How Did Candy’s Lawyer Don Crowder Die? Who was Don Crowder? Lets find out answers for all these questions. With Hulu’s ‘Candy,’ which revisits Betty Gore’s 1980 death at the hands of Candace “Candy” Lynn Montgomery, all the highs and lows of the case are being highlighted once more. These contain everything from the victim’s and accused’s personal experiences to the important roles their families and lawyers played, both inside and outside the courtroom.
So, if you’re curious about Candy’s ever-passionate attorney Don Crowder, and specifically what happened to him after this infamous suit, here’s what we know.
Recommended: Betty Gore Murder: Why Did Candy Montgomery Kill Her?
Don Crowder: Who Was He?
Don Crowder could only be defined as motivated and empathetic, almost always achieving the objectives he set for himself with his acute (but sometimes overzealous) eyes. While playing football at Southern Methodist University (on a full athletic scholarship), he gained the nickname “Crazy Crowder,” which lasted with him even after he returned to law after an eye injury.
That’s when he realised he felt as at ease in court as he did on the football field or at home, prompting him to devote his undivided focus to it while keeping his family pleased.
Don founded a legal company with former classmate Jim Mattox and seasoned attorney John Allen Curtis in 1970, where he mostly handled personal injury claims. He did, however, achieve a great deal of success, as seen by his lifestyle and the large gifts he made to the United Methodist Church of Lucas, which is why congregant Candy Montgomery approached him in 1980.
Don had never been close to a murder case before, much less tried a claim of self-defense to this extent, but he didn’t hesitate since he understood all he needed was a little planning and faith. His choice to recruit the advice of psychiatrists, put Candy on the stand to explain her side of the story, and his theatrics (despite landing him in jail for four days owing to contempt of court) all contributed to her final acquittal.
Is Don Crowder Alive or Dead? How Did He Die?
Don was praised and despised as a result of his true belief in Candy’s innocence, but he refused to allow anything to stop him from pursuing his own goals. He ran for governor in 1986, grew his practise as far as he could, and even pushed his children to pursue law careers by mentoring one of them. In 1991, he also founded Gameday, a sports bar in Plano, Texas.
However, after Gameday shuttered its doors six years later and Don lost his brother in an accidental self-shooting in August 1997, he turned to alcohol for comfort, which drastically changed his life. His rage, melancholy, and purported undiagnosed bipolar disorder (as played by Ral Esparza in the Hulu original) got the best of him, culminating in a tense second marriage as well as a DWI on June 21, 1998.
As a result, the man who had always been full of life began talking about suicide as if it were a common topic of conversation, only to commit suicide on November 10, 1998. Despite his wife’s best efforts to talk him out of it through a door, the 56-year-old shot himself once in the head, feeling that everyone would be better off without him.
“I love you,” he said as part of his final words to her. Remember that no one will ever love you as much as I have… Please accept my apologies.”
Stream ‘Candy’ episodes on Hulu.
