Love & Death: The True Story Behind the Netflix Series

A Texas housewife, Candace “Candy” Montgomery, was acquitted of murder in 1980 after fatally striking her friend, Betty Gore, with an axe 41 times, a case that has recently gained renewed attention with the streaming release of the series Love & Death on Netflix. The series, originally aired on HBO Max in 2023, dramatizes the events surrounding the crime and the subsequent trial.

The events unfolded in Wylie, Texas, a small town west of Dallas. Montgomery, seemingly a pillar of the community – a married woman, mother and active member of the local Methodist church – began an affair with Allan Gore, the husband of her friend Betty Gore, in 1978. According to reports, the affair commenced after Montgomery met Allan Gore during a volleyball game.

The relationship continued for approximately six months before Allan Gore ended it, seeking to reconcile with his wife, who was pregnant with their second child. The affair’s end set in motion the events leading to Betty Gore’s death on Friday, June 13, 1980. Allan Gore, away on a business trip, asked a neighbor to check on his wife when she failed to answer the phone. The neighbor discovered Betty Gore’s body, having sustained 41 axe wounds, near her infant son.

Montgomery voluntarily contacted authorities after learning of Betty Gore’s death, offering to care for the Gores’ daughter. She was subsequently identified as a suspect, and investigators learned of the affair between her and Allan Gore. During questioning, Montgomery claimed she acted in self-defense during an argument with Betty Gore about the infidelity.

The trial concluded with Montgomery’s acquittal on October 29, 1980. Following the trial, Montgomery and her husband, from whom she had separated, moved to Georgia. The case, based on the true story of Candy Montgomery, was detailed in the 1984 book, Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson, which served as source material for the miniseries.

Love & Death, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and written by David E. Kelley, stars Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore, and Lily Rabe as Betty Gore. The series received nominations for Critics Choice Awards and BAFTA awards, with Olsen and Plemons receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for their performances.