Betty Broderick, Convicted in 1989 Double Murder, Dies at 78

Betty Broderick, convicted of the 1989 killings of her former husband and his new wife, died at the age of 78 while serving a life sentence in California. Representatives from the California department of corrections and rehabilitation confirmed that Elizabeth A Broderick was moved from prison to a medical center on 18 April.

She died the following Friday. The medical examiner’s office initially determined the cause of death to be natural causes, though the San Bernardino county coroner will carry out a formal investigation. Broderick became nationally known after fatally shooting her ex-husband, Dan Broderick, and his new wife, Linda Kolkena, on 5 November 1989.

In 1991 she was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 32 years to life. Betty and Dan Broderick married in 1969 and had four children together. During the early 1980s, Dan began a relationship with Kolkena, a former flight attendant he had hired as a legal assistant while his marriage to Betty was deteriorating.

Although Dan denied the relationship when Betty first became suspicious, he later separated from her and filed for divorce in 1985. The divorce proceedings involved disputes over selling the family residence and determining custody arrangements for their four children.

Dan ultimately received custody, while Betty retained visitation rights. The fatal shootings occurred on a Sunday morning after Betty Broderick received a letter from her former husband’s attorney that warned she could face contempt-of-court charges if she continued harassing and threatening her ex-husband and his wife.

She stated during her trial that the letter ignited her anger “like a fuse”. Broderick went to the Hillcrest residence and entered using a key she had taken from her daughter weeks earlier. 38-caliber revolver. Both victims were shot three times and died from their injuries.

In February 1992, Broderick was moved to the California Institution for Women. She was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole at the time of her death.

Broderick, the youngest of the couple’s four children, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that his mother had fallen in prison several weeks earlier and fractured some ribs. He said she later developed an infection that progressed into sepsis, from which she could not recover.

He also said that he and two of his siblings traveled to Chino and spent time with their mother before she died. >"She passed away from natural causes with three of her children at her bedside, and the other was FaceTiming. President Duma Boko announced that Mogae died early on Friday after being in ill health for some time.

The former president, who led Botswana from 1998 to 2008, had been receiving medical care at a hospital in the capital, Gaborone. Officials credited him with strengthening the country's economic management and governance systems during a period of rapid growth driven by diamond revenues.

Mogae was also recognized for steering Botswana's response to the HIV/Aids epidemic through an ambitious antiretroviral treatment programme that significantly reduced infection and mortality rates. After leaving office, he continued advocating for HIV/Aids treatment across the region.

In 2008, Mogae won the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, recognizing his democratic leadership and peaceful transfer of power. Botswana has maintained political stability with regular multi-party elections since independence in 1966.

Officials announced three days of national mourning following his death.