The Real Story Behind Hulu’s ‘Candy’

If you have yet to watch Hulu’s new show Candy, we highly recommend it! If you love true crime, of course. Without giving too much away (yet, because we’re literally about to tell you the true story) we had good intentions of watching an episode per night and fully watched the entire season, that’s five episodes, in one sitting. We didn’t even get up for snacks. We could go on for days about how incredible Jessica Biel was in this, the costumes, the home decor, etc., but today we’re focusing in on the actual tragic events that inspired this hit show. So if you haven’t watched it and you aren’t familiar with this case, then stop reading now. But if not, join us for the real story behind Candy Montgomery. 

(image via: dallas morning news

While this case was a pretty big deal in North Texas and there was a made for T.V. film about it, this case really didn’t get a lot of attention. Until Hulu got their hands on it, of course. The year was 1980 and the date? Friday, June 13th. Betty Gore’s husband had gone away on a business trip and was staying in St. Louis, after trying to reach her for hours, he grew horribly worried and asked that a few neighbors go check the house out and check on Betty. Upon entering the house, they heard the hoarse cries of the Gore’s baby and found her unharmed in her crib; but from the looks of it, the baby hadn’t been tended to for several hours. Upon further investigation, the neighbors found Betty’s body in a pool of blood. Autopsy reports revealed that Betty was struck with an ax over 40 times. 

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While the Montgomery family and the Gore family appeared to be friends, both families attending the same church and having children about the same age, as we well know things aren’t always as they seem. In 1978 Candy, dissatisfied with her own marriage, began to have an affair with Allan Gore, Betty’s husband. The affair lasted several months and Candy claims that not only did Betty know about the affair, but the brought it up to Candy on that fateful day in June when Candy stopped by to pick up Betty’s daughter’s swimsuit so she could take her to swimming lessons later that day. 

(image via: tv insider

Four months after Betty’s body had been found, the eight-day trial began. Candy pleaded not guilty by reason of self-defense, and her attorney Don Crowder, another fellow church attendee, hired both a psychiatrist and hypnotist for the case; while this may sound questionable by today’s standards, it was a regular practice in the 80s. Through hypnosis Candy appeared to relive the events, and the psychiatrist claims that Candy’s actions were a “dissociative reaction”. The jury found Candy not guilty. In an attempt to return to normalcy, Candy moved to Georgia, took her maiden name back, and worked as a family counselor. Little is known about her whereabouts today.

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