People are capable of doing anything for love, even taking someone’s life; Candy Montgomery is the greatest proof of this. Candance is known as the ‘axe murderer’ due to a terrible crime committed in June 1980, in Texas, United States.
Candance was accused of killing Betty Gore, her close friend, but also the wife of her lover Allan Gore. While it was not the first crime to occur in the locality, it would become the most shocking, as the victim’s body was found with 41 axes.
Candy and Betty’s Friendship
Candy, who was a homemaker, arrived in Texas in 1977 with her husband Pat Montgomery and their two children, when she was 30 years old. It is said that Candace, although devoted to her family, was a very charismatic, outgoing person who loved participating in community activities.
Betty Gore was a high school teacher; she lived in the neighborhood with her children and her husband Allan Gore, who would become her friend’s lover. The two met during a church event they were attending with their families, who would later become almost inseparable.
So much was what they shared, that Candace and Allan began to feel something more than just affection, to the point of being unfaithful to their partners, regardless of the friendship that united them. Their romance would have started, according to local media, in 1978 and lasted several months, until Betty gave birth to their second child. It was at that moment that Allan decided to end it. So far, it has not been proven that this would be the trigger for the murder since it happened long after their relationship came to an end.
The 41 Ax Murder
It was Friday, June 13, 1980, when one of the worst crimes in U.S. history occurred. Around 11:00 p.m. that day, Allan asked his neighbor Richard Parker to help him see if Betty was at home, as he was traveling and not answering his calls.
Parker went to the Gore home, accompanied by another neighbor named Lester Gayler to check that everything was in order, but upon entering, all they found was a traumatizing scene. First, “we went down the hallway to the bathroom, turning on the lights. A little baby lifted his head out of the crib. He started crying. He had been there all, most of the day, hadn’t been fed or anything.”
After finding the little boy, they noticed a trail of blood that led them to the laundry room, where Betty’s lifeless body lay. For a moment, they believed that the woman had been shot with a shotgun; however, the autopsy determined that the cause of death was 41 axes. Likewise, experts revealed that the person who murdered Betty wanted to clean up the crime scene, but left the task unfinished, although he took the opportunity to bathe in the victim’s house before fleeing.
Candy, the Main Suspect in Betty’s Murder
The police arrived at the scene and began searching for the person responsible for the crime. The first name on the list was that of her husband Allan, which was ruled out because the blood and shoe print did not match him. However, Candy Montgomery became the prime suspect when Betty’s husband confessed to the infidelity, even though it had been a long time since they broke up.
Detectives questioned her on June 16 of that same year, after the funeral of her friend. At that time, Montgomery denied all accusations, assuring that she had nothing to do with the murder. But her version was not convincing, so the investigation continued against her. A little girl who was a friend of Candy’s daughter said that on the morning of the day of the crime, she went to her house, and no one was there; she also saw the suspect leaving the Gore’s house.
The little girl’s statement and the fingerprints found at the crime scene were enough to incriminate her, charge her with the murder, and finally arrest her on June 27.
The ‘Axe Murderer’ Is Born
In October 1980, Candy’s defense admitted their client’s guilt, arguing that it had been self-defense after Betty discovered the infidelity. According to what several media took from the statements at the trial, “Betty confronted her about the affair. She said Betty came at her with an axe, threw her to the ground, and cut off her toe.”
After struggling, Candy Montgomery reportedly managed to wrestle the axe away from Betty, but she kept attacking, so she was forced to use the weapon brutally until her ‘friend’ would no longer move or breathe. Obviously, the terrible act remained a mystery, and the jury could not let go of the motive for the 41 hatchets, as they agreed that it was much more than an act of self-defense.
A psychologist testified that during the attack, Candy relived a childhood trauma, which would trigger a much higher level of violence, which favored the jury’s verdict.
Candy Was Acquitted Despite Confessing to the Crime
The psychologist’s words would become Candy Montgomery’s ticket to freedom, because, after less than four hours of deliberation, the jury decided to acquit her of the case, despite having confessed her guilt. After what happened, Candace moved to Georgia with her family and later divorced her husband.
In 2021, the Mail Online newspaper reported that the ‘axe murderer’ used her maiden name and worked as a therapist. There is no doubt that life is a great ‘wheel of fortune’, but it is also true that, in the end, everything takes its toll.
The Story of the Murderess who Inspired Movies and Series
Part of what led us to remember the story of Candy Montgomery is two series that will surely catch you from beginning to end. They are Love and Death on HBO and Candy, on Star+. The first one picks up on those things that led the ‘axe murderer’ to commit the crime, while the second one focuses on the psychological aspects of the protagonist.
In Love and Death, through seven episodes that will premiere from April 27 to May 25 of this year, we will witness the talent of Elizabeth Olsen. Candy, which premiered in October 2022, consists of five chapters, and Jessica Biel is in charge of wrapping us in this terrifying story. However, the first adaptation of this story came to the cinema in 1990 with the film A Killing in a Small Town, starring Barbara Hershey and Brian Dennehy.
Undoubtedly, the story behind the ‘axe murderer’ is and will be one of the most controversial and terrifying, no matter how much time passes. The worst thing is to imagine that your therapist could be responsible for a heinous crime.
Story written in Spanish by Nayeli Párraga in Cultura Colectiva