Candy Montgomery was still married to Pat Montgomery when she hacked her friend Betty Gore to death with an ax. She’d successfully kept her affair with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore, secret from Pat, but after police linked the murder to her, the salacious details of her dalliance with Allan became public knowledge.
Yet, Pat Montgomery stuck by Candy throughout the trial and acquittal. Amid chants of ‘Murderer! Murderer!,’ authorities escorted Pat and Candy out of the Collin County courthouse as the judge had received a letter threatening Candy’s life.
Pat adopted a private life after divorcing Candy four years after her acquittal
Pat demonstrated extraordinary devotion to his wife following her murder of Betty. We know little about events behind the scenes, but Pat stood by Candy in public.
He appreciated support from the church and members of the public who sent cards urging the Montgomerys to stay strong.
After the trial, Pat and Candy relocated to Georgia, aiming to start afresh following the Texas tragedy. The couple divorced after four years, however, with the strain of the saga likely proving too much to bear.
Pat adopted a private life and reportedly changed his name to James. Candy also dropped the name Montgomery and now goes by her maiden name, Wheeler.
Candy cheated on Pat because she wanted more excitement in her life
Pat and Candy met at Texas Instruments, where he worked as an electrical engineer, and she was a secretary. The young couple tied the knot in the early 1970s and later welcomed two children.
The pair relocated to Wylie, Texas, in 1977, where they met Betty and Alan Gore through the church. Pat’s $70,000 salary provided a comfortable life for his wife and kids and made it unnecessary for Candy to work.
Consequently, Candy’s life became tedious. It strained her relationship with Pat, who seemed uninterested in anything Candy did, including her excellent performance at a writing class she’d enrolled in.
With her marriage on shaky ground and her desire for a thrill at an all-time high, Candy started an affair with Allan Gore, her friend’s husband. Candy was confident that Pat would never find out.
Unlike Pat, however, Betty discovered Allan’s affair with Candy and confronted her about it. Gore became the unfortunate victim of the ensuing conflict: Candy killed Betty by repeatedly striking her with an ax.
Despite the ghastly nature of the murder, Candy and her legal team convinced the jury that she acted in self-defense.
Read Next: Betty Gore’s story — The brutal ax killing that rattled the quaint town of Wylie, Texas