Husband Murders Cheating Wife after Catching Her in Bed of Best Friend

Discover the shocking true crime story of Candace “Candi” Whitmore, a Madison, Mississippi woman brutally killed by her husband’s pit bulls after a secret affair with his best friend was exposed. This chilling case involves betrayal, a mysterious burner phone, and a controversial “Penile Shame” defense that sparked nationwide debate. Join us as we uncover the tangled web of marriage, infidelity, and a deadly pack attack in this gripping episode of True Crime Case Files.


FOLLOW now to stay on the edge of your seat and become a part of our growing community of crime-solving aficionados! 

Have a true crime case you'd like to share with us? 

Contact us here: [e-mail]

We're waiting...

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Madison, Mississippi, October twenty twenty three. The air was crisp
and sweet, with the scent of burning leaves. Halloween decorations
covered porches, football games play from open garages, and neighbors
caught up in dryways. This was the kind of wealthy
suburb where secrets were supposed to stay behind closed doors.
But one October morning, everything changed. A stay at home

(00:22):
wife was found dead in her backyard, ripped apart by
her own dogs. At first, it seemed like a tragic accident,
but soon police uncovered a story of betrayal, obsession, humiliation,
and revenge. Candace Candy Whitmore was a thirty six year
old woman living in Madison, Mississippi. She and her husband
Voice owned a pretty red brick home on Peak and

(00:44):
Grove Drive in one of the town'snicer neighborhoods. Their yard
was always tidy, with trimmed hedges, cheerful seasonal flags, and
a porch full of pumpkins and mums. In October, Candy
had lived in Madison since she was a teenager. She
graduated from Madison Central High School in two thousand in
five and went to the University of Southern Mississippi for
two years before coming home to help take care of

(01:05):
her younger sister, Michelle when their mother got sick. Candy
used to work at a boutique clothing store in Ridgeland's
Renaissance shopping Center, where she managed the sales floor and
style customers. She left that job shortly after marrying Royce Whitmore,
a diesel mechanic and part time pitt bull breeder. At first,
she was excited to be a full time housewife, but

(01:27):
overtime Candy felt bored and trapped. She talked often about
wanting to start her own candle company, using local ingredients
and Southern themed names like Front Porch, Sweet Tea, and
Mississippi Bonfire. She even saved links on Pinterest and started
collecting Mason jars and blax supplies. Most days in twenty
twenty three, Candy stayed home in leggings and fuzzy socks,

(01:49):
watching Hallmark movies, scrolling TikTok, and sharing memes in Facebook
mom grooves. She was known around town for her big laugh,
her perfectly styled bob haircut, and her love for flavored
coffee creamer's, especially pumpkin spice from Coffee Mate She started
drinking whiskey around two pm each day, usually mixed with
diet dog pepper in a Yegi tumbler. Though she smiled

(02:11):
often and told friends she was fine, she often felt
lonely and forgotten. Candy and Royce had been married for
twelve years. Their marriage looked picture perfect from the outside,
but they had not shared a bed or been intimate
for nearly five years. Royce struggled with a medical condition
called Peyronie's disease, which made physical closeness difficult. Over time,

(02:32):
their relationship became more like roommates than lovers. Candy quietly
turned to fantasy, reading steamy romance novels by Joyce Lehman
and erotic fan fiction online. She especially liked stories that
paired unexpected characters in dramatic, forbidden love scenes, such as
Jake from State Farm and Flow from Progressive. In the
summer of twenty twenty three, Candy began an affair with

(02:55):
her husband's best friend, Travis Boone. The two had known
each other for years began as light flirting during cookouts
turned into something more. Candy believed Travis made her feel
seen and alive. She told a close friend in early
October that she was finally feeling butterflies again. She had
no idea her time was running out. On the morning

(03:15):
of Sunday, October fifteen, twenty twenty three, the quiet streets
of Madison, Mississippi were just starting to wake up. It
was six forty two am and the sun was barely
rising over the rooftops. Halloween decorations lined the yards, skeletons
on swings, low up ghosts, and fake tombstones that now
seemed strangely fitting. The air was cool, and a light

(03:37):
fog clung to the lawns. Erline Bishop, a sixty four
year old retired librarian, was out on her usual morning
walk with her small dog, but fluffy Shitsu named France
and Francy Lancerview's. Arline had lived on Pekin Grove Drive
for over thirty years and knew all her neighbors by name.
As she passed the Whitmore house, she noticed a strange noise,

(03:59):
low growling sounds, coming from behind the wooden privacy fence.
Curious and concerned, Arline stepped closer to the edge of
the fence and peeked through one of the slats. What
she saw stopped her in her tracks. Just a few
feet from the back porch, the body of Candace Candy
Whitmore was lying motionless in the grass. She was barely clothed,
her robe torn and stained red. Her face was so

(04:21):
damaged it could hardly be recognized. Her throat had been
ripped open, and there were deep bite marks all over
her arms and legs. Blood covered the patio, concrete and
nearby flower beds. Arline stumbled backward in shock, nearly dropping
her phone as she reached for it with trembling hands.
She managed to call nine one one, but could barely
get the words out. Her voice shook and her breathing

(04:44):
was uneven. She later told police she could still hear
the pit bulls whining behind the fence. The dogs, named Rucus, Glory, Nitro, Dozer,
and Bema, were known in the neighborhood, but were always
kept locked in their kennel. On that morning, they were
inside the yard, covered in blood, pacing nervously. Paramedics and
police arrived within minutes, blocking off the area with yellow tape.

(05:07):
A few other early rising neighbors gathered in their driveways,
confused and whispering. Some thought it was a Halloween prank.
At first, until they saw the emergency crews rush past
with stretchers and body bags. Candy's body was declared dead
at the scene. The neighborhood, usually peaceful and quiet, was
suddenly filled with flashing lights, cameras, and whispered questions. What

(05:27):
had happened behind that tall fence and why was a
woman known for scented candles and pinterest dreams now lying
dead in her own backyard. Madison police arrived at the
scene just seven minutes after earling Bishop's nine to one
one call. It was still early, around six fifty am,
and the street was filled with the flashing red and
blue lights of emergency vehicles. The responding officers quickly called

(05:51):
in their lead investigators, Detective Roland Marx and his wife,
Detective Geniine Hollis Marks. But two had worked as partners
for nearly a decade and were known for their calm
and thorough approach to even the most difficult cases. The
backyard of the Whitmore home was quiet when the detectives entered.
The five pit bulls Durrell Ruckus, James Jessica Glory Kessler,

(06:13):
Nevin Nitro Brown, Lassiter, Marvin Dozer Smith and Wally Bama
Baxter were secured by animal controls, still pacing nervously with
blood on their paws and mouths. They had been trained
as security dogs by Royce Whitmore, but they were not
normally aggressive. That made the attack even more confusing. Candy's
body was found near the back porch, close to a

(06:33):
tipped over planter full of mums. Her robe was torn
into pieces, and she was covered in deep bite wounds
more than eighty total. Her throat had been torn open,
and much of her face was too damaged to be
immediately identified. Blood covered the patio of the grass and
even splattered on the nearby garden nome. The detectives agreed
it was one of the worst scenes they had ever seen.

(06:56):
The concrete showed drag marks, suggesting Candy may have tried
to cross. The grass was torn up in several places,
and one of her slippers was found about twenty feet
from her body. There were no signs of a break in.
The back door was unlocked, but there was no forced
entry on the gay or fence. Forensics quickly noted that
the latch to the kennel had been broken, not simply open.

(07:18):
It looked like someone had tampered with it from the outside.
Investigators turned their attention to the home security system. Royce
had installed surveillance cameras months earlier, mainly to show off
the dog's training videos on social media, but that morning
all three cameras were offline. The wires had been cut
cleanly with a tool like wire cutters. The DVR box

(07:39):
inside the house was unplugged. Detectives ordered a full forensic
sweep of the property. Fingerprint kits, luminal sprays, and blood
pattern analysis tools were brought in. They also sent the
dogs to a veterinary clinic for examination. One dog had
a small cut on its leg, possibly from pushing against
the broken latch. The autopsy later confirmed Candy had died

(08:00):
from bloodloss and deep tissue trauma. Her toxicology report was clean,
no alcohol or drugs in her system at the time
of death. Nothing in her bloodstream explained why she might
have been outside so early in the morning in only
a row, facing five unleashed dogs. Royce Whitmore, thirty eight,
was the first person police looked at in the investigation.

(08:21):
He was the husband of the victim, Candice Candy Whitmore,
and had lived with her in the same home on
Pekin Grove Drive for over a decade. The couple had
been married for twelve years. Royce worked full time as
a diesel mechanic at a local truck service shop in Ridgeland.
On the side, he ran a small business breeding and
training pitbulls. Some of the dogs had even been sold
to local police departments for use as security animals. People

(08:44):
in Madison described Royce as serious, private and not very talkative.
He liked keeping things neat, especially a long which he
mowed twice a week. On weekends, he often watched football
in his garage with the dogs nearby. Royce had struggled
for years with a medical condition called Peyroni's disease, which
causes painful curve and scaring in the pennace. This condition

(09:05):
made intimacy hard and left Royce feeling embarrassed and withdrawn
even from his own wife. Friend said he didn't like
talking about emotions or problems. When police questioned Royce the
morning of the attack, he was calm but distant. He
said he had been asleep in the guest room during
the time of the incident. Royce claimed he woke up
to the sound of sirens and had no idea what
had happened to his wife. He told police he thought

(09:28):
maybe Candy had let the dogs out by mistake, or
that they had gotten out on their own, But investigators
quickly found holes in Royce's story. For one, the security
cameras around the house were all turned off. They had
been unplugged from the inside, and the wires outside had
been snipped. Royce admitted to setting up the cameras himself
just a few months earlier. When asked why they were off,

(09:49):
he said he had been trying to fix them, but
couldn't explain why that happened to be the same night
as wife died. Forensic experts found that the latch on
the dog kennel had been broken in a way that
suggested human tampering. It wasn't the kind of damage the
dogs could do on their own. Also, police found no
evidence of forced entry anywhere on the property. The back

(10:10):
door was unlocked, and there was no sign of a
break in. Neighbors later told police that Royce and Candy
had been fighting more than usual in the weeks before
her death. Candy had even slept at a friend's house
one weekend in late September. Police also discovered that Royce
had found out about Candy's affair with his best friend,
Travis Boone, just five days earlier. Witnesses said Royce had

(10:31):
seemed upset and withdrawn afterward, but not violent. Despite Royce's
calm behavior, detectives grew suspicious his story didn't line up
with the physical evidence. The cameras, the kennel, the timing,
and the broken marriage all pointed to something darker. Though
he kept saying he didn't know what happened, police believed
Royce wasn't telling the full truth. Travis Boone, aged forty,

(10:54):
was a longtime friend of Royce Whitmore. The two men
had known each other since they were kids, growing up
on the same same block in Madison, Mississippi. Travis worked
as a roofing contractor and had a reputation in town
for being a hard worker but also a bit of
a lady's man. He had been divorced twice, both times
due to problems with cheating and drinking. Neighbors said he
was friendly but didn't stay in one place for long.

(11:16):
He moved around often and didn't keep steady relationships. In
the months leading up to Candy Woodmer's death, police learned
that Travis and Candy were having a secret affair. They
had been together for about six months. The relationship began
after Candy called Travis to help fix a leaking toilet
in her bathroom. That meeting turned into something more, and
soon they were meeting up in secret whenever Royce was

(11:39):
at work or out with the dogs. Text messages pulled
from Candy's phone showed flirtatious and romantic conversations between her
and Travis. Some messages included details about sneaking around, including
visits while Royce was doing late night training with the dogs.
Just five days before Candy was mauled death, Royce had
come home early from work and caught the two of

(11:59):
them them in bed together. That moment caused a huge argument.
Police records showed that Royce had called nine to one
one to report a domestic disturbance, but no arrests were made.
Candy refused to press charges, and Travis had left the
house before officers arrived. That confrontation became a major turning
point in the investigation. When police brought Travis in for

(12:20):
questioning after Candy's death, he appeared nervous but agreed to talk.
He admitted to the affair and told detectives that Candy
was unhappy in her marriage. He described Royce as distant
and cold, especially after developing health issues that affected his
intimate life. Travis claimed that Candy needed attention and love
and that their affair just happened naturally. He denied ever

(12:43):
hurting her and said he would never have let anything
happen to her. Travis had a solid alibi. On the
morning of the attack, he was working a roofing job
in Brandon, Mississippi, about thirty minutes away from the Whitmore home.
His boss and two coworkers confirmed that he was on
site from six forty five until the job ended around
three o'clock PMGPS data from his phone also placed him

(13:05):
at the job site during the time of the attack.
He had clocked in using a job app connected to
his roofing company's scheduling system. Surveillance video from a gas
station near the site showed him stopping for coffee around
six thirty am and buying a bottle of gatorade and
a sausage biscuit. Despite his connection to Candy and the
recent fight with Royce, investigators found no physical evidence linking

(13:27):
Travis to the crime scene. There were no fingerprints, footprints,
or DNA belonging to him found anywhere near the dog's
kennel or the backyard patio. Still, the affair and the
timing made him a person of interest. On the chili
fog covered morning of October eighteen, twenty twenty three, just
three days after Candy Whitmer's brutal death, investigators searching Royce

(13:48):
Whitmer's black Dodge Ram pickup made a major discovery. Hidden
underneath the passenger seat was a cheap, prepaid flip phone,
commonly called a burner phone. It wasn't connected to any
known account and had no contact name, saved, just a
short list of text messages, But one of those texts
changed the direction of the investigation entirely. The last message

(14:09):
sent from that phone was short. It said meet me
out back one last time. It was signed with just
the letter T. The timestamps showed the message had been
sent around eleven thirty six pm on the night of
October fourteen, only hours before Candy's body was found near
the back porch. Police were already suspicious that Candy had
gone outside willingly and hadn't been dragged this message gave

(14:31):
them a possible reason why. At first, detectives thought the
message had really come from Travis Boone, Candy's secret lover,
but when they traced the Burner phone's purchase history, they
learned something shocking. Store security footage from the Dollar General
on Ridgewood Avenue in Lakeland showed Royce Whitmore himself buying
the phone with cash two days before the murder. He

(14:52):
wore a dark hoodie and kept his head down, but
investigators could clearly identify him from his tattoos and block.
Digital forensics all also revealed that the Burner phone had
been turned on only a few times, and each time
it had pinned from towers near the Woodmore home. No
calls had been made from it, just two short texts,
including the one to Candy. The new evidence made police

(15:13):
look harder at Royce's behavior that weekend. He had claimed
to be asleep during the time of Candy's death, but
now it looked like he had used the phone to
trick her. The message was carefully written to sound like
it came from Travis. That meant Royce may have tried
to lure Candy outside, possibly hoping the dogs would attack
her or to make her vulnerable to something else. The
fact that he used a burner phone and pretended to

(15:35):
be someone else raised red flags. Investigators believed it showed
planning and deception, not panic. It also showed motive, jealousy,
and betrayal. Royce had caught Candy with Travis just days earlier,
now it appeared he may have been trying to punish
her for it. Police continued to gather digital records and
review security footage, but the discovery of the burner phone

(15:55):
turned Royce from a grieving husband into the lead suspect
in his wife's savage Jeath Sharon Boone was thirty five
years old in October twenty twenty three. She was known
in her Mississippi community as a fit, energetic personal trainer
who taught early morning classes at Crunch Fitness and often
posted workoup tips on Instagram and TikTok. But behind her

(16:16):
strong social media presence, Sharon had a complicated personal life.
She was the wife of Travis Boone and the former
sorority sister of Candy Whitmore. Both women had attended the
University of Mississippi or Old miss where they joined Delta Gamma.
During their college years. Back then, they were close friends,
always seen together at football tailgates, formals, and campus events.

(16:39):
Over time, their friendship became strained. According to old classmates,
there were rumors about jealousy and secrets between the two,
but no one expected the truth to be as tangled
as it turned out to be. Sharon and Travis had
been married for five years by twenty twenty three, and
they lived in a stylish three bedroom home in Flowood
just outside Jackson. Neighbors said they're marriage, which looked happy

(17:00):
from the outside, though Travis had a reputation for flirting
and late nights at bars like nix DB's and Dogma Tavern.
In fact, Travis had been having a secret affair with
Candy for several months, something Sharon didn't publicly know, but
would later admit she suspected. When Candy was found dead,
police began looking closely at Sharon. She had both motive

(17:21):
and history. After checking Candy's phone records, they discovered a
series of anonymous messages sent to her in the weeks
before her death. These messages were odd, written like poems,
but with sharp and motional language. One read like a
love letter, another hinted at betrayal and revenge. Detectives traced
the messages back to a burner app connected to a
fitness tablet Sharon used. Under questioning, Sharon finally admitted to

(17:46):
sending the messages. She told police she had been in
love with Candy since college, but had never told anyone,
not even Travis. Sharon said she had been hurt by
Candy's affair with her husband and felt betrayed by both
of them, but she denied having any anything to do
with the murder. At the time of the crime, Sharon
was out of town. She had been attending a woman's
yoga retreat in Biloxi, about three hours south of Jackson.

(18:10):
Investigators confirmed her alibi through hotel records, witness statements, and
timestamped photos on her phone and social media. Sharon remained
emotional during interviews, but stuck to her story. In the end,
police found no direct evidence tying her to the scene
of the crime. On the morning of October twenty, twenty
twenty three, at exactly eight thirty two am, police moved

(18:31):
in to arrest Royce Whitmore at his job site in Ridgeland,
where he was working on a diesel engine. Officers approached
calmly and placed him in handcuffs as curious coworkers watched.
Royce did not resist arrest. He looked pale and quiet,
showing no real surprises police writing his rights detectives had
finally put the puzzle together. They believed that after finding

(18:51):
out about Candy's affair with Travis Boone, Royce went into
a silent, simmering rage. In his mind, her cheating was
more than just of betrayal. It was a deep humiliation.
He felt that she had laughed at him behind his back,
and he blamed his Peyroney's disease for destroying their marriage
and making him feel less of a man. Police believed
Royce carefully planned what happened next. He took apart the

(19:14):
dog kennel latch and altered it so it would fail.
Then he cut the wires to the security cameras outside
the house and unplugged the d yard box inside, making
sure no one could see what would happen. Using the
Berner phone he had bought a dollar general, he sent
Candy a text late that night, pretending to be Travis.
He told her to me even outside for one final talk.

(19:34):
When Candy stepped into the back yard in her robe,
expecting to see Travis. The dogs were already free. They
attacked as a pack trained for guarding and protection. They
responded to any threat or sudden movement, and once Candy
started to scring, their instincts stok over. She never had
a chance to escape. Royce later told police he had
only meant to scare Candy to show her who was

(19:56):
still in control. He claimed he didn't think the dogs
would actually kill her, only frighten her into respecting him again.
But the wounds on Candy's body showed no mercy, and
the dogs had acted as a deadly pack. When police
brought Royce to the station, he remained calm, He did
not shed a tear, and he answered most questions quietly.
Investigators explained how they had tracked down the Berner phone,

(20:19):
the broken kennel latch, and the cut security wires. Faced
with so much evidence, Royce did not deny his role
in what happened, though he still insisted he never planned
for Candy to die. Candy's family, including her younger sister
Michel and her elderly father Tom, were crushed when they
heard about Royce's arrest. They had trusted him as a
son in law for more than a decade and could

(20:40):
hardly believe he could be capable of such a cold plan.
The neighbors on Peak and Grove Drive were also in shock.
They had seen the Whitmores as just another suburban couple,
never suspecting something so dark could happen behind that neat,
red brick house. The trial of Royce Whitmore began in
late October twenty twenty four at the Harrison County Court Housing, Gulport, Mississippi.

(21:01):
The case quickly gained national attention. Local TV stations like
w o X covered at daily, and online true crime
forums lit up with debate. The courtroom was packed with
reporters from outlets like Dadline, NBC, and Court TV attending
the opening statements. Assistant District Attorney Leona Bramwell forty two
let the prosecution, known for her calm presence in tough

(21:24):
courtroom style, she described Royce's actions as cold and calculated.
She presented surveillance footage from nearby homes, data from Royce's
burner phone, and text records. She also showed how Royce
had tampered with the dog kennel to release the aggressive
dogs and left the back door unlocked, setting up what
she called a premeditated ambush. The defense, led by sixty

(21:45):
one year old attorney Gregory Voss, took a very different approach.
Voss introduced a controversial strategy that caught many off guard.
He called it the penal shamed defense. According to Vas,
Royce's long battle with Peirone's disease caused in serious emotional problems.
He said, the condition, known to affect physical intimacy and
self esteem, left Royce's feeling like less of a man.

(22:08):
That feeling, the defense said, turned into deep shame, anger,
and emotional pain when he found out Candy was cheating
on him. The defense brought in psychologists who had worked
with Royce. They testified that his condition led to anxiety, depression,
and social withdrawal. One expert even said Royce had become
invisible in his own marriage and suffered a psychotic break

(22:29):
triggered by the affair. They also pointed to the fact
that he didn't use a weapon, but instead used the
dogs to scare Candy, not kill her. The courtroom was
tense during closing arguments. Families on both sides sat in silence.
Reporters typed away live posting every word on platforms like
x formerly Twitter. When the jury returned after three hours

(22:51):
of deliberation, the entire room held its breath. The verdict
came as a shock. Royce was not found guilty of murder. Instead,
the jury convicted him of manslaughter, deciding that while his
actions led to Candy's death, they were not carried out
with the intent to kill. The judge sentenced him to
eleven years in prison, with the possibility of parole after

(23:12):
six years. He was taken into custody immediately. Many in
the courtroom, including Candy's family, were upset by the decision.
Some felt the sentence was too light, and others worried
about what kind of message the defense strategy sent, But
the verdicts stood. By the end of October twenty twenty three,
Royce Whitmore was serving his sentence at the Mississippi State

(23:33):
Penitentiary and Parkman. The case continued to make headlines across
social media and YouTube, where users debated whether justice had
truly been served. By October of twenty twenty four, nearly
a year after the trial ended, life for those involved
in the case had taken very different paths. Royce Whitmore
was serving his sentence at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also

(23:55):
known as Parchman Farm. The prison, located near Sunflower, Mississippi,
is one of the oldest in the country. Royce's time
there marked a sharp contrast from his previous life on
Peak and Grove Drive. His days were now filled with
strict routines, limited contact with the outside world, and the
ongoing reality of his manslaughter conviction. Parole boards were set

(24:15):
to review his case after six years, but the emotional
wounds in the community remained fresh. Meanwhile, Sharon Boone's life
had taken a surprising turn after her husband, Travis Boone,
divorced her in the wake of the scandal. Sharon inherited
all of his assets, including the Flowood home and several vehicles.
The divorce was finalized quietly in early twenty twenty four,

(24:36):
drawing little attention compared to the media storm surrounding the
murder case. Shortly after the divorce, Sharon moved to the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. She launched a wellness and healing retreat
called the Wild Magnolia Project, located near Biloxi. The retreat
became a gathering spot for women seeking mindfulness and recovery
through yoga, meditation, and group therapy sessions. Sharon's social media

(25:00):
accounts began to fill with photos of peaceful sunsets, magnolia blossoms,
and the calming waters of the Gulf. She hosted women's
healing circles under the full Moon, a ritual that drew
participants from across the South. Strangely, those close to the
project noted that Sharon often wore a perfume that once
belonged to Candy Whitmore. The scent, described as light and floral,

(25:23):
became a signature fragrance at the retreat. Some participants said
Sharon seemed to whisper Candy's name during guided meditations, adding
an eerie but touching dimension to the gatherings. For many,
the retreat offered healing and closure in a story marked
by betrayal and loss. Friends and family of Candy struggled
to move forward. Her younger sister, Michelle Whitmore, became involved

(25:46):
in local advocacy groups focused on domestic violence and mental
health awareness. Michele spoke at community centers and schools around Madison,
pushing for better support systems for women in troubled relationships.
Travis Boone kept a low profile after the divorce. His
roofing business continued, but with fewer contracts in Madison. Some

(26:06):
neighbors said he moved away from the area altogether, seeking
a fresh start away from the painful memories of the past.
The murder of Candice Whitmore and the complicated fallout remained
a topic of discussion in Madison and beyond. It was
a story that revealed the hidden struggles behind closed doors,
a reminder of how betrayal, shame, and pain can ripple
through families and communities long after the headline's fade in Madison, Mississippi.

(26:30):
A story that began with love and laughter ended in
blood and betrayal. In a town where everything looked perfect,
one woman searched for passion and one man's deep shame
turned deadly. This was not just a case of murder.
It was a case of secrets too big to hide.
And in true crime case files, that's what we do.
We tell the stories behind the headlines, no matter how dark.