Candy Montgomery testified that she killed Gore in her own defense, arguing that she “after being hit twice with the ax by [Betty] and then gaining control of the weapon, the heavier and larger [Betty] refused to leave [Candy] Go.”
Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that Candy could have fled “instead of beating” Betty Gore to death.
On October 30, 1980, a jury of nine women and three men found Candy Montgomery not guilty of the murder of Betty Gore. She was acquitted of the murder charge.
Killing still haunts some homeowners in North Texas
Twenty-eight years after Gore’s death, the WFAA returned to Wylie and spoke with several residents about their recollection of the harrowing story. People in Wylie still talk about that House.
Who would live in such a house?
After the yellow police tape falls on the crime scene, the new residents bring new furniture, new belongings, and new lives. But in many cases, the house is still defined by what once happened within its walls. The question then is: How do you turn a high-profile murder house into a home?
You can read more about the so-called “ax murder house” here.
The series
Candy was created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith with Jessica Biel as Candy, Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore, and Timothy Simons as Pat Montgomery.
Writers Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, who wrote the two Texas Monthly articles (read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here), serve as consulting producers on Candy. his book, Tests of love: a true story of passion and death in the suburbsis being adapted by David E. Kelley for Love and death.
The upcoming HBO Max series stars Olsen as Candy, Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore, Patrick Fugit as Pat Montgomery, and Lily Rabe as Betty Gore.
