45 Years Later: The Shocking True Story Of Candy Montgomery's Axe Murder Acquittal And Where She Is Now

The infamous true crime case of Candace "Candy" Montgomery, the Texas housewife who killed her friend Betty Gore with an axe in 1980, continues to fascinate the public, especially as of December 2025, over four decades after her shocking acquittal. The brutal nature of the crime—41 axe blows—set against a backdrop of suburban church life and a secret extramarital affair, cemented the case as one of the most sensational and controversial legal battles in American history. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the violent act, the jury accepted a plea of self-defense, a verdict that remains a point of intense debate and media scrutiny today.

The core of the case revolves around a deadly confrontation on Friday, June 13, 1980, in Wylie, Texas. Candy Montgomery, then 30, was confronted by Betty Gore, the wife of Candy's former lover, Allan Gore. The defense successfully argued that the killing was not premeditated murder but a reaction to a life-threatening assault, triggered by a childhood trauma that caused a dissociative episode. This unique legal strategy, backed by psychiatric testimony, allowed Montgomery to walk free, leaving behind a legacy of unanswered questions about the limits of self-defense and the complexity of the human psyche.

The Key Players: A Full Biography Profile

The tragedy of the Betty Gore murder involves four central figures whose lives were inextricably linked by the Wylie Methodist Church and a suburban affair in Collin County, Texas. Understanding their backgrounds is crucial to grasping the full context of the case.

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Candace Lynn "Candy" Montgomery (née Wheeler)

• Born: November 15, 1949, in Lucas, Texas.
• Spouse: Pat Montgomery (engineer); later divorced.
• Children: Two (a son and a daughter).
• Background: A seemingly perfect, active churchgoer and devoted mother in the tight-knit community of Wylie, Texas. She sought excitement outside her marriage, leading to an affair with Allan Gore.
• Criminal Status: Acquitted of murder on October 29, 1980.
• Current Status: As of late 2025, she is in her mid-70s. She moved to Georgia, divorced Pat, and is reported to have become a certified family counselor, living a quiet life out of the public eye. She is said to suffer from PTSD.

Betty Gore

• Born: September 25, 1950.
• Spouse: Allan Gore (teacher).
• Children: Two daughters, Alisa and Bethany.
• Background: A sixth-grade teacher and mother who was known to be reserved and struggling with her husband's frequent travel and their marital issues. She was a friend of Candy Montgomery through church and their children's activities.
• Date of Death: June 13, 1980, at age 29.
• Cause of Death: Homicide by axe, suffering 41 blows.

Allan Gore

• Spouse: Betty Gore.
• Role in Case: Husband of the victim and former lover of Candy Montgomery. He was away on a business trip when the murder occurred. His call to neighbors to check on Betty led to the discovery of the crime.

Pat Montgomery

• Spouse: Candace "Candy" Montgomery; later divorced.
• Role in Case: Husband of the accused. He stood by Candy throughout the investigation and the eight-day trial, helping her move out of state after the acquittal.

The Brutal Confrontation and the 41 Axe Blows

The murder of Betty Gore was not just a crime of passion; it was an act of extreme, almost unbelievable violence that shocked the peaceful community of Wylie. The details of the physical evidence were central to the prosecution’s case against Candy Montgomery.

On June 13, 1980, Candy went to the Gore home to pick up a swimsuit for Betty’s daughter, who was staying at the Montgomerys' house. During the visit, Betty confronted Candy about the affair she had with Allan Gore, her husband. The accounts diverge dramatically at this point.

According to Candy’s testimony, Betty retrieved a three-foot-long wood-splitting axe from the garage and threatened her. A struggle ensued, and Betty allegedly landed the first blow, cutting Candy's toe. Candy managed to gain control of the weapon, but instead of stopping, she continued to strike Betty repeatedly—a total of 41 times. The sheer number of wounds, with 40 believed to have occurred while Betty’s heart was still beating, made the self-defense claim a difficult one for the jury to accept.

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After the attack, Candy cleaned herself up, left the bloody crime scene, and went about her day, even attending a children's swim lesson. She initially lied to investigators, but later confessed to the killing, maintaining it was in self-defense. The prosecution argued that the extreme overkill—the 41 blows—demonstrated a rage far beyond what was necessary to defend herself, pointing toward premeditated murder.

The Controversial Self-Defense Plea and the Dissociative Episode

The key to Candy Montgomery’s acquittal was the highly controversial and groundbreaking defense mounted by her attorney, Dan Crowder, which relied heavily on psychiatric evidence. This defense introduced the concept of a "dissociative episode" to the courtroom, a term that was not commonly used in murder trials at the time.

Crowder enlisted the help of Houston psychiatrist Dr. Fred Fason. Under hypnosis, Dr. Fason testified that he uncovered a repressed memory in Candy’s past: a traumatic childhood incident where her mother's cousin, Jimmy, violently shushed her. According to the defense, when Betty Gore allegedly shushed Candy during their struggle, it triggered a flashback to this traumatic event, causing Candy to enter a dissociative state.

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Dr. Fason’s testimony suggested that during the prolonged, brutal attack, Candy was no longer consciously herself. She was reacting to a deep-seated, post-traumatic stress trigger, and therefore, lacked the criminal intent (mens rea) required for a murder conviction. The defense argued that while the initial act of taking the axe was self-defense, the subsequent 40 blows were the result of this uncontrollable, dissociative blackout.

The jury ultimately accepted this defense. On October 29, 1980, after only a few hours of deliberation, they found Candy Montgomery "not guilty" of murder. The verdict was met with outrage and disbelief from the public, many of whom felt that 41 axe blows could never be justified as self-defense. The case highlighted the complex legal and ethical questions surrounding the use of psychiatric testimony and the defense of temporary insanity.

Life After Acquittal: Where is Candy Montgomery Now?

Following the acquittal, Candy Montgomery and her family faced intense public scrutiny and media attention. To escape the fallout and the judgment of the Collin County community, the Montgomery family relocated to Georgia shortly after the trial concluded. This move was an attempt to regain a sense of normalcy after the sensational true crime saga.

The marriage between Candy and Pat Montgomery did not survive the ordeal, and they eventually divorced around 1986. Pat returned to his career as an engineer, while Candy sought to rebuild her life away from the spotlight. She reportedly pursued education and became a certified family counselor, a profession that requires empathy and discretion, a stark contrast to her public image as the "axe murderer."

As of December 2025, Candy Montgomery is believed to be living a quiet, private existence in Georgia. She is in her mid-70s and has successfully managed to stay out of the public eye for decades. Her story, however, continues to be a source of fascination, inspiring multiple books, a TV movie, and two recent high-profile limited series, *Candy* (2022) and *Love & Death* (2023). These dramatizations have reignited interest in the case, prompting new generations to question the verdict and the circumstances that led a seemingly ordinary suburban housewife to commit such a horrific act of violence.

The legacy of the Betty Gore murder is a chilling reminder of the dark secrets that can lurk beneath the surface of suburban life, and the enduring controversy over a self-defense plea that shocked a nation.