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.