Jacques Mossler started his career by lending money to children on playgrounds, then worked as an auto mechanic, sold cars, and eventually entered the financial sector. By the mid-1940s, Jacques headed approximately 40 banks, insurance companies, and financial firms across many cities.

Despite being a powerful financier and entrepreneur, Jacques received less attention than his beautiful blonde wife, who was 25 years younger.

Candy had been married before meeting Jacques. After her divorce, she moved to New York with her two children and worked as a toothpaste model. Only about six months after Candy met Jacques, the two married.

After their wedding in 1949, Candy and Jacques, along with their six children from previous relationships, moved into a 28-room mansion in Houston. Candy quickly became a prominent figure in high society, frequently hosting receptions attended by famous artists, and participating in social, cultural, and charitable activities.

Candy and Jacques Mossler in a photo taken in the early 1950s. Photo: Texas Monthly

The dark side of the marriage

Candy and Jacques's marriage initially seemed happy, but over time, many problems arose, and they gradually grew apart. When Jacques was murdered in 1964, they had already separated.

During the investigation, Candy told police she believed her husband had concealed his sexual orientation. Candy claimed she had heard rumors that Jacques would pick up young men at the beach and bring them home. Candy suggested that if Jacques was not murdered by one of his many business rivals, the killer might have been one of his secret lovers.

However, Jacques might not have been the only one hiding secrets. Investigators soon uncovered rumors that Candy was having an affair with Melvin Lane Powers, a 22-year-old handsome and muscular salesman.

Melvin moved in with the Mossler family at the suggestion of his mother, Babe, Candy's sister. She hoped that living with his wealthy aunt and uncle would help Melvin get back on track after serving a three-month prison sentence for fraud.

Instead, Melvin and Candy developed romantic feelings, writing passionate love letters to each other and allegedly engaging in intimate relations at the family mansion and other Mossler properties.

In 1962, Jacques contracted a respiratory infection and spent most of his time in Europe or Key Biscayne, Florida, for treatment. His frequent absences gave Candy and Melvin more time together.

While Melvin lived on the family estate, Jacques hired him as a loan collector for one of his companies. Things changed in 1963 when a servant allegedly informed Jacques about the secret affair between the aunt and nephew. Jacques fired Melvin and had security personnel escort him off the estate.

Murder in the apartment

After discovering his wife's infidelity, Jacques considered divorce but ultimately abandoned the idea. According to their prenuptial agreement, if Jacques initiated the divorce, he could lose half of his assets. If Candy initiated it, she would only receive 200,000 USD.

Jacques also wanted to avoid negative publicity from a public divorce. Ultimately, he chose separation, providing his wife with a monthly allowance and spending time at his luxurious apartment in Key Biscayne.

Despite their separation, Candy publicly maintained that her marriage to Jacques was still good. She even brought the children to Florida to visit Jacques during their summer vacation. During the trip, the children played on the beach, while Candy complained of migraines and repeatedly visited a nearby hospital for pain injections.

In the early morning of 30/6/1964, Candy stated she needed to mail a letter and left the apartment with her children. She stopped at a hotel to mail the letter, then took the children to a hamburger restaurant. At the hospital, she received an injection for her headache. Around 4:30 h, she and her children returned to the apartment.

When they entered, Jacques lay on the living room floor, covered by a blanket. The 69-year-old millionaire had been struck on the head with a blunt object and stabbed 39 times in the chest with a long-bladed knife.

The lover's suspicious movements

After discovering evidence of the illicit relationship between the aunt and nephew, detectives traveled to Houston to interrogate Melvin.

The investigation revealed that Melvin had arrived in Miami the afternoon before Jacques's murder and visited a bar not far from the Key Biscayne apartment.

Several neighbors reported seeing a man leave Jacques's apartment and drive away in a white Chevrolet. This car was later believed to match the vehicle Candy had rented for Melvin's use during his trip to Miami.

Melvin's fingerprints were also found inside Jacques's home, though there was no way to determine precisely when they were left. In addition to the fingerprints, investigators discovered bloodstains in the rented car.

The day after the murder, Melvin boarded a plane back to Houston. Investigators later found the clothes Melvin wore during his Miami trip, and bloodstains were present on them.

This evidence was sufficient for Candy and Melvin to be arrested for Jacques's murder.

A controversial trial

The case became a sensational news story across the United States. The trial, which garnered significant public interest, began in Miami in 1966, with dozens of reporters awaiting the latest developments in the courtroom.

The defense portrayed Jacques as a ruthless businessman with deviant sexual desires.

Candy, led by renowned lawyer Percy Foreman, was depicted as an angelic figure incapable of wrongdoing. She wore all white on her first day in court, exuding a movie star persona as she waved to fans outside the courthouse, gently wiping her nose with a handkerchief during the proceedings.

Candy Mossler entering the Miami courthouse in 1966. Photo: Texas Monthly

The prosecution argued that the two defendants not only had an illicit affair but also coldly planned and executed Jacques's murder to inherit his fortune. According to this argument, Candy was the mastermind, and Melvin, infatuated with his lover, was tasked with doing the dirty work.

The prosecution also presented four witnesses who claimed Candy and Melvin had previously asked them to kill Jacques. However, the testimony of this group quickly became a weakness for the case, as all four had criminal pasts. One of them, Billy Frank Mulvey, claimed Melvin had confessed the murder to him when they shared a jail cell. But this detail made the testimony even less convincing to the jury.

The defense also highlighted gaps in the evidence. 26 unidentified fingerprints were found in the apartment, while an unidentified strand of hair was found in Jacques's hand. These details were used to argue that investigators could not definitively determine who was with the victim at the time of his murder.

When deliberations began on 3/3/1966, the jury was nearly split among three possibilities: conviction, undecided, and acquittal. The members then requested to re-hear testimony related to fingerprints and the accounts of neighbors. After reviewing this content, the hesitant members shifted their support towards acquittal.

The trial, which captivated headlines, concluded as the acquitted couple kissed and then drove away in a convertible.

Candy Mossler and Melvin Lane Powers smiling at each other as they leave the courthouse in a convertible with their lawyer. Photo: United Press International

After the trial, Candy and Melvin remained together for about one year before separating. Candy attributed the split to her nephew's jealousy and anger management issues, while Melvin blamed the age difference.

Jacques left one million USD to each of his children, but Candy ultimately inherited the majority of his 33 million USD estate.

In 1971, Candy remarried. About one year later, her second husband suffered severe brain damage after a mysterious fall outside their home. They subsequently divorced.

Candy passed away in 1976 at a Miami hotel after being treated for migraines. The forensic conclusion cited that she died from asphyxiation while lying face down in a heavily sedated state.

Melvin later pursued a career in real estate, never married, and passed away in 2010.

No one else was prosecuted in Jacques's murder. To this day, the millionaire's death remains an unsolved case.

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