Candy (2022) s01e05 Episode Script
The Fight
Candy Montgomery.
Good morning.
Come on in.
Why thank you, Betty.
Good morning to you.
I just come by to pick up your daughter's bathing suit - for her swim lesson.
- Oh, yes, of course.
Now, did I hear you got yourselves a new puppy? Can I see him? Dogs are out in the yard.
Come on back.
Oh, got the sewing set up, so we'll go through the garage.
All the sewing was here blocking the doors.
Uh, see this here? This, uh the day's newspaper had the date on it.
Uh, Friday, June 13th, 1980.
Is that Jack Nicholson? It's a review for The Shining.
The Shining? It's a movie with an ax murder.
You don't say.
Huh.
- Denny? - Mm-hmm.
So that there's the ax.
When they get back to here, all the chit-chat leads to an argument.
"You're having an affair with my husband, you hussy.
" Well, now, the husband said the wife didn't know about the affair.
Okay, or, uh, "You think you're so special "going on your family vacation.
You ain't special.
I'm screwing your husband.
" "Well, guess what? I'm pregnant, "so he ain't leaving me.
So suck on that.
Take your swimsuit and get.
" - And then went back inside.
- Right.
So now I'm fuming.
The affair wasn't over.
I mean, who are we kidding? Or at the very least, I ain't over it.
And her being pregnant means my dreams are dead and she's the one that killed her.
An ax is a weapon of opportunity, not planning.
So I see it, I grab it, I come up right behind her, and then whack.
Which causes my sunglasses to bust a lens, which falls under the cabinet there.
But you moved it before you shot it, right? - So we can't use it.
- Dang.
Yes, sir, but you should know it was there.
There was no blood found in the garage.
Well, that's because she falls into the utility room this way.
With the rest of her glasses landed here by the freezer.
- Right.
- See? And then well, that's when she really went to work on her.
Uh, sorry.
Excuse me.
- Denny, you wanna - Oh.
There you go.
All right.
Like this.
Forty-one times.
- Twenty-eight to the head.
- Mm-hmm.
Now, Mrs.
Gore did put up a fight, as you can tell from the defensive wounds on her hands and all the blood that was on the walls and the machines.
And then this here, where we cut out the linoleum, that's where we got the footprint to Mrs.
Montgomery's shower shoes.
Now, gentlemen An offense like this, it don't happen without passion.
And further proof to that is Mrs.
Gore's eyes were chopped out.
Now, that's something usually indicative of a homosexual killings, gay lovers, 'cause they'll do now, sometimes they'll chop out people's eyes and things like that, uh, especially if they're having an affair because they say, "I don't want you having any eyes for anybody other than me.
" I don't know.
I ain't a psychiatrist, so I couldn't begin to explain the thought process on that.
But in this case, it's, "I don't want you having eyes for Allan 'cause I still have eyes for him.
" And the wounds on Mrs.
Montgomery? Medical examiner says probably cause for the bruises on her legs is the ax coming down and the handle hitting her legs.
- Right.
- Oh.
I mean, we all learned not to do that in Scouts, right? But ladies don't know that.
- Got herself in the toe once.
- Mm-hmm.
Lucky she didn't chop it off.
And, uh and then when she was done, she took a shower, tried to wipe up the mess with a towel, but misses her own fingerprints in blood, which we got.
Dead to rights.
And then she just She just walked out the door and, uh She walked out the door and left that baby in that crib crying for her mother for 13 hours.
She's, uh, a monster.
Well, she's got two choices.
She could plead not guilty, in which case, we got her we got her fingerprints, her blood, and her hair at the scene or she could plead insanity, but no jury's gonna buy that seeing as she took the kids to the pool and the movies and just went about her day.
There's a third option.
She could plead self-defense.
Well Son, if we're having an argument, and you go grab an ax, the argument ends right there.
I'm out the door.
We can finish this discussion on the telephone.
Yeah, two people, one ax.
You come at me with an ax, as soon as I get it, I'm no longer defending myself.
- Right.
- Yeah.
Please, God, let them plead self-defense.
How the heck you gonna argue that? Hmm? They'll believe me because they want to believe me.
We just need to give them something to hang their hat on.
Candy.
What did you do? Tell me.
Candy.
What did you do? Betty Gore died on Friday the 13th, the same day that the movie Friday the 13th came out.
The Gore house is the 13th one from the corner.
Uh, the body was found 13 hours after her death and Candy was arrested 13 days later.
You can you can draw your own conclusions as to the meaning of it all.
And her last name is Gore.
I'm changing my last name to "Livesforever.
" Well, I heard that one of the jurors is on the same softball team as Don Crowder.
Well, I heard Judge Ryan delayed his retirement for this.
And he wants a conviction.
I just think that she's obsessed with her perception in the community.
Betty found out that she was screwing Allan, threatened to tell, and that's why she hacked her up.
- She's a narcissist.
- She's innocent! - All right, hon.
- You didn't have to come, Tom.
- I ain't gonna miss this.
- It's not a show.
- Mm-hmm.
- It was a drifter! Don Crowder.
Guy's an ambulance chaser.
What's he doing with a murder case? He's a showman.
Loves attention.
I've run into him a couple of times.
Loves to talk about playing in the Cotton Bowl.
Hey, look, start with Allan Gore.
Hit them with the emotion of the devastated husband, the destruction of a family by a scorned mistress.
How could they come back from that? Yeah.
Is it her? - Excuse me.
- All right.
Come on.
- You ready to fight? - Yes, sir.
We know you're innocent, Candy.
We love you, Candy.
Stay strong, Candy! You're guilty! We love you, honey.
We're here for you.
- You're innocent.
- Candy! Love you, Candy! She's guilty! She should be in jail! All right.
Now, before we begin, counsel will recall back on the 11th day of July, this court issued an order restricting news releases and prohibiting counsel from discussing this case with any members of the news media.
So this morning, I'm up in my office, and I walk over to the window and look down, and there is Mr.
Crowder conducting a press conference with the television media.
So what do you have to say about that? Your Honor, I thought the order was lifted.
If I am in error, it is an innocent error.
Furthermore, let me ask you this Sir, you're not asking this court a question.
I asked you if you want to make a statement.
So now this court finds you in contempt.
Your punishment is a $100 fine and 24 hours in the Collin County Jail.
But so your confinement doesn't interfere with the proper representation of your client, I'm gonna suspend your sentence.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Until the day of the conclusion of the trial.
All right, now are you ready to enter a plea? It's up to you.
Candace Montgomery.
You stand charged with the first-degree felony offense of murder.
So how do you plea? Not guilty.
And how would you describe your relationship with your wife prior to the events of June 13th? Fine.
Not great.
Can you speak up, please? The acoustics in this courtroom are not great.
I said my marriage to Betty was fine, but not great.
But you loved each other.
- Yes.
- You had just learned that you were expecting a third child, hadn't you? Yes.
How did your affair end with the defendant? Just one day.
That's it? Yes.
One day we decided to stop seeing each other because it wasn't good for either one of our marriages.
You told investigators that you were the one who ended it.
You were rather specific about the reason why.
I don't remember how the conversation started.
- No.
- But it was mutual.
You told law enforcement that you were the one who ended it because she was in love with you and you I don't know why I said that.
The affair ended amicably.
Um I'll pass the witness.
How would you characterize your relationship with Mrs.
Montgomery now? Friendly.
We're still friends.
And when you found out that there was a possibility Mrs.
Montgomery might have been Betty's killer, how'd you react to hearing that news? Well, I was shocked.
I couldn't believe it.
I still can't.
Can't what? I can't believe that Candy could have done it.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Gore.
It's like he's a witness for the defense.
Witness is excused.
What just happened? Hi.
Deputy Deffibaugh, other than the cut on Candace Montgomery's toe, did you observe any other injuries on the defendant? Yes, sir.
There were several bruises on her feet and legs.
Hmm.
I'll pass the witness.
Would you describe these wounds as evidence of a struggle? That's possible, sure.
Objection.
Your Honor, that's speculative.
- Sustained.
- I'll pass the witness.
Deputy, is it possible that the bruises you observed on the defendant were self-inflicted? - Yes, that's possible.
- Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Uh, I don't recall, Your Honor, this ruling when I asked a nearly identical question.
Mr.
Crowder, I'm going to insist that you We'd like the record show now the judge's bias.
There is no necessity to dictate into the record We have to preserve the record, Judge.
You've interjected your bias in this case from the very time that it started.
You hit me with contempt for breaking a press gag order when at the very same time, you had the press in your own office.
As you said, it's right upstairs.
Let me tell you something.
I am gonna conduct this trial in an orderly and professional manner.
And I anticipate the attorneys to do the same.
Now, there are not going to be any personal attacks on the presiding judge of this court.
That's fine with me, as long as the presiding judge of this court reins in their bias.
Will you let me finish what I'm saying? I will not be lectured to or bullied in this courtroom.
I am representing a woman who may go to jail for her life.
I will perfect the record and I will have the record show it.
And the record in this case shows that from the very time that it started up until now, you have interjected your bias and you continue to do so.
And no, I will not lay down for you! All right, sir.
For that remark, this court is gonna hold you in contempt.
I'm gonna assess your punishment at a $100 fine and 72 hours in the Collin County Jail.
This brings your total to $200 and 96 hours.
Mr.
O'Connell, you may proceed.
I will pass the witness.
Were there any useful fingerprints found on the ax? I'm well aware that on Quincy or Hawaii Five-O, uh, they always get the fingerprint.
But here in real life, the obtaining of a useful fingerprint is an unusual circumstance.
And did you find any physical evidence that would contradict a version of events where, um, Betty picked up the ax? No.
Deputy, let me just come right out and say it.
Candy killed Betty Gore in that utility room.
What? Oh, my God.
She did it.
She actually killed her.
Why would she do such a thing? Okay.
She left, uh, blood, fingerprints, hair.
She didn't really try to hide anything, did she? She did not.
Then I'd say she's a pretty inept criminal, wouldn't you? Probably, I would.
You said before that Betty Gore could have picked up the ax first.
Uh, no, sir.
I said that there was no physical evidence - to contradict the possibility.
- Right.
Did you find any evidence that would indicate conclusively that this was an unprovoked attack? Conclusively? No.
I'll pass the witness.
Mary, mother of Jesus, they're gonna do it.
Self-defense with an ax.
The hell they are.
Did the chop wounds on Betty Gore's face - appear in parallel? - Yes.
They appear to have all been afflicted from the same angle.
And what does that tell you about the state of Mrs.
Gore when the blows were struck? Um that she was not moving.
So if it was a fight, at this point, Mrs.
Gore was not fighting back.
That's right.
If it pleases the court, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the State will rest its case.
So you - No.
- You There's a perfectly reasonable explanation.
All the doctors said so.
All the doctors? I spoke to Dr.
Bright, and he explained overkill.
That's when, um, more damage is done than is needed to kill.
Now, they picked that military guy for foreman.
- Uh-huh.
- He gets it.
In the heat of battle, it's possible for soldiers to lose it.
And Dr.
Williamson said that the overkill was a result of a dissociative reaction that I had.
Baby, you need to eat some food.
Dr.
Green says even though we live in a civilized society, our bodies are still like when we lived in the jungle ten thousand years ago.
All right.
Did you see that jury? They were relieved when I said "self-defense.
" - Did you see them? - I did.
I haven't seen anything, sitting in that room with Allan all day.
Tom, you need another beer? Uh, please.
When we feel that our life is in danger, we respond.
Like if a lion came pouncing out of the bushes.
Right.
And it's even worse for me, because he also said I have been over-controlled and over-civilized.
Well, who controls you? My mother.
And that's the thing.
I have been controlled all my life and I didn't even know it because I have suppressed it.
That's why I sent her to Dr.
Fason age regression.
- Age regression? - Mm-hmm.
To find the incident in her childhood that caused this dissociative reaction though hypnosis.
Oh, Pat.
You know, they had that on Columbo.
Uh, George Hamilton and Lesley Ann Warren.
What do you know about that? So he took me back to when I was four and I was in an emergency room.
And I was screaming all get-out because I had cut my head.
And I was bleeding real bad.
And then my mother, she shushed me.
Shh! Just like that.
Because she said I was upsetting everyone.
You know, "What will they think about you?" Over-civilized.
You never told me this.
I have never truly been able to express my feelings since.
And they've just all been building up inside.
Mm.
When a receiver enters the area of a defensive back, then that defensive back intends to hit that man hard as he can, just as hard as he can, you know, maybe even harm that man.
But it is not a conscious thing.
He is reacting to the ball and the man.
Right.
So why didn't you run? I tried.
I'm just hurt, I guess.
You lied.
Well, you didn't tell me and you tell me everything.
I couldn't.
I didn't want anybody to know.
I couldn't say it.
I couldn't say it.
So the doctors are gonna explain, and then Candy will tell her story in her own words.
- No, I'm not gonna do that.
- Yes, you will.
I I can't say it.
- Oh, you'll say it.
- No.
No, I don't wanna say it.
The jury needs to hear the whole story.
They need to hear it from you.
Please, don't make me do this.
Candy, this is for all the marbles.
Your life.
What's everybody gonna think? That you did what you had to do.
And you're gonna do it.
You'll be fine.
Pat, tell her.
Everybody loves you.
Take us back to the morning of June 13th.
What time did you arrive at the Gore home? Mrs.
Montgomery.
Did you, um did you go up and ring the doorbell? Did you knock? Candace? Candy.
It was about 10:00 and I had just gone to pick up her daughter Christina's bathing suit.
And some peppermints.
Hey, y'all.
I wasn't expecting you until noon.
Oh, I knew you wouldn't mind.
This was better for me.
Oh.
You doing some sewing? I'm, uh, making outfits for the family.
We're going on vacation.
Oh, how darling.
Lord, I wish I had the time.
Um, can I get you a cup of coffee? No, thank you.
Can't stay long.
So much to do.
Now, who is that? Oh, that Oh, my goodness.
I went out the patio door.
Oh, what is your name? Come here.
Come here.
- Chito.
- Chito! - Yeah.
- Oh, Chito.
Oh, gonna give me all the kisses.
- We actually don't really - Who's got all the kisses? - Uh, pick him up.
- Oh, yes, you do! We don't want him to get used to - Oh, my goodness.
- Being picked up.
Okay.
Okay.
My precious little man.
Now, if you can Oh, you're gonna make my husband jealous.
Oh.
We came back in the same way.
Now, what is it we were talking about? Oh, vacation.
Yes.
Oh, my goodness.
I almost forgot to tell you the most exciting news.
Sherry and I, we're starting a business.
Cover Girls.
Isn't that so clever? 'Cause we're gonna be doing wall coverings and paint and wallpaper and, oh, gosh, you know how Sherry and I get when we get our giggles.
We thought it up.
We could barely speak through the laughter.
So we knew it was a winner.
'Course, you already have my phone number, but those cards are so cute, I just can't stop handing 'em out.
And, you know, Sherry and I, we could really help you brighten up the place.
I know.
I know.
You don't need to be thinking about all that right now with your vacation coming up, so you just let me know.
Ooh, I gotta scoot.
Okay, what were you saying earlier about Christina swimming and some peppermints? And then, she just said Are you having an affair with Allan? No.
But you did, didn't you? Yes, but it was a long time ago.
Just a minute.
And then she walked into the utility room.
And when she came back she had an ax.
Betty? I don't want you to see him ever again.
You can't have him.
Don't be ridiculous.
It was over a long time ago.
Well, don't ever see him again.
You know what? Under the circumstances, I think it's better if I just bring Christina home right after Bible school, okay? No, I don't wanna see you again today.
Just keep her.
Bring her back tomorrow.
I don't wanna look at you again.
I'll get a towel from the bathroom.
Um, can you get Christina's suit from on the washer? Thank you.
She would give her daughter a peppermint for going under the water.
For Christina.
Should be enough.
She looked so hurt.
So I said I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
And then she pushed me.
You can't have him.
You can't have him this time.
Betty, please.
We were both standing real close with our hands on the ax.
And we weren't really struggling, but I just did not ever believe she would use it.
Nobody ever uses an ax on somebody.
Then something changed in her, and she said I've got to kill you.
You hit me.
And that's when I knew she wanted to kill me.
Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! I pushed her and got it and I hit her.
I thought I thought she was dead.
So I threw the ax and I ran up to the door to the house and she slammed her body against it.
She she was trapping me in.
And I said, "Please let me go.
" And she just looked at me and she said "I can't.
" I ran for the garage door.
But she had locked it.
Oh.
Please.
I said, "Please, let me go.
I don't want him.
" I don't want him.
And that's when we heard the baby crying.
We both heard it.
Shh.
She shushed me.
After what she did to me.
Ahh! I didn't even think about it.
I grabbed that ax from her and I hit her.
Yeah.
I hit her.
Ahh! But I don't know.
I wasn't even there.
It was just like I was standing Standing back.
Watching me do it.
Ahh! That's your story.
After you stopped, um, hitting her what did you do? I, um I found my shoe.
I had lost it and I put it on.
And then I went and I and I found the towel.
And I tried to I tried to clean.
I tried to clean it up.
But I couldn't clean it up.
I was covered in blood and I I had to get it off my arms.
It was really making me sick.
Did it ever enter your mind that if you were to kill Betty Gore, you'd get Allan Gore back? No.
Did you even want him back? No.
Did you consider telling anybody what had really happened? I was so afraid to and I was so ashamed.
And I never wanted anyone to ever know.
Well, did you think you'd be believed? No.
Mrs.
Montgomery, I need you to be I need you to be real honest with this jury.
You're not happy that this situation took place? No.
But you feel genuine anger to this day, don't you? I I am angry that it has happened, yes.
Why is that? Because it all just seems so pointless.
Pointless? I don't want him.
And I kept trying to tell her that.
You didn't plan this, did you? No.
No, and she put me in that position.
It has caused me to lose everything that is important to me.
And it hurts.
It hurts.
I, uh I'll pass the witness.
Mrs.
Montgomery, was the affair with Allan Gore the first one that you've had since your marriage - Objection.
- To Mr.
Montgomery? - Overruled.
- Your Honor, this this is not proper.
This is not proper at all.
We renew our objection.
Overruled.
Mrs.
Montgomery will answer the question.
It was the first time.
- Yes.
- Hmm.
Well, was it the last one? - Objection.
- Overruled.
No, sir.
Now, the affair with Mr.
Gore terminated in October of '79, is that correct? - Yes.
- Since that time, who else have you been involved with? Your Honor, could we have a running objection please? No, sir.
You make your objections when you think they're appropriate.
Well, I object to this question.
It is improper to to go into any, uh, specific acts of what might be deemed immoral conduct.
Objection is overruled.
I was with a man for a brief time from early November to mid-December.
That also was of '79, yes? Yes.
What was his name, please? I will not give you his name.
I'm sorry, I didn't hear the answer.
I said I will not give you his name.
Why not? Because it is irrelevant.
And I don't wanna do any damage to his family.
Another family.
Did you tell your husband about this man as well? Your Honor, we object again as to this being improper impeachment.
Objection is overruled.
That's three more days of time added to your contempt sentence, Mr.
Crowder.
Pat.
Hey, it's over? I mean, it's killing me not being in there with you.
I know.
You have to tell him.
It's gonna be in the papers.
I was with somebody else.
- Yeah, I know.
- No.
Not Allen.
After Allen.
No, we Yes.
No, no I I Stop it.
I need you now more than ever and you are falling apart on me.
She's fighting for her life.
Pat, it doesn't matter if she screwed one guy or 100, as long as she never does it again.
Pat, this helps us.
Okay? The DA's whole case is about how Candy was so in love with Allan that she killed his wife.
Now, if she was with someone else, that means she wasn't hung up on him.
Now they got nothing.
When Betty Gore came at Candy Montgomery, she was no longer a human being.
She was an animal in search of prey.
I don't know if final summations are all that important to juries.
To a woman named Betty Gore, and event of massive tragedy took place June 13th a Friday the 13th.
And this case will end very nearly on Halloween.
Maybe there's something involved here we can't understand.
Something greater than all of us.
The reality is there is not a single shred of evidence to suggest that Betty ever held this ax in her hands.
And I won't pretend to tell you that, uh, reading a news account of The Shining, an ax murder movie, would drive somebody to do this.
But doesn't it suggest to you why the ax was involved? And who got the ax? I don't care what all the psychiatrists in the world say.
There's just no way that you can open up somebody's mind, look into it and see and decide what they're thinking or how they're considering something or what they were feeling at any given date or time.
John Steinbeck once wrote that, uh, there are those among us who live in rooms of experience that you and I cannot enter.
You're not gonna pick up an ax and swing it 28 times, 41, however many times it was in this case and not know what you're doing.
If you're worried about whether or not Mrs.
Montgomery will ever be punished, well, don't worry about it any longer.
There will never be a day in the life of Mrs.
Montgomery that she will be able to put out of her mind that she committed this act.
She lives in that room of experience, and it now constitutes a cell a jail cell.
And Betty Gore, she threw away the key.
Now, in a murder case where there's two people involved and one of them's dead, well, you're only gonna get one version of how that event took place.
Does there exist a reasonable doubt in this case? No.
There exists hundreds of reasonable doubts.
Good luck to you.
I appreciate the time and attention that you have given to us.
You've been very attentive to this entire presentation.
Thank you.
That's it? Now? I still say crime of passion.
It's okay in France.
Don't you wish you loved someone that much? And they loved you? Mr.
Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict, sir? Your Honor, we have.
Where is Sherry? I will read the jury's verdict.
"We, the jury, find the defendant Not guilty.
Oh, no! Congratulations, Candy.
Order! Bailiffs, clear the court.
She left my baby.
Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way outside.
Truly a jury of her peers.
You didn't care whether she lived or died.
Let's go home.
Let's go.
All right.
I'll talk to the judge, get you out.
Don't you dare.
You know what? I have to say that I wasn't surprised.
This is exactly what we expected, because we've maintained all along she was innocent and now she's vindicated.
Oh, my God.
It is just so great that everything can just go back to normal.
Candy, it'll never be normal.
You know that, right? Well, sure it will be.
I mean, even Allan gets it.
I mean, people just wanna move on.
Look you might wanna consider a fresh start.
Oh.
Where is Sherry? Probably busy keeping her husband away from you.
Tramp! Jezebel! That's what you are! So next time you're sad because you didn't get what you want you just wait.
Because God has something even better for you.
Good morning.
Come on in.
Why thank you, Betty.
Good morning to you.
I just come by to pick up your daughter's bathing suit - for her swim lesson.
- Oh, yes, of course.
Now, did I hear you got yourselves a new puppy? Can I see him? Dogs are out in the yard.
Come on back.
Oh, got the sewing set up, so we'll go through the garage.
All the sewing was here blocking the doors.
Uh, see this here? This, uh the day's newspaper had the date on it.
Uh, Friday, June 13th, 1980.
Is that Jack Nicholson? It's a review for The Shining.
The Shining? It's a movie with an ax murder.
You don't say.
Huh.
- Denny? - Mm-hmm.
So that there's the ax.
When they get back to here, all the chit-chat leads to an argument.
"You're having an affair with my husband, you hussy.
" Well, now, the husband said the wife didn't know about the affair.
Okay, or, uh, "You think you're so special "going on your family vacation.
You ain't special.
I'm screwing your husband.
" "Well, guess what? I'm pregnant, "so he ain't leaving me.
So suck on that.
Take your swimsuit and get.
" - And then went back inside.
- Right.
So now I'm fuming.
The affair wasn't over.
I mean, who are we kidding? Or at the very least, I ain't over it.
And her being pregnant means my dreams are dead and she's the one that killed her.
An ax is a weapon of opportunity, not planning.
So I see it, I grab it, I come up right behind her, and then whack.
Which causes my sunglasses to bust a lens, which falls under the cabinet there.
But you moved it before you shot it, right? - So we can't use it.
- Dang.
Yes, sir, but you should know it was there.
There was no blood found in the garage.
Well, that's because she falls into the utility room this way.
With the rest of her glasses landed here by the freezer.
- Right.
- See? And then well, that's when she really went to work on her.
Uh, sorry.
Excuse me.
- Denny, you wanna - Oh.
There you go.
All right.
Like this.
Forty-one times.
- Twenty-eight to the head.
- Mm-hmm.
Now, Mrs.
Gore did put up a fight, as you can tell from the defensive wounds on her hands and all the blood that was on the walls and the machines.
And then this here, where we cut out the linoleum, that's where we got the footprint to Mrs.
Montgomery's shower shoes.
Now, gentlemen An offense like this, it don't happen without passion.
And further proof to that is Mrs.
Gore's eyes were chopped out.
Now, that's something usually indicative of a homosexual killings, gay lovers, 'cause they'll do now, sometimes they'll chop out people's eyes and things like that, uh, especially if they're having an affair because they say, "I don't want you having any eyes for anybody other than me.
" I don't know.
I ain't a psychiatrist, so I couldn't begin to explain the thought process on that.
But in this case, it's, "I don't want you having eyes for Allan 'cause I still have eyes for him.
" And the wounds on Mrs.
Montgomery? Medical examiner says probably cause for the bruises on her legs is the ax coming down and the handle hitting her legs.
- Right.
- Oh.
I mean, we all learned not to do that in Scouts, right? But ladies don't know that.
- Got herself in the toe once.
- Mm-hmm.
Lucky she didn't chop it off.
And, uh and then when she was done, she took a shower, tried to wipe up the mess with a towel, but misses her own fingerprints in blood, which we got.
Dead to rights.
And then she just She just walked out the door and, uh She walked out the door and left that baby in that crib crying for her mother for 13 hours.
She's, uh, a monster.
Well, she's got two choices.
She could plead not guilty, in which case, we got her we got her fingerprints, her blood, and her hair at the scene or she could plead insanity, but no jury's gonna buy that seeing as she took the kids to the pool and the movies and just went about her day.
There's a third option.
She could plead self-defense.
Well Son, if we're having an argument, and you go grab an ax, the argument ends right there.
I'm out the door.
We can finish this discussion on the telephone.
Yeah, two people, one ax.
You come at me with an ax, as soon as I get it, I'm no longer defending myself.
- Right.
- Yeah.
Please, God, let them plead self-defense.
How the heck you gonna argue that? Hmm? They'll believe me because they want to believe me.
We just need to give them something to hang their hat on.
Candy.
What did you do? Tell me.
Candy.
What did you do? Betty Gore died on Friday the 13th, the same day that the movie Friday the 13th came out.
The Gore house is the 13th one from the corner.
Uh, the body was found 13 hours after her death and Candy was arrested 13 days later.
You can you can draw your own conclusions as to the meaning of it all.
And her last name is Gore.
I'm changing my last name to "Livesforever.
" Well, I heard that one of the jurors is on the same softball team as Don Crowder.
Well, I heard Judge Ryan delayed his retirement for this.
And he wants a conviction.
I just think that she's obsessed with her perception in the community.
Betty found out that she was screwing Allan, threatened to tell, and that's why she hacked her up.
- She's a narcissist.
- She's innocent! - All right, hon.
- You didn't have to come, Tom.
- I ain't gonna miss this.
- It's not a show.
- Mm-hmm.
- It was a drifter! Don Crowder.
Guy's an ambulance chaser.
What's he doing with a murder case? He's a showman.
Loves attention.
I've run into him a couple of times.
Loves to talk about playing in the Cotton Bowl.
Hey, look, start with Allan Gore.
Hit them with the emotion of the devastated husband, the destruction of a family by a scorned mistress.
How could they come back from that? Yeah.
Is it her? - Excuse me.
- All right.
Come on.
- You ready to fight? - Yes, sir.
We know you're innocent, Candy.
We love you, Candy.
Stay strong, Candy! You're guilty! We love you, honey.
We're here for you.
- You're innocent.
- Candy! Love you, Candy! She's guilty! She should be in jail! All right.
Now, before we begin, counsel will recall back on the 11th day of July, this court issued an order restricting news releases and prohibiting counsel from discussing this case with any members of the news media.
So this morning, I'm up in my office, and I walk over to the window and look down, and there is Mr.
Crowder conducting a press conference with the television media.
So what do you have to say about that? Your Honor, I thought the order was lifted.
If I am in error, it is an innocent error.
Furthermore, let me ask you this Sir, you're not asking this court a question.
I asked you if you want to make a statement.
So now this court finds you in contempt.
Your punishment is a $100 fine and 24 hours in the Collin County Jail.
But so your confinement doesn't interfere with the proper representation of your client, I'm gonna suspend your sentence.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Until the day of the conclusion of the trial.
All right, now are you ready to enter a plea? It's up to you.
Candace Montgomery.
You stand charged with the first-degree felony offense of murder.
So how do you plea? Not guilty.
And how would you describe your relationship with your wife prior to the events of June 13th? Fine.
Not great.
Can you speak up, please? The acoustics in this courtroom are not great.
I said my marriage to Betty was fine, but not great.
But you loved each other.
- Yes.
- You had just learned that you were expecting a third child, hadn't you? Yes.
How did your affair end with the defendant? Just one day.
That's it? Yes.
One day we decided to stop seeing each other because it wasn't good for either one of our marriages.
You told investigators that you were the one who ended it.
You were rather specific about the reason why.
I don't remember how the conversation started.
- No.
- But it was mutual.
You told law enforcement that you were the one who ended it because she was in love with you and you I don't know why I said that.
The affair ended amicably.
Um I'll pass the witness.
How would you characterize your relationship with Mrs.
Montgomery now? Friendly.
We're still friends.
And when you found out that there was a possibility Mrs.
Montgomery might have been Betty's killer, how'd you react to hearing that news? Well, I was shocked.
I couldn't believe it.
I still can't.
Can't what? I can't believe that Candy could have done it.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Gore.
It's like he's a witness for the defense.
Witness is excused.
What just happened? Hi.
Deputy Deffibaugh, other than the cut on Candace Montgomery's toe, did you observe any other injuries on the defendant? Yes, sir.
There were several bruises on her feet and legs.
Hmm.
I'll pass the witness.
Would you describe these wounds as evidence of a struggle? That's possible, sure.
Objection.
Your Honor, that's speculative.
- Sustained.
- I'll pass the witness.
Deputy, is it possible that the bruises you observed on the defendant were self-inflicted? - Yes, that's possible.
- Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Uh, I don't recall, Your Honor, this ruling when I asked a nearly identical question.
Mr.
Crowder, I'm going to insist that you We'd like the record show now the judge's bias.
There is no necessity to dictate into the record We have to preserve the record, Judge.
You've interjected your bias in this case from the very time that it started.
You hit me with contempt for breaking a press gag order when at the very same time, you had the press in your own office.
As you said, it's right upstairs.
Let me tell you something.
I am gonna conduct this trial in an orderly and professional manner.
And I anticipate the attorneys to do the same.
Now, there are not going to be any personal attacks on the presiding judge of this court.
That's fine with me, as long as the presiding judge of this court reins in their bias.
Will you let me finish what I'm saying? I will not be lectured to or bullied in this courtroom.
I am representing a woman who may go to jail for her life.
I will perfect the record and I will have the record show it.
And the record in this case shows that from the very time that it started up until now, you have interjected your bias and you continue to do so.
And no, I will not lay down for you! All right, sir.
For that remark, this court is gonna hold you in contempt.
I'm gonna assess your punishment at a $100 fine and 72 hours in the Collin County Jail.
This brings your total to $200 and 96 hours.
Mr.
O'Connell, you may proceed.
I will pass the witness.
Were there any useful fingerprints found on the ax? I'm well aware that on Quincy or Hawaii Five-O, uh, they always get the fingerprint.
But here in real life, the obtaining of a useful fingerprint is an unusual circumstance.
And did you find any physical evidence that would contradict a version of events where, um, Betty picked up the ax? No.
Deputy, let me just come right out and say it.
Candy killed Betty Gore in that utility room.
What? Oh, my God.
She did it.
She actually killed her.
Why would she do such a thing? Okay.
She left, uh, blood, fingerprints, hair.
She didn't really try to hide anything, did she? She did not.
Then I'd say she's a pretty inept criminal, wouldn't you? Probably, I would.
You said before that Betty Gore could have picked up the ax first.
Uh, no, sir.
I said that there was no physical evidence - to contradict the possibility.
- Right.
Did you find any evidence that would indicate conclusively that this was an unprovoked attack? Conclusively? No.
I'll pass the witness.
Mary, mother of Jesus, they're gonna do it.
Self-defense with an ax.
The hell they are.
Did the chop wounds on Betty Gore's face - appear in parallel? - Yes.
They appear to have all been afflicted from the same angle.
And what does that tell you about the state of Mrs.
Gore when the blows were struck? Um that she was not moving.
So if it was a fight, at this point, Mrs.
Gore was not fighting back.
That's right.
If it pleases the court, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the State will rest its case.
So you - No.
- You There's a perfectly reasonable explanation.
All the doctors said so.
All the doctors? I spoke to Dr.
Bright, and he explained overkill.
That's when, um, more damage is done than is needed to kill.
Now, they picked that military guy for foreman.
- Uh-huh.
- He gets it.
In the heat of battle, it's possible for soldiers to lose it.
And Dr.
Williamson said that the overkill was a result of a dissociative reaction that I had.
Baby, you need to eat some food.
Dr.
Green says even though we live in a civilized society, our bodies are still like when we lived in the jungle ten thousand years ago.
All right.
Did you see that jury? They were relieved when I said "self-defense.
" - Did you see them? - I did.
I haven't seen anything, sitting in that room with Allan all day.
Tom, you need another beer? Uh, please.
When we feel that our life is in danger, we respond.
Like if a lion came pouncing out of the bushes.
Right.
And it's even worse for me, because he also said I have been over-controlled and over-civilized.
Well, who controls you? My mother.
And that's the thing.
I have been controlled all my life and I didn't even know it because I have suppressed it.
That's why I sent her to Dr.
Fason age regression.
- Age regression? - Mm-hmm.
To find the incident in her childhood that caused this dissociative reaction though hypnosis.
Oh, Pat.
You know, they had that on Columbo.
Uh, George Hamilton and Lesley Ann Warren.
What do you know about that? So he took me back to when I was four and I was in an emergency room.
And I was screaming all get-out because I had cut my head.
And I was bleeding real bad.
And then my mother, she shushed me.
Shh! Just like that.
Because she said I was upsetting everyone.
You know, "What will they think about you?" Over-civilized.
You never told me this.
I have never truly been able to express my feelings since.
And they've just all been building up inside.
Mm.
When a receiver enters the area of a defensive back, then that defensive back intends to hit that man hard as he can, just as hard as he can, you know, maybe even harm that man.
But it is not a conscious thing.
He is reacting to the ball and the man.
Right.
So why didn't you run? I tried.
I'm just hurt, I guess.
You lied.
Well, you didn't tell me and you tell me everything.
I couldn't.
I didn't want anybody to know.
I couldn't say it.
I couldn't say it.
So the doctors are gonna explain, and then Candy will tell her story in her own words.
- No, I'm not gonna do that.
- Yes, you will.
I I can't say it.
- Oh, you'll say it.
- No.
No, I don't wanna say it.
The jury needs to hear the whole story.
They need to hear it from you.
Please, don't make me do this.
Candy, this is for all the marbles.
Your life.
What's everybody gonna think? That you did what you had to do.
And you're gonna do it.
You'll be fine.
Pat, tell her.
Everybody loves you.
Take us back to the morning of June 13th.
What time did you arrive at the Gore home? Mrs.
Montgomery.
Did you, um did you go up and ring the doorbell? Did you knock? Candace? Candy.
It was about 10:00 and I had just gone to pick up her daughter Christina's bathing suit.
And some peppermints.
Hey, y'all.
I wasn't expecting you until noon.
Oh, I knew you wouldn't mind.
This was better for me.
Oh.
You doing some sewing? I'm, uh, making outfits for the family.
We're going on vacation.
Oh, how darling.
Lord, I wish I had the time.
Um, can I get you a cup of coffee? No, thank you.
Can't stay long.
So much to do.
Now, who is that? Oh, that Oh, my goodness.
I went out the patio door.
Oh, what is your name? Come here.
Come here.
- Chito.
- Chito! - Yeah.
- Oh, Chito.
Oh, gonna give me all the kisses.
- We actually don't really - Who's got all the kisses? - Uh, pick him up.
- Oh, yes, you do! We don't want him to get used to - Oh, my goodness.
- Being picked up.
Okay.
Okay.
My precious little man.
Now, if you can Oh, you're gonna make my husband jealous.
Oh.
We came back in the same way.
Now, what is it we were talking about? Oh, vacation.
Yes.
Oh, my goodness.
I almost forgot to tell you the most exciting news.
Sherry and I, we're starting a business.
Cover Girls.
Isn't that so clever? 'Cause we're gonna be doing wall coverings and paint and wallpaper and, oh, gosh, you know how Sherry and I get when we get our giggles.
We thought it up.
We could barely speak through the laughter.
So we knew it was a winner.
'Course, you already have my phone number, but those cards are so cute, I just can't stop handing 'em out.
And, you know, Sherry and I, we could really help you brighten up the place.
I know.
I know.
You don't need to be thinking about all that right now with your vacation coming up, so you just let me know.
Ooh, I gotta scoot.
Okay, what were you saying earlier about Christina swimming and some peppermints? And then, she just said Are you having an affair with Allan? No.
But you did, didn't you? Yes, but it was a long time ago.
Just a minute.
And then she walked into the utility room.
And when she came back she had an ax.
Betty? I don't want you to see him ever again.
You can't have him.
Don't be ridiculous.
It was over a long time ago.
Well, don't ever see him again.
You know what? Under the circumstances, I think it's better if I just bring Christina home right after Bible school, okay? No, I don't wanna see you again today.
Just keep her.
Bring her back tomorrow.
I don't wanna look at you again.
I'll get a towel from the bathroom.
Um, can you get Christina's suit from on the washer? Thank you.
She would give her daughter a peppermint for going under the water.
For Christina.
Should be enough.
She looked so hurt.
So I said I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
And then she pushed me.
You can't have him.
You can't have him this time.
Betty, please.
We were both standing real close with our hands on the ax.
And we weren't really struggling, but I just did not ever believe she would use it.
Nobody ever uses an ax on somebody.
Then something changed in her, and she said I've got to kill you.
You hit me.
And that's when I knew she wanted to kill me.
Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! I pushed her and got it and I hit her.
I thought I thought she was dead.
So I threw the ax and I ran up to the door to the house and she slammed her body against it.
She she was trapping me in.
And I said, "Please let me go.
" And she just looked at me and she said "I can't.
" I ran for the garage door.
But she had locked it.
Oh.
Please.
I said, "Please, let me go.
I don't want him.
" I don't want him.
And that's when we heard the baby crying.
We both heard it.
Shh.
She shushed me.
After what she did to me.
Ahh! I didn't even think about it.
I grabbed that ax from her and I hit her.
Yeah.
I hit her.
Ahh! But I don't know.
I wasn't even there.
It was just like I was standing Standing back.
Watching me do it.
Ahh! That's your story.
After you stopped, um, hitting her what did you do? I, um I found my shoe.
I had lost it and I put it on.
And then I went and I and I found the towel.
And I tried to I tried to clean.
I tried to clean it up.
But I couldn't clean it up.
I was covered in blood and I I had to get it off my arms.
It was really making me sick.
Did it ever enter your mind that if you were to kill Betty Gore, you'd get Allan Gore back? No.
Did you even want him back? No.
Did you consider telling anybody what had really happened? I was so afraid to and I was so ashamed.
And I never wanted anyone to ever know.
Well, did you think you'd be believed? No.
Mrs.
Montgomery, I need you to be I need you to be real honest with this jury.
You're not happy that this situation took place? No.
But you feel genuine anger to this day, don't you? I I am angry that it has happened, yes.
Why is that? Because it all just seems so pointless.
Pointless? I don't want him.
And I kept trying to tell her that.
You didn't plan this, did you? No.
No, and she put me in that position.
It has caused me to lose everything that is important to me.
And it hurts.
It hurts.
I, uh I'll pass the witness.
Mrs.
Montgomery, was the affair with Allan Gore the first one that you've had since your marriage - Objection.
- To Mr.
Montgomery? - Overruled.
- Your Honor, this this is not proper.
This is not proper at all.
We renew our objection.
Overruled.
Mrs.
Montgomery will answer the question.
It was the first time.
- Yes.
- Hmm.
Well, was it the last one? - Objection.
- Overruled.
No, sir.
Now, the affair with Mr.
Gore terminated in October of '79, is that correct? - Yes.
- Since that time, who else have you been involved with? Your Honor, could we have a running objection please? No, sir.
You make your objections when you think they're appropriate.
Well, I object to this question.
It is improper to to go into any, uh, specific acts of what might be deemed immoral conduct.
Objection is overruled.
I was with a man for a brief time from early November to mid-December.
That also was of '79, yes? Yes.
What was his name, please? I will not give you his name.
I'm sorry, I didn't hear the answer.
I said I will not give you his name.
Why not? Because it is irrelevant.
And I don't wanna do any damage to his family.
Another family.
Did you tell your husband about this man as well? Your Honor, we object again as to this being improper impeachment.
Objection is overruled.
That's three more days of time added to your contempt sentence, Mr.
Crowder.
Pat.
Hey, it's over? I mean, it's killing me not being in there with you.
I know.
You have to tell him.
It's gonna be in the papers.
I was with somebody else.
- Yeah, I know.
- No.
Not Allen.
After Allen.
No, we Yes.
No, no I I Stop it.
I need you now more than ever and you are falling apart on me.
She's fighting for her life.
Pat, it doesn't matter if she screwed one guy or 100, as long as she never does it again.
Pat, this helps us.
Okay? The DA's whole case is about how Candy was so in love with Allan that she killed his wife.
Now, if she was with someone else, that means she wasn't hung up on him.
Now they got nothing.
When Betty Gore came at Candy Montgomery, she was no longer a human being.
She was an animal in search of prey.
I don't know if final summations are all that important to juries.
To a woman named Betty Gore, and event of massive tragedy took place June 13th a Friday the 13th.
And this case will end very nearly on Halloween.
Maybe there's something involved here we can't understand.
Something greater than all of us.
The reality is there is not a single shred of evidence to suggest that Betty ever held this ax in her hands.
And I won't pretend to tell you that, uh, reading a news account of The Shining, an ax murder movie, would drive somebody to do this.
But doesn't it suggest to you why the ax was involved? And who got the ax? I don't care what all the psychiatrists in the world say.
There's just no way that you can open up somebody's mind, look into it and see and decide what they're thinking or how they're considering something or what they were feeling at any given date or time.
John Steinbeck once wrote that, uh, there are those among us who live in rooms of experience that you and I cannot enter.
You're not gonna pick up an ax and swing it 28 times, 41, however many times it was in this case and not know what you're doing.
If you're worried about whether or not Mrs.
Montgomery will ever be punished, well, don't worry about it any longer.
There will never be a day in the life of Mrs.
Montgomery that she will be able to put out of her mind that she committed this act.
She lives in that room of experience, and it now constitutes a cell a jail cell.
And Betty Gore, she threw away the key.
Now, in a murder case where there's two people involved and one of them's dead, well, you're only gonna get one version of how that event took place.
Does there exist a reasonable doubt in this case? No.
There exists hundreds of reasonable doubts.
Good luck to you.
I appreciate the time and attention that you have given to us.
You've been very attentive to this entire presentation.
Thank you.
That's it? Now? I still say crime of passion.
It's okay in France.
Don't you wish you loved someone that much? And they loved you? Mr.
Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict, sir? Your Honor, we have.
Where is Sherry? I will read the jury's verdict.
"We, the jury, find the defendant Not guilty.
Oh, no! Congratulations, Candy.
Order! Bailiffs, clear the court.
She left my baby.
Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way outside.
Truly a jury of her peers.
You didn't care whether she lived or died.
Let's go home.
Let's go.
All right.
I'll talk to the judge, get you out.
Don't you dare.
You know what? I have to say that I wasn't surprised.
This is exactly what we expected, because we've maintained all along she was innocent and now she's vindicated.
Oh, my God.
It is just so great that everything can just go back to normal.
Candy, it'll never be normal.
You know that, right? Well, sure it will be.
I mean, even Allan gets it.
I mean, people just wanna move on.
Look you might wanna consider a fresh start.
Oh.
Where is Sherry? Probably busy keeping her husband away from you.
Tramp! Jezebel! That's what you are! So next time you're sad because you didn't get what you want you just wait.
Because God has something even better for you.