The Enigmatic Legacy of Don Crowder: Candy Montgomery's Fearless Defender

The Fearless Defender: Don Crowder's Unconventional Approach to Justice

Candy Montgomery's lawyer, Don Crowder, was one of the most memorable characters in Love & Death, leading to a lot of curiosity about what happened to him after the events of the Max miniseries. As shown in Love & Death episode 5, titled 'The Arrest,' Candy Montgomery went to lawyer Don Crowder when the police started accumulating viable evidence that linked her with Betty Gore's murder and hired him as her defense attorney. Although Don Crowder had no experience with criminal trials at the time, the lawyer approached the case with unmatched audaciousness despite receiving a lot of hate from the community for defending Candy.

Candy and her lawyer Don Crowder outside the courthouse surrounded by reporters in Love & Mercy

Portraying Don Crowder's intrepid demeanor in the court of law and empathy towards Candy Montgomery, Tom Pelphrey brilliantly plays the defense attorney in Love & Death. The Ozark star perfectly captures the personal trials and tribulations that Crowder had to face as a young lawyer while helping Candy win the trial. When it comes to depicting Crowder's methods, the Max series stays true to real-life events by showing how he purposefully misinformed reporters and used several other unconventional strategies to help Candy Montgomery defend her case and win the trial. This is true even until the events of Love & Death's ending.

Tom Pelphrey as Don Crowder in Love & Death

Crowder Took Unusual Approaches To Finding Candy's Motivation During The Incident. As Love & Death portrays in episode 5, Don Crowder asked Candy Montgomery to take a polygraph test before the trial, which affirmed that she was not lying about her account of the events of the murder. With what followed, Crowder asked her to visit a psychiatrist named Dr. Fred Fason, who hypnotized her to help her recall her motives during the murder. After his session with Candy Montgomery (played by Elizabeth Olsen in Love & Death), Dr. Fason confirmed that Candy struck Betty Gore 41 times in self-defense because she had a dissociative reaction during the confrontation. Crowder's unorthodox methods and efforts to defend Candy eventually paid off when after a trial of eight days, the jury acquitted Candy Montgomery of the murder.

Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery with a bloodied face in HBO's Love and Death trailer

Don Crowder Showed The Jury Candy Montgomery's Humanity. Although Don Crowder had no experience tackling criminal trials prior to becoming the Candy Mongomery lawyer the press loved to lambast, he knew enough to figure out that swaying the jury would entail showing Candy Montgomery's humanity. When Dr. Fason testified that Candy had a dissociative reaction during which 'a portion of her personality was split off from her consciousness,' this served as the foundation for Don's self-defense plea. Backed by the psychiatric analysis of Dr. Fason, which supported Candy's claim that she had no idea what she was doing, everything came together to unravel Candy's humanity in the courtroom. While it didn't convince the public that Candy is innocent, it was enough for the jury to acquit her of murder in Love & Death episode 7, 'Ssssshh'.

Candy and her supporters walking down the courthouse hall in Love & Death

The Aftermath: Don Crowder's Life Beyond the Trial

The Public Scrutiny Towards Crowder Continued. Don Crowder's wife, Carol, recalled how 'Don got death threats' after the trial, and people who they considered friends would even avoid sitting beside them during football games. However, the real Don Crowder did not let any of this hold him down. In 1986, he decided to run for Governor of Texas, and although he lost, he received 118,530 votes. Later, in 1991, Don Crowder also opened a sports bar called Gameday Sport Cafe.

The real life Allan Gore and Candy Montgomery

Unfortunately, Crowder had to shut the business down after several complications took it to the brink of bankruptcy. His business' failure affected his mental health, and he grew even more disheartened when his brother, Barry, died in a tragic accident in 1997. On November 10, 1998, Don Crowder died from suicide at the age of 56. Before his untimely demise, he recalled the Candy Montgomery trial portrayed in Love & Death, claiming (via Dallas Observer) that it 'was maybe the zenith of an extraordinarily successful career, or the demise of what could have been,' but his friend Jim Mattox disagreed by acknowledging how 'Don made his mark.'

Tom Pelphrey looking concerned in Love & Death

The Legacy of Don Crowder: A Life Remembered and Celebrated

The compelling story of Don Crowder, the attorney who fearlessly defended Candy Montgomery in a high-profile murder trial and the events that followed, is a tale of audacity, empathy, and the enduring impact of legal battles. From his unorthodox methods in the courtroom to the public scrutiny he faced, Don Crowder's legacy is an enigmatic one, filled with triumphs and tragedies. Here's a closer look at the life and career of Don Crowder, the lawyer who left an indelible mark on the legal landscape.

Don Crowder presenting his case in court in Love & Death