"In 1982, Dan Broderick made the fateful decision to hire former flight attendant Linda Kolkena as one of his legal assistants. The pair began an affair, and the Brodericks were soon embroiled in a vicious yearslong divorce. As proceedings dragged on, Betty's behavior became more alarming. She left hundreds of threatening messages on Dan's answering machine, blew through restraining orders that banned her from seeing him and once even drove her car into his house despite their children being at home."
"In 1989, the divorce was finally over, and Dan Broderick and Kolkena married. Seven months after the wedding, Betty Broderick used her daughter's house key to get into their San Diego residence. She crept into their bedroom and shot them both dead while they were asleep in bed."
"Broderick turned herself in to police but claimed her actions weren't premeditated. She was eventually convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to 32 years to life in prison."
"The salacious story became tabloid and TV fodder. "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" aired in 1992, earning star Meredith Baxter a Primetime Emmy nomination. And more recently, the second season of "Dirty John" retold the case with Amanda Peet and Christian Slater in the starring roles."
Betty Broderick met Dan Broderick in 1965 and married four years later. After Dan graduated from Harvard Law, the couple moved to La Jolla, where Betty raised their four children while Dan worked in medical malpractice. In 1982, Dan hired legal assistant Linda Kolkena, and an affair began, leading to a prolonged and hostile divorce. Betty left hundreds of threatening messages, violated restraining orders, and drove her car into Dan’s house while their children were present. In 1989, after Dan and Kolkena married, Betty entered their home using her daughter’s key and shot both of them while they slept. She turned herself in, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, and received a 32-years-to-life sentence.
Read at SFGATE
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]