Original subtitles

The scripture says that he who is without love

does not know God, for God is love.

And we commend to His mercy all who have loved and died.

That Your will for them may be fulfilled.

As in baptism, Betty Gore put on Christ, so in Christ, may Betty Gore

- be clothed in glory. - Candy?

Clothed in glory. Clothed in glory.

- Candy? - Clothed in glory.

Candy.

Are you ready?

Did you hear me?

I'm as ready as I'm gonna get.

Do not hold anything back.

If it even seems like you're hidin', we lose.

It's time.

Mr. Crowder, are you ready to proceed?

Yes, Your Honor.

The defense calls Candace Montgomery.

You heard Allan Gore's testimony.

Was his description of the affair accurate?

Yes.

It petered out into nothingness? It was over-over?

Yes.

There was no burning ember that made you wanna get back together?

Definitely not.

Calling your attention to the morning of June 13th,

why'd you go to the Gore house?

We had plans to see "The Empire Strikes Back."

Alisa wanted to go, and Jenny very much wanted Alisa to go.

Jenny is your 7-year-old daughter?

- Yes. - And Alisa?

Alisa Gore, Jenny's best friend. She had stayed the night.

Betty Gore's daughter?

- Yes. - And you and Betty were friends?

Yes.

Prior to June 13th of this year,

had you and Mrs. Gore ever exchanged any hostile words?

- No. - Had you ever had

- any physical altercation? - No.

When's the last physical altercation of any kind

you can remember getting into with anyone, other than June 13th?

I don't think there ever was any.

How about a verbal altercation?

I can't think of any.

To the best of your recollection, you have never fought with anyone,

either physically or verbally, prior to June 13th?

That's correct.

So you went to the Gore house that morning?

To get Alisa's bathing suit.

She had a swimming lesson that day,

and if she was gonna stay another night, I would have to take her.

Did you call Mrs. Gore prior to going?

- No. - Candy.

Sorry, Why call when you can barge right in, right?

How did she seem when you got there?

She seemed a bit hurried.

Hurried?

She was planning for a big trip, and she seemed anxious about it.

- Did she invite you in? - Yes.

And what happened after she invited you in?

We

talked about the movie plans.

I asked her if it was okay for Alisa to go.

We talked about the swimming lessons,

her upcoming trip.

She introduced me to the new puppy.

It was a normal, friendly conversation?

Very.

Until I was gettin' ready to leave.

And what happened then?

Well, I said that I should

get going as I had an errand to run

and suddenly, she blurted out.

Are you having an affair with Allan?

And what did you say?

Yes.

But it was a long time ago.

You wait a minute.

I thought maybe she had

found a card or a letter that Allan or I had written

and maybe she just went to go get it.

And when she reappeared?

She had an axe.

Were you in fear for your life at that moment?

No.

Because I never dreamed she would use it.

So what happened next?

Well, I said, under the circumstances,

I should probably bring Alisa home after Bible class.

- And she said: - No, I don't wanna see you anymore.

And she put the axe down.

Had you ever seen that axe before in your life?

No.

Did you even know the Gores had an axe?

- No. - What happened next?

I went into the utility room

to grab Alisa's bathing suit.

And that was about the same time

that Betty had returned from the bathroom with a towel.

And then what happened?

She just looked so hurt.

Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to speak up.

Betty looked hurt?

I put my hand on her shoulder.

And that's when I said,

I am so sorry.

And she did not like that.

- You can't have him. - Then suddenly, she had the axe again.

You can't have him. You can't have him!

I'm gonna have another baby.

- You can't have him. - Please. I don't want--

- You can't have him! - I don't want him!

Betty, don't do this.

What are you doing?

Did you think, at that moment, she was going to kill you?

I still didn't believe she'd ever do that.

But, at some point, your belief changed?

- Yes. - When?

When she swung the axe up

and it hit me in the side of my head.

Can you describe the force of that swing?

It seemed with every ounce of her strength.

Were you now concerned for your life?

I knew then that she wanted to kill me.

And then what happened?

I grabbed the axe.

You--

I thought I'd killed her.

And then what happened?

I just went to leave, but...

But what?

Let go of me!

Please, I don't want him. No, I don't want him!

Please, I don't want him. I don't want him! No!

Do you recall how many times you hit her when she was upright?

No.

What about when she was down?

I just remember being afraid that she'd get back up again

so I kept hitting her.

When you got to the Gore house,

did you have it in your mind to kill Betty Gore?

No.

After she hit you in the head the first time,

did you have it in your mind then to kill Betty Gore?

No.

After she hit you the second time, did you have it in your mind

- to kill Betty Gore? - No.

When, if ever,

did it enter your mind that you had to kill Betty Gore

to keep from being killed?

I never thought about it.

It just happened.

After you stopped hitting her,

what did you do?

I walked around.

I stood back and

I looked at myself and I was

covered with blood.

What were your feelings at that moment?

I just felt so dirty.

I had to get the blood off. It was making me sick.

I got into the shower.

I just wanted to make it all go away, but I couldn't.

And I kept thinking, I have to be normal.

One thing at a time.

Father's Day cards. Swimming lessons.

Movies.

One thing at a time. Normal.

And when you left the house and started to drive home,

what thoughts were running through your mind at that moment?

That it was all a mistake.

Then it never happened.

It just never happened.

But it did happen.

You killed Betty Gore with this axe.

Sorry, please don't make me look at that.

You killed her with this axe!

- Stop. Stop. - You can look at it. Look at it!

Do you need a break?

No, I'm okay.

I'm okay.

Pass the witness.

When you left the house, the baby was there.

Alone. With her mother dead.

I wasn't thinking about the baby.

My mind wasn't thinking at all.

Well, it was thinking

should get in the shower.

It was thinking should wash the blood off.

When you left the house,

you knew you had killed Betty Gore with an axe, didn't you?

I knew.

And when you arrived back at the church, you told no one?

I wanted to pretend it didn't happen.

Wanted to "pretend" it didn't happen.

You "pretended" with your friends and fellow congregants at the church?

- Yes. - You "pretended" with your close friend

and former pastor, Jackie Ponder?

- Yes. - You "pretended" with your husband?

You especially "pretended" with the police.

I was not truthful at first

but I was lying to myself just as much as I was lying to them.

But you're not lying today?

No.

You said Betty Gore went to the utility room,

then appeared with the axe?

- Yes. - You didn't try to flee?

As I mentioned earlier,

I didn't think my life was in danger at that time.

But later, you did? Why didn't you run then?

At that point, I was blocked.

What about the, the door to the garage?

It was closed.

Your Honor, may I approach?

I'll show you exhibit 13.

You recognize this?

It's a lens to my sunglasses.

- Sunglasses you were wearing that day? - Yes.

This lens was found

in the garage. Did you go in the garage?

- No. - Never?

I have never been in the Gore garage.

Then how do you explain the lens to your sunglasses

being in the garage?

Maybe during the struggle, it somehow got kicked in there.

It got kicked in? While the door was closed?

No, as I was trying to get out,

I had opened the door slightly

before Betty came back at me.

And so maybe it got kicked into the garage

while the door was ajar.

That's the only explanation I can come up with.

I bet you wish you could come up with another.

- Objection. - First, you said the door was closed.

Now, you amend it to "slightly ajar."

Mrs. Montgomery.

Are you pretending again with us now?

- Objection. - Overruled.

Do you consider yourself to be a good liar?

- Objection! - Overruled, and stop your nonsense.

When you told your fellow congregants

back at the church that nothing happened at the Gore house,

did they believe you?

Yes.

When you told Jackie Ponder, she believed you?

Yes.

When you told your husband, he believed you?

- Yes. - All these people believed you.

You must be a very good liar.

- Objection! - And I would imagine if you could fool

the people that know you best--

- Objection! - Oh, alright.

He did damage.

I should have done more with that fuckin' sunglasses lens.

We had a pretty good day.

Nobody's buying Candy's testimony.

- We don't know that. - Are you listenin' to what's being said?

The media doesn't get a vote.

I was watching the jury during Candy's testimony.

They were hanging on every word.

They seem to be with her.

What about Dr. Fason?

I'm not sure Judge Ryan will find hypnosis admissible.

Yeah, well, we have to try.

Self-defense doesn't account for 40 whacks.

We need Fason.

Honey.

Mom?

What are you doing here?

Why are you here?

You need to defend yourself, honey.

Here, take this.

Candy, what's wrong?

Don, it's near midnight.

I tried calling. Why's the phone off the hook?

We're getting prank calls.

Well, I need to be able to contact you both.

Put the phone back on the hook.

Why? What's wrong?

Little change of plans.

I'm puttin' you up next.

Me? Why?

This is Texas, Pat.

Folks might be able to forgive murder.

Adultery, not so much.

I did forgive her. And do.

In fact, I blame myself.

- Why? - The relationship with Allan

was really more about having someone to talk to,

and I wasn't

open enough with Candy.

I wasn't sharing myself enough.

Mr. Montgomery,

when you learned what happened in that utility room,

you continued to stand by your wife?

Of course.

Yes. She is not violent.

In fact, once the horror passed, I felt some gratitude.

I thanked God.

You thanked God?

Betty is a much larger woman.

Add to that, she had an axe.

Could have easily gone the other way.

Candy is loving.

She's not violent.

For this to have happened,

Betty came at her.

Did your wife tell you what she'd done?

I think she blocked it out.

She lied to you. She kept it from you.

I don't think she really remembered.

She forgot about it, you think?

It's not that she didn't remember.

She knew she had swung the axe but she suffered a dissociative reaction

which can induce a form of amnesia to suppress anger

- and, in this case, shame. - Hold on.

Are you sayin' she suffered from a mental illness?

I'm saying she could not reconcile her actions

with who she believes herself to be,

so she, in a sense, blocked it out.

Can this explain why after, when she went back to church,

and then to Target to buy Father's Day cards,

it was as if this incident had never happened

in Mrs. Montgomery's mind?

She knew that it had happened

but by forcing herself to go about her normal day,

it was as if she were trying to erase the reality of it.

A portion of her personality was split off from her consciousness.

Dr. Fason, I admit I am no medical doctor

but when a personality gets portioned off from somebody's consciousness,

that sure as hell sounds like mental illness to me.

Approach, Your Honor?

I don't recall you jumping in with the prosecution's medical experts.

I can pose questions to witnesses, sua sponte.

You know what sua sponte is, counsel?

It's Latin for "my courtroom."

We would like the record to reflect your obstruction.

You don't have to introduce what I say into the record.

You know why?

'Cause if I said it, it's already in the record.

I'm representin' a woman who may go to jail

for the rest of her life, so I'm going to perfect the record

so that it accurately reflects your prejudice.

For that remark,

this court holds you in contempt.

You're already holdin' me in contempt.

Well, I'm doin' it again.

Another $100

and 72 hours in the Collin County jail

effective immediately today once we stand in recess.

Doctor, I'd like you to elaborate on my client's dissociative reaction,

if you possibly can without being abruptly interrupted.

Mrs. Montgomery couldn't fathom

that she was capable of this kind of rage.

In fact, this woman has an anathema to violence.

Candy Montgomery is also a person who is excessively concerned

with what other people think of her.

This is a common personality pattern with individuals

who struggle with dissociative reactions.

Doctor, I'm going to instruct you to refrain

from narrative responses.

Answer only what Mr. Crowder asks.

Is it common for individuals who suffer dissociative reactions

to be excessively concerned with how others perceive them?

Yes.

It's partly why Mrs. Montgomery

emotionally walled herself off from the events of that day.

It was only when I hypnotized her

that she was fully able to access her memory.

How so?

I was able to age-regress her to the time when she first experienced

a dissociative reaction.

It happened when she was 4 years old.

She was involved in a race of some sort with a little boy who was older than her,

and the winner got to pump some water into a jar.

She was mad because she lost and she threw the jar into the pump

and it broke.

A piece of glass from that broken jar

came back and hit her in the forehead and she was bleeding down her face.

When she was taken to the hospital,

she was very frightened about what was going to happen to her.

And she was screaming.

Her mother said...

What will they think of you in the waiting room?

Stop crying.

She relayed this to you while under hypnosis?

Correct. She had no conscious memory of it.

Even under hypnosis, she was very frightened

of expressing the feelings that she felt.

It took a very definitive suggestion that when I counted to three,

she would express those feelings.

I counted to three. One,

two, three.

Honestly, it was a scream

a sound, that I had never heard before.

- Triggered by her mother saying "shh"? - Yes.

Is it any coincidence that Betty Gore also said...

It is not.

I look at that explosion of violence with Betty Gore

as being the result of the anger that had been buried within her

and blocked off all that time since she was 4 years of age.

- When I told her that, she said... - Oh, my God.

Do you mean I killed my mother?

Was she killing her mother in a way?

No. She was defending herself against an attack by Betty Gore.

But, the depth of rage and violence, that did in part come from something

that happened with her mother.

Let me ask you one final question.

Did Candace Montgomery, at any time during June 13th, 1980,

knowingly, that is on a conscious level,

intend to kill Betty Gore?

I do not believe so.

Your Honor, we pass the witness.

Defendant hit the victim 41 times with an axe.

She pulverized Betty Gore's face into a soft mulch.

Your testimony is that she did so because Betty said "shh,"

reminding the defendant of her mother?

My testimony is that she was defending herself

against Mrs. Gore's attack, and the violence

unleashed a rage that had been within her for decades.

A rage caused by her mother saying "shh" when she was 4 years old?

Not necessarily caused by, but fueled by.

So she's sane enough to argue self-defense,

but not sane enough to be responsible

for chopping Betty Gore into bits?

Again, her initial impulse was to defend herself,

but during the struggle, she lost control.

Just so I'm clear.

She knew she was hitting Betty Gore

- over and over with an axe? - Yes.

And she was swinging it out of rage?

- Yes. - Thank you.

So is it okay for us to talk now?

Now that my testimony is over?

It's okay.

Why did you make me look at the axe like that?

I needed emotion.

Our case is you had an emotional break.

I needed the jury to see a flicker of it.

So what now?

Betty Gore had it coming.

I need the jury to see a flicker of that, too.

You're jokin'.

We can't risk her being too sympathetic.

I wouldn't say she was mean, Betty,

but she could be ornery.

Snappish is how I'd describe her.

I'll say she was mean.

Betty Gore could be quite confrontational.

Can you give us an example?

She would let out dismissive snorts during my sermons,

right out there in front where everyone could see and hear

'cause she was in the choir.

And not long after I arrived at Lucas, she told me to go back where I came from.

- Betty Gore didn't like you? - She hated me.

Candy didn't like me much either.

At least, not at first, but Candy was cordial.

Betty could be vicious.

You eulogized this woman. You called her a beautiful person.

She was beautiful, as are all God's creatures.

But she had a streak.

I pass the witness.

As the hour is late,

seems like a good time to take a break.

For the day.

What made him change his mind?

Robert made an emergency call to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Honestly, I wish he hadn't.

If I did time during trial, more ammo with the appellate court.

Oh.

Thank you.

What are you doin'?

We knew Betty Gore.

Were friends with her.

For you to just throw dirt on her like that.

I didn't do that.

Yes, you did.

You called her pastor to the stand, to say what?

That God was okay with this?

I just established

that Betty could be antagonistic.

Which is the truth.

This case is gonna be your legacy, Don.

Oh, balls.

Legacy is you live, you die.

With any luck, it'll have mattered a nick you did the former.

This whole thing is gonna eat at you.

It may rot at you.

I got enough on my plate without this shit, Carol.

Basically, the doctor said she acted out of self-defense,

and then transformed into an unconscious killing machine.

Even the victim's pastor weighed in with a shot,

along with other parishioners.

God loves everybody. And he loved Betty Gore.

All I said, she could be a handful.

I have never seen Betty be unkind to anyone.

She was a wonderful human being. Excuse me.

It cannot be healthy for you to be watching all this.

I can't be in the room until closing arguments, so this is

the only way I know what's going on.

I put all of this in motion.

Betty's dead

because I cheated on her.

You couldn't have possibly foreseen.

You won't survive if you continue to punish yourself this way.

I'm so grateful for your support.

I just feel so alone.

You're not alone.

You're not.

I'm not about to presume what you know

but I think I can safely figure that all of you can figure

Candy Montgomery didn't wake up on June 13th, 1980,

with a plan to kill Betty Gore.

She didn't cook her kids breakfast, head off to Bible school,

perform a parable in the sanctuary,

drive out to Wylie to pick up Alisa's swimsuit, and then say,

"Hey, while I'm at it, let's kill Betty Gore with an axe."

That makes zero sense.

Zero.

What happened here is not just the most plausible scenario.

It's also exactly what Candy told you.

She got there. Betty was in a dark place,

agitated that she might be pregnant,

upset that her husband had left town.

Then, after some odd perfunctory conversation,

Betty suddenly confronted Candy with the weapon.

A struggle occurred.

Candy reacted in self-defense

after being struck with the axe.

And durin' that violent struggle

she snapped.

Dr. Fason confirmed that Candy was truthful in her account.

He also found that the violence triggered a childhood trauma,

rendering Candy into a rage that caused her to go outside herself.

Candy's testimony was not contradicted, not once, not by anyone.

Nor was Dr. Fason's medical opinion.

All the police investigators, the medical examiner,

the pathologist, none of them, none could rule out self-defense.

So, how can you?

None could exclude that it was Betty Gore

who first came at Candy with that axe.

So, how can you?

What they all did agree on,

a tremendous struggle took place.

And if this were a planned thing,

it was maybe the worst planned crime ever.

Candy told people at the church that she was headed

to Betty Gore's house.

Nor was there any motive.

As both Allan Gore and Candy testified,

my client would stand nothing to gain from killing Betty.

The affair would not have been resumed.

Neither Candy nor Allan had any interest.

It was over.

In Candy's mind, when Betty Gore came at her

and struck her with that axe,

Betty was no longer human.

She had turned into an animal in search of prey

and what ensued in that utility room

was a violent death fight.

Betty Gore was a much larger woman.

Adrenaline had to take over Candy in order to survive.

Adrenaline did take over, and human life was lost.

When a person gets killed,

it's natural to wanna hold someone accountable.

It's natural for you to wanna fix things.

To make it right.

It may even cause some of you to wanna believe

the police version of this.

But I remind you,

the police version itself cannot rule out self-defense.

John Steinbeck

once wrote that,

"There are those among us who live in rooms of experience

that you and I cannot enter."

If you're worried about whether or not Mrs. Montgomery

has been punished in this case,

don't.

She lives in that room of experience.

She lives in it and she's locked in it and it now constitutes a cell.

A jail cell.

There won't be a day in the life of Mrs. Montgomery

where she'll ever put out of her mind that she committed this act

on June 13th, 1980.

There has been an American tragedy played out in this courtroom.

But a conviction is not a proper solution

to this particular tragedy.

The state has not proved its case.

Reasonable doubt exists.

Good luck to you.

Mr. Crowder hits the point

that Mrs. Montgomery's testimony was not refuted.

The person to refute Candy Montgomery's testimony isn't here.

She's dead. Chopped to bits.

See, that's the thing, when two people are in a room,

and one ends up murdered, you only get a single version of events.

Let's look at Candy Montgomery's.

I suspect it quite helped her that all the evidence

was available to her before she formed her irrefutable testimony.

- Objection. - Overruled.

Sit down, Mr. Crowder. He didn't interrupt you.

Mr. Crowder argues none of this makes sense.

I won't ask you to make sense of it.

I'll just ask you to look at what happened.

Candy Montgomery struck Betty Gore 41 times with an axe.

Murdering her, disfiguring her,

breaking bones, severing arteries,

obliterating her skull and face.

That is not consistent with self-defense.

Mr. Crowder had the temerity

to say Betty Gore stopped being human.

I ask you, who stopped being human here?

Who was the animal?

He wants you to believe her.

To find her testimony credible.

Seriously?

She's lied at every turn.

To the police, to her friends, to her own husband.

It was only after she was caught

cold with a thumbprint match

that Candy Montgomery decided to become truthful.

Self-defense.

That's a lie.

Hitting an unconscious woman over and over and over with an axe

as she lay there in her blood, that's not self-defense.

Because Betty said "shh," just like my mother did when I was 4?

It insults this court's intelligence.

It insults yours.

Candy Montgomery knew she couldn't possibly explain

her actions on June 13th,

so she chose to deny them.

She chose to lie.

On June 14th, on the 15th, on June 16th,

the 17th, the 18th, she stuck to the same story.

With the police, her friends, her husband.

She left Betty alive

went to Target to get a Father's Day card.

Then, as the truth catches up to her,

she pivots. Self-defense.

As for 41 whacks.

You deserve better.

Betty Gore deserves better.

Both lawyers were strong, both made their points,

and both were not above playing to the emotion.

This case stirred up such strong and visceral feelings,

and neither attorney shied away from them.

Hey, what do you think?

It's closer than I'd like it to be.

We just have to wait.

Well, whatever happens, I'm sure it'll all be for the best.

- Sherry's keeping the kids? - For now.

Till there's a verdict.

You know, my mom always said

that there's no better comfort food than Salisbury steak and macaroni.

You talk to her recently? Other than the, the dream?

This mornin'. She sends her prayers.

And her prayers usually take.

She's not mad at you, you think?

She can't be thrilled. Especially after she reads that.

No, I just told her to stay away from the newspapers

or anything like that.

Right.

Well, I just can't wait for all this to be over

and I can go back to having a normal life

and go to the market without people staring at me.

Candy, I think no matter what happens, this will never be over.

Well, if they find me innocent.

The jury can't find you innocent.

They can only find you not guilty.

And there's a difference.

We have no chance at a normal life here.

We're going to have to leave McKinney.

Let's just pray we get that chance.

Well, I thought your testimony was good.

Thank you.

I don't know if I deserve you, Pat.

But I'm sure lucky to have you.

We're both lucky.

I think I wanna go back and wait it out with Don

'cause I just am feeling a little too anxious sittin' here.

Yeah. Okay.

Don! Don!

They're back.

The jury. They have a verdict.

- Already? - The judge just called.

I've got the car ready to take us back.

We'll meet you there.

Gentlemen, comin' through.

All rise!

You may be seated, ladies and gentlemen.

I have some instructions for the attorneys, the parties,

the spectators.

When I read the verdict into the record,

I want no reaction from anyone in this courtroom.

Whatever that verdict might be, no vocal reaction, no physical reaction.

And now don't think I'm picking on y'all. That's standard.

Alright, bring the jury in.

Be seated.

Alright then, Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict, sir?

Your Honor, we have.

Will the defendant please rise?

We, the jury,

find the defendant not guilty.

Each member of the jury that concurs with this verdict,

will you indicate it to me by raising your right hand?

The court will accept the verdict and order it filed.

This case is adjourned.

Congratulations, Candy.

How do you feel about this? Were you shocked?

What about our beds and stuff?

Well, the movers will come for that. We just take what we need for now.

The movers will bring it all the way to Georgia?

Yep. That's why we call them movers.

Why don't you guys go say goodbye to Miss Sherry?

- I forgot something. - Hi, hey, bud.

Hey, how you doing?

Good? You're gonna be good, right? Okay. See you guys.

I promise I'll call as soon as we get there.

Okay. You better.

Are we all set?

- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah?

- I won't be long. - Okay.

I would've called, but I was afraid you might say don't come.

Anyway.

Pat, me, and the kids are leavin' McKinney

and we're gonna go try and start anew

near my folks in Georgia.

So, I just wanted to come by and say goodbye.

- Okay. - Also, Allan.

I'm sorry.

For everything that happened. I never meant...

Me, too. I'm sorry, too.

Betty and I, we were good friends.

You know, she was a--

She was a good person.

We were a lot alike in some ways. Just a

good, good person.

Anyway,

I wish you a good life, Allan.

Yeah. I wish you a good life, too.

Well.

Okay.

Bye-bye.