Where Is Candy Montgomery Now? The Chilling True Story Behind ‘Love & Death’

In the early 1980s, a sleepy Texas town was rocked by an unimaginable crime. Thirty-year-old Betty Gore was violently murdered, struck 41 times with an axe by Candy Montgomery, a friend and fellow churchgoer who had been having an affair with Gore’s husband, Allan. Candy later claimed she acted in self-defense.

The disturbing case is the focus of HBO Max’s miniseries Love & Death, which premiered in April 2023 and landed on Netflix on Dec. 1, 2025. The seven-episode series stars Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery and Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore, with Lily Rabe as Betty Gore.

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Love & Death was adapted from the 1984 book, Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, written by investigative journalists John Bloom and Jim Atkinson. Their original reporting appeared in Texas Monthly’s January 1984 two-part feature, “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie.”

As you’re watching Love & Death, read on to dive into the brutal true story that inspired the series, including what Candy Montgomery did to Betty, what happened at her trial, and where she and Allan are now.

Who Was Candy Montgomery?

In the late 1970s, Candy Montgomery was described as a “normal suburban housewife,” according to Bloom and Atkinson. She was the wife of Pat Montgomery, and they shared two children, a son and a daughter.

Candy and her family moved to Wylie, Texas, in 1977, into her “dream house in the country,” per Love and Death in Silicon Prairie. The family began attending The Methodist Church of Lucas, where they were introduced to Betty and Allan Gore. Candy and Betty became close friends.

However, Candy described her love life with her husband as “very boring,” and she was interested in having an affair, or rather, transcendent sex, that would give her “fireworks,” according to Love and Death. She landed on Allan Gore at a church volleyball court in the summer of 1978, when they collided into one another, and Candy thought he smelled sexy.

Betty was also a wife, mother and dedicated churchgoer living in the Dallas suburbs. In the late ’70s, she wanted a second child and began meticulously planning her pregnancy. Her goal was for the baby to be born midsummer so she wouldn’t have to take any time off from teaching. The intense planning reportedly made Allan resentful. “He had the distinct feeling that he was being used,” the article said.

With their marriage under strain, Candy asked Allan if they would like to start an affair after another church volleyball game. He initially said no, telling Candy that Betty had just gotten pregnant again and that it would be unfair to his wife. However, he ended the interaction by kissing Candy.

On Candy’s 29th birthday, she received an unexpected call from Allan, asking if they could talk more about the affair. They met up and chatted about their respective partners and children, and how devastating it would be if they found out about the affair. These conversations continued between the pair over the next few weeks, according to Texas Monthly.

Their affair officially began on Dec. 12, 1978, and continued for several months. They continued sleeping together even after Betty gave birth to their second child in July 1979. However, the relationship ended after the Gores attended Marriage Encounter, a marriage counseling program, per the article.

“Allan, you seem to be leaving it up to me. So I’ve decided, I won’t call. I won’t try to see you,” Candy reportedly told Allan after he told her he wanted to make his marriage with Betty work. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

What Did Candy Montgomery Do?

On June 13, 1980, Candy’s daughter Jenny and the Gores’ daughter, Alisa, asked to have a sleepover. Because Alisa had a swimming lesson the next morning, Candy agreed to take her, so she needed too stop by the Gore home to pick up Alisa’s swimsuit, per Today. Meanwhile, Allan was out of town on a business trip.

According to Texas Monthly, Betty confronted Candy about her previous affair with Allan. Betty also allegedly went into the utility room to grab a three-foot axe. Betty ordered Candy to stay away from Allan and their family, then attacked Candy with the axe.

“I’ve got to kill you,” Betty reportedly told Candy during the violent struggle, as the two grappled for control of the axe. Candy sustained several minor injuries, but ultimately gained control of the weapon. Betty was struck 41 times, and forty of those blows occurring while her heart was still beating. Texas Monthly added that Candy only stopped after reaching the point of utter exhaustion.

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After multiple calls to his wife went unanswered, Allan grew worried and asked neighbors to check in on her. When they entered the house, they found the couple’s infant daughter, Bethany, left alone in her crib. As they made their way through the house, the neighbors noticed a “pungent odor” that followed them, per Texas Monthly.

When one neighbor, Lester, walked through the kitchen and into the utility room, he quickly shut the door and said, “She’s dead,” after seeing “oceans of blood” on the tile. The neighbors called Allan and told him they believed Betty had been shot. Later, he learned that his wife had been killed with an axe.

What Was Candy Montgomery Charged With?

In just a few days, Candy became the main suspect in the case, as she was the last person to see Betty alive. After Allan admitted to the police that he had ended a 10-month affair with Candy seven months before Betty’s murder, the police established a motive. They arrested Candy and charged her with murder, though she denied the charges at first.

Candy pleaded not guilty and argued that she had acted in self-defense. In her court testimony, she recounted her version of the day Betty was killed and maintained that she had not planned to harm her friend when she went to her house that morning.

On Oct. 29, 1980, the jury acquitted Candy of murder.

Where Is Candy Montgomery Now?

Following her acquittal, Candy Montgomery — who now goes by her maiden name, Wheeler — largely stayed out of the public eye. In 2010, The Dallas Morning News reported that she and Pat had moved to Georgia and that she was working as a certified family counselor. People Magazine Investigates: Candy and Betty also confirmed that Candy returned to school to become a counselor.

“The fact that she thought she could counsel after what she had done still boggles me to this day,” Betty’s brother, Ron Pomeroy, told People Magazine Investigates.

Meanwhile, Allan reportedly remarried a few months after Candy’s murder trial ended, per People. However, he has since divorced, according to The Dallas Morning News. Betty’s parents, Bob and Bertha Pomeroy, reportedly raised the couple’s two daughters in Kansas.

Love & Death is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

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