The success of ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ on Netflix has reaffirmed the rise of series based on true crimes and the macabre fascination that serial killers arouse in series and movies, both fiction and documentaries true crime.
The last to join this phenomenon has been ‘Candy: Murder in Texas‘, created by the author of ‘Channel Zero’ and ‘New Cherry Flavor’ Nick Antosca and starring Jessica Bielwhich has been standing out in the genre since the 2017 premiere of ‘The Sinner’, one of HBO Max’s best suspense and mystery series.
‘Candy’ plunges us into the murder committed by Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel) on Friday the 13th (coincidence…) of June 1980 on Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey)her friend and her lover’s wife.
It all started when Candy Montgomery and her husband Pat moved to Collin County, Texas, in 1977. There they joined Lucas First United Methodist Church, which is where they met school teacher Betty Gore. Candy was dissatisfied and bored with her life as a housewife and when she met Allan, Betty’s husband, the spark of passion was lit.. Both began an extramarital relationship that lasted 11 months and ended in early 1980 when Betty and Allan tried to redirect their marriage.
On the night of June 13, 1980, Candy went to Betty’s house to pick up a bathing suit for her eldest daughter, because the girls were going to spend the night at the Montgomery house. Betty confronted her about the affair that Candy kept with her husband, and Candy finally ended up admitting it although she argued that the matter had ended several months ago. Allan was out of town on a trip, and the Gore’s youngest child, Bethany, was sleeping soundly upstairs.
Candy said that Betty tried to attack her with an ax she took from the garage., swinging it to the ground and hitting Candy’s toe. They then fought for control of the weapon, until Candy was finally able to get hold of it. Candy also suffered bruises on her head during the fight. He claimed he hit Betty with the ax in self-defense.
Candy Montgomery
Candy dealt 41 hits with the ax to her victim, 28 of them to the head. According to the local press, 40 of the hits were with Betty still alive. The neighbors who found the lifeless body of the teacher discovered the shattered head. Investigators found ax wounds to her face, head, hands, arms, torso, and legs.
At the murder trial, the defense argued that Candy had acted in self-defensepresenting psychological reports (and even hypnosis) that stated that the accused had suffered a “dissociative” episodelosing track of reality and entering a state of uncontrollable anger.
The jury, after 4 and a half hours of deliberation, returned the verdict of “not guilty”, to the surprise and indignation of popular opinion. Candy Montgomery was released, acquitted of all charges, and Today she lives in Georgia at the age of 72 under the last name “Wheeler” with her husband Pat and her daughter Jennywith whom he works as a mental health therapist counseling youth and adults on depression.
Reference-www.fotogramas.es
