The Highly Disturbing Story Behind Jessica Biel’s Hulu Series ‘Candy’
The true story behind
Candy is a dark tale of friendship and betrayal that took place in the heart of Texas. In June of 1980, Betty, a churchgoing middle school teacher, was found dead in her home with 41 axe wounds.
The backstory here is that Candy, who befriended Betty at church,
was having an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore.
Texas Monthly originally covered this story back in 1984, describing the ultimately violent murder scene in detail. On the day of Betty’s death,
Candy offered to take Betty’s daughter, Alisa, to her swim lesson after spending the night at the Montgomery house. Candy stopped by the Gore house to pick up a swimsuit for Alisa and was allegedly confronted by Betty about the affair.
What happened next was the main debate of the trial. An axe was grabbed (Candy’s lawyers argued by Betty) and the confrontation turned violent. During the trial, the defense argued Candy was acting in self-defense. Ultimately, the jury acquitted Candy of murder. Following the trial, Candy left the state.
Hulu is not the only one telling the same story this year. HBO Max is working on its own retelling of the Candy Montgomery trial starring Elizabeth Olson and Lily Rabe, titled
Love and Death. A release date for this project has yet to be announced, but filming wrapped in early April, so we’re expecting a trailer any day now.
May 9, 2022 on Hulu
