Where is Candy Montgomery now?

She was found not guilty of murdering her lover’s wife with an axe, but how did the events impact her life and where is Candy Montgomery now? 

The true story of Candy Montgomery, is playing out in the HBO Max series Love & Death. Now streaming exclusively on ITVX, the gripping show stars Elizabeth Olsen as Candy, and Jesse Plemons as her lover, Allan Gore. Allan's wife Betty Gore was eventually found in a pool of blood with her infant daughter alone in her crib, having been struck with an axe 41 times. Her friend, neighbour, and woman having an affair with her husband didn’t deny killing Betty, but instead Candy Montgomery argued the killing had taken place in self-defence. It's this that forms the basis of the five-part series and has understandably left viewers wondering where Candy Montgomery is now and what happened to the Gore family. We reveal her whereabouts, and that of other prominent people featured in the story.

Another factual dramatisation piquing the interest of viewers around the globe, is the true story of Painkiller on Netflix. The show highlights the devastating impact of the American opioid crisis, while the ending explained what happened to some of those gripped by addiction, and what became of the infamous Sackler family - their pharmaceutical company were behind the wrongful sale of addictive medication. Viewers have been wondering about the whereabouts of Richard Sackler now, the family member thought to have been primarily behind the eventual crisis.

Where is Candy Montgomery now?

Candy Montgomery is now 73-years-old and reportedly resides in Georgia, where she relocated to not long after being found not guilty at her trial. She retrained to be a mental health counsellor and now goes by her maiden name of Candace Wheeler.

There were reports Montgomery lives and works in the Dawsonville area of Georgia, and specialised in treating issues such as anxiety, depression, loss, grief, bereavement, mental illness, social anxiety, and stress. However, she had always asserted she wanted a quiet life, and has refused to collaborate on dramatisations of  her trial, or discuss what happened in the aftermath.

Montgomery's story was portrayed by Jessica Biel, in the 2022 iteration of the murder trial that aired on Disney+. At the time, Biel was hoping to reach out to Montgomery and speak to her personally, but reported to Entertainment Weekly that any attempts at interaction had been shut down. Biel approached Montgomery's long-time representative to see if "she was interested in having any conversation whatsoever," but revealed "she was not interested."

However, Biel instead met with Montgomery's attorney Robert Udashen, whom she purported to be a "huge resource of information." She also turned to Jim Atkinson and Joe Bob Briggs, authors behind the book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs. They also helped Biel understand Montgomery, and the events that unfolded when Betty died. Biel added "They were walking knowledge bombs of this story - the people in both of these families' lives, the survivors, the families, and Candy herself. They'd interviewed her, which was priceless for me." 

Is Candy still married to Pat?

No, Candy is no longer married to Pat Montgomery. The pair relocated to Georgia together after the trial, but divorced shortly afterwards. 

Cracks were already showing in the marriage due to Candy’s affair with Allan Gore. In a profile of the case by Texas Monthly, it was reported that Pat worked long hours and was often away, and Candy was increasingly bored with her life - their arguments became more frequent. According to profilers Jim Atkinson and John Bloom, "His insensitivity infuriated her and led to harsh words. To Pat they were arguments over nothing, but to her they represented everything wrong with their marriage". 

When Candy’s affair came to an end, she and Pat attended a marriage counselling programme. Shortly after beginning their counselling, Candy killed Betty and Pat remained by his wife’s side throughout the trial. The case profile reported "Pat was heartened by the way everyone stood by them, no matter what new evidence was leaked to the press". The pair divorced shortly after relocating to Georgia, however. 

Where is Allan Gore today?

Allan Gore lives in Sarasota, Florida. He is now retired, and in a domestic partnership. 

He has a Facebook page, where he was sharing snippets of his life - however, this has not been updated since 2021. The page does confirm that he’s been in a relationship since 2016, although does not say with whom. According to The Netline, just three months after Candy’s trial came to an end, Allan married Elaine Clift - a fellow member of the church his and Candy’s family attended. The pair moved to Sachse, Texas, and divorced sometime later although it is unknown exactly when. 

Allan and Elaine initially took children Alisa and Bethany with them to Texas. However, they lost custody of them soon afterwards, for reasons that have never been properly understood. The girls went to live with Betty’s parents Bertha and Bob Pomeroy, in Kansas. No official comment has ever been made from either party about Allan and Elaine losing custody. 

Where are Candy Montgomery’s children today?

Very little is known about the whereabouts of Candy Montgomery’s children, although it’s thought their names are Jennifer and Ian. Where they reside today is unknown.

The children weren’t mentioned in court and were therefore not traceable through legal records. They have been given various names throughout the different dramatisations of Candy’s life over the years and are known as Jennifer and Ian Love & Death. 

In the Jessica Biel Disney+ series, they’re called Becky and Jason. In 1990’s TV movie A Killing In A Small Town, their names are Sara and Sean. With no firm evidence of their names or whereabouts, there is no way of finding out where they are now.

Where are Betty Gore’s children today?

Alisa Gore now goes by the name Lisa, and still lives in Kansas with her husband John Harder, and their two sons. Bethany lives and works in Las Vegas, and has four children.

Lisa graduated from Norwich High in 1992, before gaining an accounting degree from Kansas State University. Her LinkedIn profile states she currently works as a business controller for Koch Engineered Solutions. She married John Harder in 1996 and they share two sons, Sam and Jacob, and are now settled in Kansas.

Bethany was just a year old when her mother's life was taken, and followed her mother into teaching. She graduated from Wichita State University, and now works as an assistant principal at an academy in Las Vegas, according to her Facebook page. With husband, Chad, she has four children, one of whom is named Betty.

We also have news on The Long Shadow filming locations, a new ITV crime drama that documents the case of The Yorkshire Ripper. We've also looked into where Ben Field is now, and his suspected accomplice Martyn Smith - both were thought to be involved in killings depicted in BBC's The Sixth Commandment, but only one was convicted.