Is ‘Love & Death’ Based on a True Story? Real-life Events Explained

True crime T.V. mini-series have proven to be a good choice for streaming services due to the fact that they can be widely popular among mainstream audiences, and they aren’t as expensive as epic fantasy shows. Last year we watched Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which gained such huge popularity that Netflix decided to make another mini-series based on some other serial killer. Now, it’s time for HBOMax to show its muscles when it comes to true crime drama shows. This month we’ll watch Love & Death, starring the MCU star Elizabeth Olsen. In this article, we’ll tell you if this upcoming series is based on a true story.

HBOMax’s Love & Death is officially based on “Love & Death In Silicon Prairie, Part I & II,” which is a chapter in the book titled Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs. The book was written by Dallas-based journalists Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, inspired by the true story of Candy Montgomery. HBOMax’s series stars Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, an American woman who was accused of killing her lover’s wife with an axe. Betty Gore, the victim, was struck 41 times with a wood-splitting axe on June 13, 1980, in Wylie, Texas, and Texas Sheriff Steve Deffibaugh investigated the crime. The story of Candy Montgomery was also adapted last year into Hulu’s mini-series Candy, in which Jessica Biel played the role of Candy Montgomery.

Even though Hulu adapted this story into their own mini-series not even a year ago, Love & Death is still very anticipated by fans of true crime dramas. Of course, it will be enough for some potential viewers to know that Elizabeth Olsen is in the main role. But it’s also important to know that the series was written and created by David E. Kelly, an 11-time Primetime Emmy award winner who created many known and acclaimed T.V. drama series, including Big Little Lies, Boston Legal, Goliath, The Practice, The Undoing, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, etc.

In the following paragraphs, we’ll explain to you everything that happened in the case of real-life Candy Montgomery. FYI, if you aren’t familiar with her story, you might find potential spoilers for the series

What is the story of Candy Montgomery?

Candace “Candy” Lynn Montgomery (née Wheeler) was born on November 15, 1949. She was married to electrical engineer Pat Montgomery, and they had two children, a son, and a daughter. When her family moved to Collin County, Texas, in 1977, she met Betty Gore at a church service and ultimately became her close friend. Betty Gore lived nearby with her husband Allan and their two children. Eventually, Candy and Allan started an extramarital affair.

On June 13, 1980, Allan Gore was out of town and couldn’t reach his wife on the phone. He called the neighbors to check on her, and after forcing their way into the family house, they found Betty murdered and her daughter crying in another room in her crib. Steve Deffibaugh with the Collin County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Two weeks later, on June 27, Candy Montgomery was arrested and charged with Betty’s murder.

Montgomery was represented at the trial by civil law attorney Don Crowder and defense attorney Robert Udashen. She pleaded not guilty and stated that she defended herself against Gore, claiming that Gore tried to attack her with the same weapon. The polygraph test indicated that Montgomery was telling the truth. District Attorney Tom O’Connell argued that the victim was struck 41 times with an axe, claiming that’s too many strikes for self-defense. After only eight days of trial, the Jury found Candy Montgomery not guilty on October 30, 1980. The verdict received huge criticism from the local community. After the trial, Candy relocated to Georgia.

Hulu’s original 5-episode mini-series Candy, which is based on these events, premiered in May 2022. Jessica Biel portrayed Candy Montgomery, and the series also starred Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore, and Justin Timberlake as Deputy Steve Deffibaugh.

In HBOMax’s Love & Death, Elizabeth Olsen plays Candy Montgomery, and the rest of the cast includes Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore, Lily Rabe as Betty Gore, Bruce McGill as the judge Tom Ryan, Tom Pelphrey as Don Crowder, Adam Cropper as Robert Udashen, Mackenzie Astin as Tom O’Connell, etc.

The Love & Death series is created by David E. Kelley, an acclaimed creator of T.V. drama shows. Lesli Linka Glatter, who worked on numerous T.V. productions, including Homeland, The Leftovers, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Pretty Little Liars, and Mad Men, is directing the series.

Love & Death is set to premiere with the first three episodes on April 27, 2023, exclusively on HBOMax.