10. Bethany and Alisa Gore
Bethany and Alisa are the daughters of Betty and Allan Gore. Bethany was present at the home during the incident.
Bethany and Alisa Gore, daughters of Betty and Allan Gore, were deeply affected by their mother’s brutal murder by Candy Montgomery in June 1980 in Wylie, Texas. Bethany, an infant at the time, was left unattended in her crib, while Alisa, around five, was at Montgomery’s home. After the tragedy, the sisters were raised by their maternal grandparents in Norwich, Kansas, as Allan lost custody. Despite their traumatic past, both have built fulfilling lives, maintaining privacy while honoring their mother’s memory. Their story, depicted in Hulu’s “Candy” and HBO’s “Love & Death,” reflects the enduring impact of violent crime on young lives.
What is known about the current lives of Alisa and Bethany Gore?
Alisa Gore, now known as Lisa Harder, lives in Kansas with her husband, Jonn Harder, and their two sons, Sam and Jacob. She works as a Business Controller at Koch Engineered Solutions and raises pigs on a rural farm. Lisa graduated from Norwich High in 1992 and earned an accounting degree from Kansas State University. She occasionally shares reflections about her mother on social media, blending humor and emotion. Bethany Gore, an assistant principal at Coral Academy of Science in Las Vegas, followed her mother’s path as an educator after graduating from Wichita State University. Married to Chad Mickey, she has three children—Josie, Betty (named after her mother), and Henry. Both sisters maintain contact with their father, Allan, via Facebook, though their relationship was strained after their move to Kansas.
What happened to Betty and Allan Gore’s daughters after the murder incident?
After Betty Gore’s murder, Alisa and Bethany were placed in the care of their maternal grandparents, Bertha and Bob Pomeroy, in Norwich, Kansas, following Allan Gore’s loss of custody. Allan remarried soon after, but his second marriage ended, and the sisters grew up estranged from him, though recent social media suggests a cordial connection. The move to Kansas marked a significant shift in their family dynamics, with the grandparents providing stability amidst the media frenzy surrounding Candy Montgomery’s trial. The sisters’ upbringing in their mother’s hometown offered a sense of continuity but was shaped by the lingering trauma of their loss.
How did the Gore family cope with the aftermath of the tragic event?
The Gore family faced immense challenges coping with Betty’s murder. Alisa and Bethany, thrust into public attention due to the case’s sensational nature, navigated grief under media scrutiny. Raised by their grandparents, they sought privacy and normalcy, relying on each other for support. Both have reflected on the difficulty of growing up without their mother and the betrayal by a family friend, with Bethany noting in a 2000 interview that their mother would be proud of their resilience. The family, including Betty’s brothers, expressed frustration over Montgomery’s acquittal, viewing it as an injustice. Despite this, Alisa and Bethany built lives focused on family and career, demonstrating strength in healing from their traumatic past.
How did the murder of Betty Gore impact the lives of Alisa and Bethany?
The murder of Betty Gore profoundly shaped Alisa and Bethany’s lives. Alisa, around five, and Bethany, one, faced psychological scars from the violent loss, with Bethany left alone for nearly 13 hours in her crib. The public trial and media exposure complicated their grief, impacting their sense of trust and relationships. Raised by their grandparents after Allan lost custody, they experienced a disrupted family structure. As adults, both have grappled with their mother’s absence, with Bethany imagining a different life had Betty lived. Their resilience is evident in their careers and families, though the trauma continues to influence their private lives.
