Love & Death is based on a shocking true story with Elizabeth Olsen playing the infamous murderer Candy Montgomery. The 2023 HBO miniseries covers the brutal axe murder that shocked the nation, plus the events preceding the incident. Like many true crime dramas, Love & Death serves as a character study of its lead character, portraying her inner turmoil and romantic relationship that led to her taking such an extreme step. Love & Death allows Olsen to play another troubled television character after the actress earned raves and an Emmy nomination for playing the morally gray superheroine Scarlet Witch in Marvel's WandaVision.
The cast of HBO's Love & Death also includes Jesse Plemons (Fargo, Breaking Bad), Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), and Lily Rabe (American Horror Story). With the true story gaining enough publicity, Jim Atkinson and John Bloom authored the nonfiction book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs. It is this 1984 book that directly inspired Love & Death, with Big Little Lies and Boston Legal creator David E. Kelley writing the screenplay. Here's a breakdown of the real story behind Love & Death adapted for the HBO series.
Candy Montgomery Was A Housewife In Wylie, Texas
In the January 1984 edition of Texas Monthly magazine, an excerpt from Jim Atkinson and John Bloom's book describes Candace "Candy" Montgomery as an ordinary homemaker from Wylie, Texas. The book introduces her as "a loving mother, a devoted wife, a churchgoer, and everyone’s friend." Candy married an electrical engineer named Pat Montgomery (Patrick Fugit's character in Love & Death) in the early '70s. The couple had a son and a daughter and moved to Collin County, Texas. This is where Candy crossed paths with middle school teacher Betty Gore (Lilly Rabe's character in Love & Death).
Montgomery Was Accused Of Murdering Her Best Friend Betty Gore
Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore got acquainted with each other at the Methodist Church of Lucas, which they both regularly attended. The excerpt in Texas Monthly reveals that their close friendship led Candy to meet Betty's husband, Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons's character in Love & Death). While Allan didn't come off as conventionally handsome, in part because of his receding hairline, Atkinson and Bloom concluded that he "smelled sexy" to Candy. A churchgoing man with a sense of humor, both had an instant connection as Alan was the "personable half of a mismatched couple" much like Candy herself. Candy's life had become boring at that point, and she wanted "fireworks."
After knowing Betty's husband for nine months and receiving some flirtatious signs from him, Candy began an extramarital affair with Allan. It was Candy who made the first move one night after choir practice when she directly confessed her feelings for him. Both went on to have several sexual encounters. In Candy's case, Pat was quite oblivious to everything. This triggered some guilt within Candy, but the affair still went on. On the other hand, Betty and Allan's relations were deteriorating both in romantic and sexual terms. So, the couple went to a Marriage Encounter Session, a meeting where troubled couples would discuss their problems openly.
The session worked for the couple for a brief period, and the affair also drew to a close. But the true story gets more twisted. On June 13, 1980, Allan was out of town for a professional commitment. Still suspecting her husband of adultery, Betty simply asked Candy if she had an affair with him. Candy Montgomery claims to have admitted to the affair and told her, "Yes, but it was a long time ago." Meanwhile, Allan was unable to reach his wife on the telephone, and when he concernedly asked his neighbors to check, they found Betty's corpse at the Gores' residence.
Montgomery Was Acquitted
Moments after Betty's lifeless body was found, Candy Montgomery emerged as the prime suspect, as she was the last person she had met. What's notable is that Candy confessed to Betty's murder, justifying it as an act of self-defense. According to People, Candy had fatally struck Betty with an axe 41 times. Candy testified to the court that it was Betty who was planning to kill her with an axe after she found out about her husband's past affair. Candy somehow managed to wrestle the weapon from her friend's hands and killed her instead. Betty's corpse was so badly mutilated that the neighbors thought she suffered a shotgun blast.
The revenge-fueled true story behind the case naturally raised eyebrows and caused widespread public speculation around the trial of Candy Montgomery. The Texas native underwent a polygraph test before the trial with the test's conclusion being that she was speaking the truth. A concern from the other party was that even if she attacked Betty Gore in self-defense, it is suspicious that she had to strike her 41 times. The accused had a justification for this too, recalling that Betty had shushed her while wielding the axe. This "shushing" triggered memories of her abusive mother that ignited an unprecedented rage.
Interestingly, the trial lasted only eight days, with a nine-member jury finding Candy Montgomery not guilty in October 1980 (via UPI). She was acquitted of all charges and moved out to Georgia with her husband, Pat. The couple divorced four years later. The UPI report adds that the public was still not convinced of her innocence and chants of "Murderer Murderer" were commonly heard outside the courthouse. Newsweek reports that as of 2022, Candy has retained her birth name, Wheeler, and works as a mental health counselor. Despite the publicized trial and shows like Love & Death, she prefers to stay out of the public eye.
Montgomery's Life Has Been Adapted Before
The first adaptation of Montgomery's high-profile murder trial was the 1990 television film A Killing in a Small Town (also broadcasted as Evidence of Love). Barbara Hershey played Candy Montgomery, a performance for which she earned an Emmy nomination. In May 2022, the miniseries Candy premiered on Hulu with Jessica Biel starring as the titular figure. The cast of Hulu's Candy also included Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore and Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore. With the third adaptation of Candy Montgomery's story, Elizabeth Olsen says that Love & Death also more specifically explores "small-town people meaning well under absurd circumstances."