If you’ve watched Elizabeth Olsen or Jessica Biel swing a heavy wood-splitting axe on screen lately, you’ve probably felt that weird itch of curiosity. You know the one. You’re sitting on your couch, looking at the credits of Love & Death or Candy, and you think: Wait, is this woman actually still out there? It’s a fair question. Honestly, it’s a bit chilling. The story of Betty Gore’s death in Wylie, Texas, back in 1980 is the stuff of suburban nightmares. Forty-one axe blows. A bloody utility room. A baby left crying in a crib for hours while the killer went about her day, even hitting up a Vacation Bible School lunch.
So, let's cut to the chase. Yes, Candy Montgomery is still alive. As of early 2026, she is 76 years old. But if you’re looking for a flashy "where are they now" red carpet photo, you’re out of luck. She has spent the last four decades becoming a ghost.
The Disappearing Act: Life After the 1980 Trial
The 1980 trial was a circus. When the jury came back with a "not guilty" verdict based on self-defense, the courthouse nearly exploded. People were screaming "murderer" in the hallways. It wasn't exactly a "stay in town and grab groceries" kind of vibe.
Candy and her husband, Pat Montgomery, didn't stick around to see if the neighbors would ever forgive them. They packed up their two kids and hauled tail out of Texas about three months after the acquittal. They landed in Georgia, hoping for a fresh start where nobody knew about the affair with Allan Gore or the bloody mess in the utility room.
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But fresh starts are hard when your face has been on every newsstand in the country.
A New Identity (Sorta)
Basically, Candy went back to being Candace Wheeler. That’s her maiden name. It’s a simple change, but in a pre-internet world, it was enough to let her blend into the Georgia suburbs.
The marriage didn't survive the trauma, though. Pat and Candy divorced about four years after the move. Pat reportedly stayed in the tech world (he was an engineer), while Candy had to figure out how to support herself.
Is Candy Montgomery Still Alive and Working?
This is the part that usually makes people’s jaws drop. After being acquitted for one of the most violent "crimes of passion" in Texas history, Candy went to school to become a counselor.
Specifically, she became a certified family and mental health counselor.
It sounds like a dark joke, right? The woman who admitted to striking her friend 41 times with an axe because of a "dissociative reaction" triggered by a childhood trauma (at least, that was the defense's argument) ended up giving life advice to others.
- Location: She is believed to still be living in Georgia.
- Career: She worked for years as a therapist, sometimes reportedly alongside her daughter.
- Stance on Fame: Totally against it.
When the producers of the recent streaming hits tried to reach out to her, she shut them down. Jessica Biel’s team tried to make contact for the Hulu series, and the answer was a very firm "no." Back in 2000, when The Dallas Morning News called her for the 20th anniversary of the killing, she famously told them, "I’m telling you in big bold letters: I’m not interested."
The "Self-Defense" That Still Baffles Experts
To understand why people are still obsessed with whether Candy is alive, you have to understand the sheer weirdness of her acquittal.
Her lawyer, Don Crowder, brought in a psychiatrist named Dr. Fred Fason. Under hypnosis, Candy allegedly "remembered" that Betty Gore had told her to "shhh" during their struggle. According to the defense, that "shhh" triggered a repressed memory of Candy’s mother shushing her as a child, which sent her into a blind, "dissociative" rage.
That was the "why." But the "how" is what keeps true crime fans up at night.
Forty-one hits.
Forty of those occurred while Betty’s heart was still beating. It’s a level of overkill that usually points to extreme hatred, but the jury bought the idea that Candy just... snapped.
What Happened to Everyone Else?
You can't really talk about Candy without checking in on the collateral damage.
Allan Gore, the man at the center of the affair, didn't stay a grieving widower for long. He remarried just a few months after the trial ended. That marriage also fizzled out. He eventually moved to Florida and, according to various reports, has lived a relatively quiet life, though he lost custody of his daughters to Betty’s parents shortly after the trial.
The Gore Daughters, Alisa and Bethany, were raised by their grandparents in Kansas. For a long time, they stayed silent. Recently, they’ve spoken out a bit more, expressing the obvious: it’s hard to grow up knowing the woman who killed your mother walked free and moved on.
Why We Can't Look Away
Candy Montgomery is the ultimate "suburban boogeyman." She represents the fear that behind the manicured lawns and the church potlucks, there’s something boiling over.
She wasn't a career criminal. She was a secretary and a housewife who taught Bible school.
The fact that she is still alive, likely living a quiet life in Georgia, perhaps even reading a book or gardening as you read this, is what makes the story linger. She got the "normal life" she told the press she wanted back in 1980.
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How to Follow the Case Today
If you're looking to dig deeper into the actual evidence rather than the Hollywood dramatizations, there are a few places to go:
- Read "Evidence of Love": This is the definitive book by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson. It’s based on actual court transcripts and interviews from when the trail was fresh.
- Texas Monthly Archives: They have the original 1984 long-form pieces that served as the blueprint for the TV shows.
- Court Records: Many of the Collin County records from 1980 have been digitized or summarized by legal historians.
The reality is that we will likely never hear from Candace Wheeler again. She has managed to do what very few people in the age of social media can: she disappeared in plain sight.
For those interested in the legal mechanics of her case, researching "Texas self-defense laws 1980" provides a fascinating look at how the burden of proof worked during that era, which differs significantly from many modern "Stand Your Ground" interpretations. Studying the psychiatric testimony of Dr. Fred Fason also offers insight into how "dissociative state" defenses were pioneered in the late 20th century.