Just watched Love & Death on Netflix and I'm still processing how wild this case actually was. So there's this true crime story from 1980 in Texas where a woman named Candy Montgomery literally axed her friend Betty Gore 41 times. Like, 41 times. And the crazy part? She walked free claiming self-defense.

Here's what went down: Candy and Betty were friends at church, but Candy was having an affair with Betty's husband Allan. When Betty found out, things got violent. According to the trial, Betty came at Candy with an axe first, and during the struggle, Candy ended up being the one who landed all those blows. The jury actually believed her self-defense argument and acquitted her in 1980.

What's even more bizarre is what Candy Wheeler (that's her maiden name she goes back to) is doing now. After the trial, she basically disappeared from public view for decades. Then in 2010, The Dallas Morning News reported she'd moved to Georgia and become a certified family counselor. Like, a therapist. She went back to school specifically to counsel families. Her victim's brother was quoted saying he couldn't believe she thought she could counsel people after what happened.

Meanwhile, Allan remarried pretty quickly after the trial but eventually divorced. Betty's parents took in the couple's two daughters and raised them in Kansas.

The HBO Max miniseries with Elizabeth Olsen dropped in 2023 and it's all based on that investigative piece from Texas Monthly back in 1984. If you're into true crime, it's definitely worth the watch to see how they dramatized this absolutely insane case. The whole thing is just a reminder of how twisted suburban life can get behind closed doors.