Murder By the Book: Candy and Betty

Pat and Candy Montgomery fled the Dallas Metroplex soon after her acquittal. At last report, they were living in the Atlanta area under Candy's maiden name, Wheeler.

Candace Montgomery

Defense attorney Don Crowder committed suicide in 1998, at age 56. He was said to be depressed after being arrested for driving while intoxicated. He shot himself at home as his wife tried to talk him out of it.

Crowder's colleague, Robert Udashen, continues to practice criminal law in the Dallas area.

Their adversary in the case, District Attorney Tom O'Connell, went on to serve another 20 years as Collin County's top prosecutor. Soon after he left office in 2002, it was revealed that he had had a long extramarital affair with a woman judge in his jurisdiction.

For his part, Allan Gore didn't waste time mourning his dead wife. He began a romantic relationship with a neighbor, Elaine Clift, within a couple of weeks of the murder. The two were married a few months after Candy's acquittal. They lived in Sachse, Texas, one town south of Wylie, then moved to the Silicon Valley, near San Jose, Calif., before divorcing.

Before the split, the stepmother had a rancorous relationship with Alisa and Bethany Gore, who told The Dallas Morning News that they were subjected to brutal treatment. In 1988, Allan Gore encouraged Betty's parents, Bob and Bertha Pomeroy, to adopt the girls. They are now aged 27 and 32. "I just wish I knew what really happened," Bethany Gore told the Dallas paper in 2000, "because nobody knows but her."

Candy is not likely to ease the grieving daughter's mind. She has never spoken publicly about the case and probably never will. Approached by The Dallas Morning News in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the murder, Candy replied, "I'm telling you in big bold letters: I'm not interested."