How Accurate Is ‘Love & Death’? What the Show Got Right (and Wrong)

Love & Death is about as accurate a series title as can be.

HBO Max’s true crime drama, which was added to Netflix on Dec. 1, follows real-life killer, Candy Montgomery, who fatally struck her friend, Betty Gore, with an ax 41 times in 1980. It was later revealed at her trial that she had previously been having an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore, whom she met at church.

“She was a really beloved woman,” Elizabeth Olsen, who starred as Candy, told Vogue Australia in April 2023. “People were so shocked to hear something like this happened.”

Though the Texas mom of two admitted to the killing, she claimed self-defense and was ultimately acquitted of murder. The events — including Candy and Allan’s secret relationship — leading up to Betty’s death were chronicled in a multi-part Texas Monthly feature, which later became the basis for the 1984 book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs and 2023’s Love & Death.

Creator David E. Kelley told Herald Sun in May 2023 that he was hesitant to pursue the project at first because he likes to embellish. “If the facts are already coming to me fully baked, what’s the point?” he said. “But when I read the [Texas Monthly] articles, and I read the book, it was just too juicy, too rich, too delicious to turn away from.”

While the series stayed close to the facts of the real case, some details were exaggerated for dramatic and comedic effect.

“There are moments where it feels completely absurd,” Olsen told Vogue Australia, noting that the humor was dialed back after Betty’s death. “Honouring the fact that this happened to people, there are generations that exist after, and trying to be respectful.”

Here’s everything to know about what’s fact and what’s fiction in Love & Death.

Did Candy and Allan create “rules” for their affair?

In Love & Death, Candy and Allan (Jesse Plemons) agree to have an affair after accidentally bumping into each other during a church volleyball game. After admitting mutual attraction for one another, the pair creates a set of “rules” for their romance — including that it will end as soon as someone wants more than just sex.

Candy and Allan’s real-life affair did begin at a volleyball game, and they slowly planned out the details over the course of a few weeks, per Texas Monthly. They also established a set of rules, including when they would meet, how they would split expenses and who would be in charge of booking the motel room.

Like their Love & Death characters, Allan and Candy also agreed to end the affair “if either one became too emotionally involved.” Their romance officially began on Dec. 12, 1978, both in the show and real life.

Was Betty Gore pregnant during her husband’s affair?

Yes, Betty was pregnant during her husband’s affair, according to Texas Monthly. Like the HBO series, Allan told Candy that his wife was pregnant after she asked if he’d like to have an affair. He later suggests ending the affair after Betty gives birth.

Though Love & Death shows Betty believing she was pregnant again at the time of her death, her real-life autopsy confirmed that she was not.

“Betty believed she had two heartbeats in her body,” Lily Rabe, who played Betty in the series, told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. “And the idea of being struck that many times and how long she stayed alive was something that … was so profound.”

Did Allan and Betty attend a marriage counseling camp?

Betty and Allan attended the Methodist Marriage Encounter — a weekend-long program designed to strengthen a couple’s commitment — in real life, according to Texas Monthly, as they did in Love & Death. It was held at a medieval-style inn and required couples to avoid TV, newspapers and anything that could get in the way of their communication.

The Gores spent the weekend writing love letters to each other, answering questions about their relationships and recommitting to each other in a ceremony. Though the intent of the program was total honesty, Allan did not come clean to Betty about his affair, per Texas Monthly.

Another detail about that weekend that Love & Death accurately recounted was that Candy had agreed to watch Betty and Allan’s children while they were away at Marriage Encounter.

Did Candy really end the affair?

According to Texas Monthly, Allan’s feelings for Candy changed after Marriage Encounter. However, he wasn’t the one to end their affair.

Similar to the events portrayed in Love & Death, Allan allegedly told Candy that he wanted to give his “full resources” to his family shortly after Betty gave birth in July 1979. However, he failed to explicitly state that he wanted to end things. So Candy made the decision for him and told him that she wouldn’t call him again.

Did Pat really find out about Candy’s affair? 

In Love & Death, Candy’s husband Pat Montgomery (Patrick Fugit) finds out about the affair when he uncovers a letter Allan had written her. However, no reporting on the real-life case suggests how or when Pat learned of his wife’s infidelity.

Candy was only arrested and later charged with first-degree murder for Betty’s slaying after Allan admitted their months-long affair to the police, per Texas Monthly. Though Pat stayed by her side throughout her trial and acquittal, they eventually divorced, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Did Betty really confront Candy about the affair?

Love & Death recounted the day Betty was killed by using Candy’s real-life testimony. While on the stand, she claimed that on June 13, 1980, Betty had confronted her about the affair — and grabbed an ax after she confessed.

According to Candy, they got into a heated verbal exchange, and Betty tried to hit her with the ax. She missed, and they both struggled for the weapon. At some point, Candy alleged that Betty told her to “shh,” which she said triggered a blind rage.

When Candy got control of the ax, she killed Betty with it by striking her 41 times. According to Texas Monthly, she only stopped striking her friend when she reached “the point of utter exhaustion.”

“It looked like a scene from a horror film,” former Collin County sheriff’s deputy Steve Deffibaugh told PEOPLE in September 2022. “It was a Friday the 13th. Our thought was that we had a copycat of the movie The Shining.”

A psychiatrist and clinical hypnotist hired by Candy’s legal team alleged that she had unresolved childhood trauma that had manifested as rage as an adult.

Was Candy really acquitted of murder? 

Yes, Candy was acquitted of Betty’s murder in real life on Oct. 29, 1980. She pleaded not guilty and claimed she killed her friend in self-defense, having no intention of killing Betty that day.

Is Love & Death or Candy more historically accurate?

A year before Love & Death premiered, Hulu released its own retelling of Betty’s killing. Candy starred Jessica Biel as the titular ax killer and took a few more creative liberties than the HBO Max version.

In addition to changing the Gore children’s real names, the biggest shift from the real-life story is that in Candy, the on-screen couple also has a foster son. However, there is no evidence to suggest they took in another child in real life at that time.