Betty Broderick, convicted double murderer, dead at 78
FILE - (March, 1990) Preliminary hearing for Elisabeth (Betty) Broderick. Defense attorney Jack Earley (left) with his client, Broderick. (Photo by Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Betty Broderick, a convicted double murderer in a high-profile case from the late ‘80s, has reportedly died.
She was 78.
Betty Broderick death
What they're saying:
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to several news outlets, including NBC News and People Magazine, that Broderick died on Friday, May 8.
FOX Television Stations has reached out to the department for more information.
Her son told TMZ that she had been in the ICU off prison grounds with a number of septic infections after taking a fall several weeks ago that also resulted in broken ribs.
The backstory:
Broderick was convicted of killing her ex-husband and his new wife on Nov. 5, 1989.
The couple had gained infamy after their divorce proceedings gained notoriety in San Francisco as Dan Broderick was a well-known attorney and the two were prominent members of the city’s elite social circles, according to People.
Dan Broderick later admitted to having an affair with his much younger legal assistant, Linda Kolkena, to whom he eventually remarried.
Betty’s behavior reportedly grew erratic, and Dan and Linda were shot in their bed after she reportedly stole a key from her daughter and entered their home while they slept.
Betty turned herself into police shortly after that, and was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder in a second trial after the first one resulted in a hung jury.
She was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 15 years to life in prison.
At her time of death, she was serving her sentence at the California Institution for Women in Chino, Calif. She was eligible for parole several times but was denied.
Dig deeper:
Several movies, TV shows and books have been made about the case in the decades since.
The murders were the subject of two TV movies released in 1992 titled "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story," as well as "Her Final Fury" starring Meredith Baxter.
Three decades later, the infamous case was revisited in the scripted USA series, "Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story," starring Amanda Peet and Christian Slater, which aired in 2020.
Betty also wrote a memoir, "Telling On Myself."
She and Dan had four children together, and TMZ reported all were with her on Friday when she died.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from reported statements given by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and from information from Broderick’s family given to TMZ. This story was reported from Detroit.