As explored in Channel 4’s Candy: A Death In Texas, the shocking 1980 murder of Betty Gore unfolded after her supposed friend Candy Montgomery popped over with a swimsuit query. It was then that a fierce altercation descended into bloodshed
Video Unavailable
Candy official trailer
Candy Montgomery was a seemingly ordinary Texas housewife focused on raising her children and going to church. But her name will now always be synonymous with a bloody 1980 murder that shocked America.
As explored in tonight’s new Channel 4 drama Candy: A Death In Texas, Mother-of-two Candy and her husband Pat Montgomery moved their young children to Wylie, Texas, in 1977, where they were regular attendees at the Methodist Church of Lucas. It was here where Candy struck up a close friendship with teacher Betty Gore, who lived not far from Candy with her husband Allan Gore and their two children.
On the outside, the two couples appeared to live idyllic lives but it was a different story beneath the surface. Indeed, Candy, played by Jessica Biel, had developed feelings for Betty’s husband Allan (Pablo Schreiber), confessing to her attraction at a sports game in October 1978.
Although Allan initially turned Candy down, feeling this would be unfair to pregnant Betty, just a few weeks later, he gave into temptation. An affair ensued, with Candy and Allan deceiving their spouses for months. Shameless Candy even threw her pal Betty a baby shower, all the while concealing her adultery.
Things eventually came to a head on Friday, June 13, 1980, when Candy, then 30, paid a visit to the Gore family home, having reportedly offered to take Betty’s five-year-old daughter Alisa to her swimming lesson after the girl had slept over at her house.
As Candy would later testify in court, she’d gone to Betty and Allan’s house to collect Alisa’s swimsuit. Then, a seemingly ordinary day in Texas descended into a bloodbath in a case that continues to horrify to this day.
Betty confronted her friend about the affair, and Candy responded with a harrowing act of violence. The homemaker struck Betty 41 times with a three-foot axe, all while her baby daughter Bethany slept in her crib in another room of the house. She then took a bath in Betty’s bathroom before going about the rest of her day as normal.
According to a Hulu synopsis: “Candy Montgomery is a 1980 housewife and mother who did everything right—good husband, two kids, nice house, even the careful planning and execution of transgressions—but when the pressure of conformity builds within her, her actions scream for just a bit of freedom. Until someone tells her to shush. With deadly results.”
The case was previously covered in Love & Death, which starred Elizabeth Olsen as Candy and Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore.
The first two episodes of Candy: A Death In Texas were aired on Saturday (March 8), with the following two episodes set to be broadcast tonight (Sunday, March 9).
The final episode will air at 11.10 pm on Monday (March 10). All episodes will be available for streaming via Channel 4’s streaming service.
Candy: A Death In Texas continues tonight (Sunday, March 9) on Channel 4 at 10.14 pm
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
