The Real Story of Candy Montgomery from Hulu’s Candy

This week, Hulu released a true-crime series, Candy, which fans of the genre were keenly waiting for. Set in 1980 Texas, the show is quite chilling and exudes eerie vibes, just the way it should.

We see certain events in the life of Candy and Betty, two women who are part of the same social circles in the suburbs of Wylie in Dallas. These events highlight who they are, what they do, and how some of their actions have dire consequences. Consequences that take the shape of a brutal murder.

Now, many of you know might know the real story behind the show in brief but wouldn’t be familiar with the gruesome details. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s jump in.

Candy is based on a true story of two women, Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore. In real life, Candy was an average housewife who had an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore. When confronted by Betty, she killed her by striking her with an ax 41 times.

So, here goes a truly tragic and shocking story of a seemingly normal person, later deemed as the ax murderer who killed a friend over an extramarital affair. Let’s start from the beginning.

Candy or Candace Montgomery was a wife to Pat Montgomery and a mother of two children. The family of four moved to Wylie, Texas, in 1978. Like many others back in the day, she was a devout Christian who took part in numerous activities such as Church Volleyball with other people.

As she hung out with women of the community, she bumped into Betty Gore, another homemaker. Betty was married to Allan Gore, and the two had a child together. Both Candy and Betty became good friends.

All these things point to the quintessential life of a homemaker back in the 70s and 80s. However, things turned when Candy became frustrated with her mundane life. As portrayed in the Hulu series, she craved and fantasized about sexual encounters as an escape and decided to have an affair.

She regularly met Allan Gore at the community church and for weekly volleyball games. Over time, she found him appealing and a seemingly right fit for her endeavor and thus made a pass on him.

Although he initially resisted, Allan gave in after some time due to his circumstances with his wife. While Betty was pregnant with their second child, he initiated an extramarital affair with Candy, which lasted about two years before they called it off.

However, by this time, things had become more strained between Allan and Betty. The Hulu series depicts in Episode 1 how Betty was suffering from postpartum depression. While we don’t know for sure if the same had been the case, in reality, she didn’t like Allan traveling to a different city for work. In fact, she used to feel paranoid about it.

The murder took place during one of his tours. Candy was the last person to see Betty and hence became the primary suspect. Within two weeks, she was arrested and charged with murder.

However, she did receive bail thanks to the church she went to. She had hired a lawyer from the church who would fight her case as she pleaded not guilty.

While we all have many questions about how the alleged murder actually happened, all we have is Candy’s testimony in court. According to her testimony, she was hypnotized by Dr. Fred Fason, and under hypnosis, she recalled the following:

When Candy went to Betty’s place on Friday, June 13, 1980, she was confronted by Betty about her affair with Allan. Things escalated and Betty ended up attacking her with an ax. As a way of self-defense, she used the same weapon on Betty, striking her 41 times, out of which Betty was alive during the first 40 blows.

Candy maintained that she didn’t intend to kill Betty, and the psychiatrist, Dr. Fred, concluded that this action was because of her childhood trauma, which filled her with rage and resulted in what she did.

Dr. Fred also mentioned that Candy had blacked out during the entire episode, and all she was thinking of was her mother shushing her as a child. While the self-defense aspect seems true, considering the jailers had seen bruises on her toes and the bead, the entire trauma aspect is debated by experts even today.

Candy Montgomery ended up getting acquitted of all the charges by a jury of nine women and three men. She walked free and remained innocent according to the court of law.

Where is Candy Montgomery now?

Candy Montgomery (Now Candace Wheeler) currently lives in Georgia and works as a mental health counselor for children and teens. She had moved there with her husband after the trial got over. Four years later, the two divorced but she stayed back in Georgia. She changed her name to Candace Wheeler, her maiden name, and right now works with her daughter Jenny.

Where is Allan Gore now?

Allan Gore has retired and is currently living in Sarasota, Florida. After the trial, he remarried Elaine Clift and moved away. However, his marriage ended in a divorce, and he even lost custody of his children, who Betty’s parents then took in.

About Candy

Candy is an upcoming American crime drama streaming television miniseries created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith. The series stars Jessica Biel as the real-life Candy Montgomery, who was accused of brutally murdering her best friend, Betty Gore (played by Melanie Lynskey) in 1980s Texas. It is scheduled to premiere on May 9, 2022, on Hulu.