FORT WORTH, Texas — A show about the life of Candace “Candy” Montgomery, the Dallas-area woman who was accused of killing her friend Betty Gore with an ax in 1980, is now streaming on Netflix.

“Love & Death” originally released its seven-episode season on HBO Max in 2023. Now, more than two years later, the Texas-set show was added to Netflix on Dec. 1.

The limited series is based on the book “Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs” by Jim Atkinson and Joe Bob Briggs, and a series of Texas Monthly articles. “Love & Death” was created by David E. Kelly and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and Clark Johnson.

“Two churchgoing couples enjoy small town family life in Texas - until somebody picks up an axe,” the show’s logline reads.

Here’s what to know about the show.

Who stars in ‘Love & Death’?

Elizabeth Olsen, known for playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the Marvel universe, plays Montgomery in the Wylie-set “Love & Death.”

Dallas-born Jesse Plemons plays Allan Gore, the man that has an affair with Montgomery. Lily Rabe and Patrick Fugit fill in the rest of the core cast as Betty Gore and Pat Montgomery, respectively.

There are a few Texas actors in the show, including Lubbock’s Brad Leland and Orange’s Drew Waters, who spoke with the Star-Telegram in 2023 about the series.

Olsen landed a Golden Globes nomination for best female actor in a limited series, while Plemons was Emmy-nominated for supporting actor in a limited series.

What happened in the Montgomery case?

Gore, 30, was a school teacher and friends with Montgomery. The two had met through church and they both sang in the same choir.

Gore had two children, the youngest a year old, at the time of her death. Montgomery had an affair with Gore’s husband, Allan, a year before the killing.

On June 13, 1980, a Friday, Montgomery stopped by Betty Gore’s Wylie home to pick up a swimsuit for Gore’s daughter, who was set to spend the day with Montgomery. While at the house, Gore confronted Montgomery about the affair with her husband. Later that day, Gore was found dead with 41 ax wounds in a blood-spattered utility room.

After she was accused of the murder, Montgomery turned herself in to Collin County Sheriff’s deputies and was held on a $100,000 bond. Four months after the killing, an eight-day trial was held in McKinney to determine if Montgomery had murdered Gore.

Montgomery pleaded self-defense and her lawyer argued that Gore had grabbed a 3-foot ax from the garage and approached Montgomery with it. Montgomery’s lawyer also brought in a Houston psychiatrist who said Montgomery had suffered from a “dissociative reaction” and was unaware of how many times she struck Gore.

A jury acquitted Montgomery of murder charges on Oct. 29, 1980. One juror said the number of times Gore was struck had no bearing on their verdict, which accepted the self-defense claim.

Where is Montgomery now?

After the trial, Candy Montgomery said she wanted “to get all this behind me and be normal again,” according to the Dallas Morning News.

The family moved to Georgia, and Candy got certified as a family counselor. Little is known about the family’s whereabouts today. Some reports suggest that Pat and Candy Montgomery divorced a few years later.

After the trial, Allan quickly remarried and moved away from Wylie, according to the Dallas Morning News. He and his new wife have since divorced. Allan’s daughters were raised by Betty’s parents.

The house where the alleged murder took place is located at 410 Dogwood Drive.

According to Realtor, the house has been sold around six times since the murder took place. The house was last sold in March 2022.

Is there another show about the Montgomery case?

Yes, “Candy” was released on Hulu in 2022.

The five-episode limited series stars Jessica Biel as Candy Montgomery and Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore. Melanie Lynskey and Timothy Simons fill in the rest of the core cast as Betty Gore and Pat Montgomery, respectively.

Biel’s husband Justin Timberlake also appears in a couple of episodes. The show was Emmy-nominated for outstanding main title design.

While “Love & Death” was filmed in Texas, production on “Candy” took place in Georgia.

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