Elizabeth Anne Broderick—November 7, 1947—an American former suburban housewife, was convicted of murdering her ex-husband, Daniel T. Broderick, and his second wife, Linda (Kolkena) Broderick, on November 5, 1989. She was convicted in a second trial on two counts of second-degree murder and later sentenced to 32-years-to-life in prison. Receiving extensive media attention and extremely controversial, there were several books written on Broderick case as well as a made-for-TV movie told in two parts.
Early Life
Elizabeth Anne Bisceglia was born in 1947 where she grew up in a New York City suburb called Eastchester. She was the third of six children born to devout Roman Catholic parents, Marita (nee Curtin) (1919-2007) and Frank Bisceglia (1915-1998). Broderick's father owned a successful plastering business with his relatives. Broderick's mother was Irish-American and her father, an Italian-American. Broderick's parents were strict and expected a lot from their children. Betty recalls that she was trained at an early age to act as a housewife from birth, "go to Catholic schools, be careful with dating until you find a Catholic man, support him while he works, be blessed in your later years with beautiful grandchildren." Broderick's Catholic upbringing was bolstered by 1950 economic conditions when parents could rely on a son or son-in-law being able to support their wife and children on their own income.
Broderick graduated in 1965 from Eastchester High School and later from College of Mount Saint Vincent, a small Catholic women's college in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, majoring in early childhood education, earning a degree through an accelerated program. Broderick was also able to earn a minor in English as well.
Broderick (nee Biscelglia) met her future husband, Dan Broderick in 1965 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Daniel Broderick, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the eldest son of a large Catholic family akin to the Biscelglias and his parents were Irish immigrants. Betty Biscelglia and Dan Broderick were married on April 12, 1969 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe. After their honeymoon, Broderick learned she was pregnant with their first child, a daughter, Kim (b. 1970). Broderick had four more children: a daughter, Lee (b. 1971), two sons, Daniel (b. 1976) and Rhett (b. 1979), and an unnamed boy who died two days after birth.
Marriage Breakdown
Dan Broderick completed his M.D. degree at Cornell University after his daughter, Kim, was born. Combining his medical expertise with a J.D. degree, he enrolled at Harvard Law School. This caused Betty to be the main provider for the family, supporting the family while Dan attended law school with the aid of a student loan. An attractive prospect for many firms with his medicine and law degree, he was quickly hired by a law firm in San Diego, California and the family moved to the community of Coral Reef. Betty continued working part-time selling Tupperware and Avon while devoting her time to the children. Dan worked to build his business reputation. Specializing in medical malpractice cases. This allowed Dan to support the family entirely on his own and allowed Betty to be a stay-at-home mother and focusing for caring for their children and housewife. Dan hired 21-year-old Linda Kolkena (1961-1989) in the fall of 1982. She was terminated from her job as a stewardess at Delta Airlines where she decided to seek work as a paralegal to be Dan's legal assistant. Kolkena was Dutch descent from a large, close-knit family.
In October 1983, Betty suspected that Dan was cheating on her with his legal assistant, Linda. Dan denied engaging in extramarital relations with Linda, he told Betty she was "crazy." The marriage eventually broke down and against Betty's wishes, Dan moved out in February 1985. He bought his own home and took custody of their children after Betty dumped them, one by one, on Dan's doorstep. Dan later confessed that Betty was right and he had been having an affair with Linda since January 1983, leading to a hostile divorce case. Broderick vs. Broderick was an infamous divorce, raising legal issues involving women who worked while putting their husbands through graduate and professional schools.
Four years after being finalized, Betty began exhibiting violent and irrational behavior. Retaining custody of their children, albeit for non-financial reasons, as he was taking care of them for some time. During this time, Betty was leaving obscene and profanity-laden messages on Dan's answering machine. Betty ignored the numerous restraining orders forbidding her from Dan's property; she vandalized his new home and drove her car into the front door of their home with her children home at the time.
Dan and Linda were married on April 22, 1989, despite Linda being concerned about Betty's irrational behavior. She even suggested Dan wear a bulletproof vest to their nuptials. Betty did not appear at her ex-husband's second wedding to Linda and the wedding proceeded without incident. However, after the wedding, Betty claimed that Linda taunted her by sending facial cream and slimming treatment adverts by mail.
The Murders
Eight months later, Betty bought a Smith & Wesson revolver—seven months after Dan and Linda married—Broderick drove to Dan's house at 1041 Cypress Avenue in the Marston Hills neighborhood near Balboa Park in San Diego. Using a key Betty had stolen from her daughter Lee, Broderick entered the house while Dan and Linda slept, and shot them execution-style at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, 1989, two days before Betty's 42nd birthday. Two bullets hit Linda in the head and chest, killing her instantly. One bullet hit Dan in the chest as he apparently reached for the phone. One bullet hit the wall and one, the nightstand. Dan was 44, just 17 days shy of his 45th birthday, and Linda was 28.
Evidence worked against Betty at her trial as facts showed she removed a phone/answering machine, preventing Dan from seek medical help. Medical evidence showed Dan didn't die right away, where Betty admitted he had spoken to her after she shot him. His last words to her, "Okay you shot me. I'm dead."
Broderick turned herself into police after contacting her daughter, Lee and her boyfriend. She never denied pulling the trigger five times. Broderick explained at both her trials that she never planned on killing Dan and Linda and that the crime was not pre-meditated. Broderick's account of the murders at her second trial was that she was startled by Linda's screams, "Call the police!" where she immediately fired the gun.
Linda and Dan are listed as buried together at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego.
Trials
Betty Broderick was represented by Jack Early and prosecuted by Kery Wells for the State of California. Early's defense was that Broderick was a battered wife, claiming that she was driven over the edge by years of psychological, physical, and mental abuse by her ex-husband. Wells portrayed Broderick as a murderer who planned and schemed to kill her ex-husband, arguing that Broderick was not a battered woman. Broderick was getting $16,000 a month in alimony in addition to the salary she earned working at an art gallery. She also lived in a $650,000 La Jolla beach-front property which Dan bought for her, two cars, and living with her boyfriend at the time of the murders, as well as two of her children living with her.
Dr. Park Dietz, testifying for the prosecution, used Dr. Melvin Goldzband's analysis, who previously worked on the case for prosecution, that Broderick had histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders.
Broderick's first trial ended with a hung jury when two jurors wanted manslaughter, citing lack of intent. Judge Thomas J. Whelan declared a mistrial and Broderick was retried a year later with the same defense attorney and prosecutor. The second trial essentially a replay of the first, Wells as successful the second time when the jury came back with two counts of second-degree murder. Broderick was sentenced to two consecutive 15-years-to-life plus two years for illegal use of a firearm—the maximum under the law. She is currently incarcerated since the day she committed the murders
Broderick is serving her sentence at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California. Her first parole hearing in January 2010 was denied by the Board of Parole Hearings because she didn't show remorse or acknowledge wrongdoing, in November 2011, and January 2017. Broderick is not eligible for parole until January 2032.
In Popular Culture
An article about Broderick written by Amy Wallace in the LA Times Magazine, led to the 2-part television film "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" and "Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, The Last Chapter" (1992). Meredith Baxter Birney portrayed Betty and Stephen Collins portrayed Dan. Baxter received an Emmy Award nomination for the portrayal of Broderick.
The murders were also aired in season 4 episode of Deadly Women, "Til Death Do Us Part."
Broderick's story was dramatized across the United States before and after the trials. Broderick was granted numerous television and magazine interviews and even appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show twice, Hard Copy, 20/20, and Headliners and Legends.
Four books were written about Broderick's story: Until the Twelfth of Never: The Deadly Divorce of Dan and Betty Broderick (1993) by Bella Stumbo; Until the Twelfth of Never: Should Betty Broderick Ever Be Free? (2013), also by Bella Stumbo; Forsaking All Others: The Real Betty Broderick Story (1993) by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel; Hell Hath No Fury (1992) by Bryna Taubman. Broderick was also interviewed by Ladies Home Journal and many other magazines.
In 1991, the drama, Law & Order aired the episode "The Wages of Love" that was inspired by the murder and trial that followed. Guest star Shirley Knight was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Karen Kilgariff covered the Broderick case in the episode 103 of My Favorite Murder, which was recorded live in San Diego.
Court Cases
In addition to the homicides of Dan and Linda Broderick, Betty Broderick was involved in numerous other court cases:
· Property damage case filed by Dan and Betty Broderick on October 1, 1975
· Personal injury (auto) case filed against Betty Broderick on April 20, 1989
· Double homicide case filed March 23, 1990
· Civil complaint filed by Betty Broderick on June 28, 1990
· Wrongful death suit against Betty Broderick filed on November 2, 1990
· Second wrongful death suit against Betty Broderick filed on November 2, 1990
· Personal injury case against Betty Broderick filed on September 18, 1991
· Betty Broderick sues County of San Diego on September 21, 1992