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If you’ve watched Hulu’s 2022 series Candy starring Jessica Biel, and HBO’s 2023 limited series Love & Death starring Elizabeth Olsen, you might be intrigued by the crime and investigation surrounding the events of June 13, 1980. You might also be wondering where Pat Montgomery is now.
Biel explained to E! News in 2022 how she can relate to Candy, despite her character’s alleged crimes. “As we started to get into it and started to really understand who these characters are, just the pathology of what it was like to be a woman back then in the ’80s, I think I was really able to empathize with these women,” she said. “I could see myself struggling with some of the same issues that they’re struggling with.” She continued, “The pressure of being a woman and trying to do it all with a smile on your face, family pressures and work pressures and everything. I feel that.”
Meanwhile, Olsen told ET a year later that there was no use in comparing her portrayal with Biel’s and that the HBO series offers a different perspective on Candy’s life. “There’s no need to have competition. Stories that are interesting deserve to be told and every way you’re going to tell it, it’s gonna be different. It’s impossible for it to be the same,” she said, even revealing that Love & Death had been in production for two months before Candy was announced and Biel reached out to Olsen personally. “I think it was more just kind of like, ‘Oh, great. This is nice that we are both acknowledging this thing because we were filming simultaneously,” Olsen explained. “That was a big shock to all of us that there was another show being made when we were already filming. But there’s nothing you can do about it.”
So where is Candy’s husband Pat Montgomery right now? Read more below to find out.
Where is Pat Montgomery now?
Patrick Fugit. Image: HBO
Where is Pat Montgomery now? According to Texas Monthly, Candy and Pat, left Texas soon after the trial in 1980 and moved to Georgia. They divorced four years later. He’s currently living a quiet life and uses the name “James” now. Candy currently uses her maiden name and is referred to now as Candace Wheeler. She is also a mental health counselor with her daughter Jenny.
He first met Candy at Texas Instruments. As an electrical engineer, he helped his family live comfortably with an income of $70,000 a year (around $300,000 today). He didn’t really mind Candy’s affair with Allan, but they immediately moved out of the state because of the case.
Candy confessed to the killing of Betty Gore in a hypnosis session with psychiatrist Dr. Fred Fason. She claimed at her trial that she visited Betty to pick up a swimsuit for Betty’s daughter, Alisa, who was staying with Candy and her husband for the night. While at Betty’s home, Betty confronted Candy about the affair with Allan, which Candy confessed to but told Betty that it happened a “long time ago.” Candy claimed at the trial that Betty left the room and came back with an ax, which she used to threaten Candy with to never see Allan again, which Candy agreed to. As she picked up Alisa’s swimsuit, Candy apologized to Betty, which, she claimed, caused Betty to become angry at her and shove her into a utility room. Candy claimed that she and Betty had a long struggle that caused cuts on her toe and head. She also claimed that Betty told her that she wanted “to kill” her. Candy also alleged that she managed to take the ax away from Betty, and used the blade on Betty in self-defense before her friend could attack her again. In terror that she killed Betty, Candy tried to leave the room, but before she could do so, she claimed that Betty stopped her by slamming her body against the door.
A struggle ensued between Betty and Candy, as Betty refused to let Candy leave. During the fight, Betty told Candy to “shush,” which set Candy off and caused her to hit her with the ax to the “point of utter exhaustion.” During her hypnosis session, Candy also claimed that she suffered from childhood trauma that was triggered when she was told to “shush.” On the day of Betty’s death, Allan was out of town. When he couldn’t reach his wife by telephone, he asked the neighbors to check on her. After they forced their way into the home, they discovered Betty’s dead body, as Betty and Allan’s 1-year-old baby daughter, Bethany, who had been sleeping in her crib in another room at the time of the incident, was crying and awake. A few feet away from Betty was a three-foot-long ax, which authorities claimed that Candy used to slash Betty 41 times, including 28 times on her head and face.
Patrick Fugit, Elizabeth Olsen. Image: HBO
Soon after the murder, Betty turned herself in to local authorities and was put on a $100,000 bond, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram. After an eight-day trial—where the defense argued that Candy acted in self-defense and the prosecution argued that Betty was conscious when most of the stabs happened and that her death was intentional (and that she also showered in Betty’s bathroom after the murder)—Candy was acquitted of murder charges in October 1980. Psychiatrists testified at the trial and claimed that Candy had a “dissociative reaction” that led her to stab Betty repeatedly. The incident was also protected under Texas’ “Stand Your Ground” law which permits the use of deadly force if necessary to prevent a violent crime, such as Betty’s violent threats against Candy. Ultimately, Candy was found not guilty by reason of self-defense. A jury acquitted her of the murder charges on October 29, 1980. She served no jail time.
Love & Death is available to stream on HBOMax. Candy is available to stream on Hulu.
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