June 21, 2012

Betty Broderick: Deadly Divorce

Betty & Dan - early 1980s

In the early morning hours of November 5, 1989, the most contemptuous and bitter divorce San Diego had ever seen came to a brutal and bloody end as Daniel T. Broderick III and his second wife Linda were shot in their marital bed by his ex-wife Elisabeth ("Betty").  Despite being big local news and making newscasts nationwide, with Betty both hailed as a hero by wronged women and as a blonde-headed devil by others, this should have come as no surprise to people who knew the inside story and especially, to Dan and Linda. 

Linda as a bride
Betty as a bride
TIMELINE

1965 - Daniel T. Broderick III and Elisabeth Bisceglia meet at a party in South Bend, Indiana
April 11, 1969 - Daniel T. Broderick III and Elisabeth Bisceglia are married in Eastchester, New York
January 1970 - Daughter Kimberly is born
July 1971 - Daughter Lee is born
1973 - After Dan graduates from Harvard Law School, the Broderick family moves to San Diego and Dan begins work with Cary, Gray
1976 - Son Danny is born
1978 - Dan leaves Cary, Gray to open his own practice
1979 - Son Rhett is born
1979 - Betty receives her real estate license
1983 - Dan hires Linda Kolkena as his personal assistant
1984 - Betty becomes fully knowledgeable about the extent of the affair between Dan and Linda after Dan admits the affair and requests a separation
1985 - Dan files for divorce
Early 1989 - After a four year legal battle, Dan and Betty Broderick are divorced
March 1989 - Betty purchases a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun for "protection"
April 22, 1989 - Dan Broderick and Linda Kolkena are married
November 5, 1989 - Dan Broderick and Linda Kolkena Broderick are shot and killed by Betty Broderick
Dan & Linda

SENTENCING

Elisabeth Anne Broderick was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in her second trial after her first trial ended in a hung jury.  She received two consecutive terms of fifteen years to life, as well as a two year sentence for illegal use of a firearm.  She is serving out her sentence at the California Institution for Women in Corona, California. 

Her first parole hearing was in January of 2010.  Betty was denied parole because she did not show remorse and did not acknowledge wrongdoing.  She may reapply in 2013 and is due for release in 2021. 

Two of her children spoke at the parole hearing, requesting release for their mother, while the other two requested that she remain incarcerated. 
Betty during one of her trials
CLOSING ARGUMENTS

The Broderick case, more than 20 years on, continues to create an interesting divide in public opinion.  There is a strong and vocal camp for Betty, who feels that she was wronged not only by Dan and Linda but also by the justice system and was driven to commit murder.  This camp feels that she has served her time and should be freed from prison.  There is an equally verbal camp who believes that Betty is a cold-hearted monster who drove Dan to Linda, who killed her ex-husband and his new wife out of jealousy and is exactly where she belongs and where she should stay.

Was Betty a victim?  Were Dan and Linda innocent victims?  Did Betty drive Dan away?  Was Dan cold and unfeeling?  Was Linda a shameless golddigging homewrecker?

Dan's final resting place; Linda's name is on the headstone but she has reportedly been laid to rest elsewhere

I think the truth, as is usually the case, lies somewhere in the middle.  It's a well known fact that all was not well in the Broderick marriage before Linda Kolkena entered the picture.  Both Betty and Dan seemed to place appearance, status and money fairly high on their priority list.  When you focus on those things solely, your marriage and your family is going to get lost in the shuffle.  I personally think that Dan was hitting his late-thirties, had been married for 15 or so years, and was looking for a little excitement.  He had a wife who was probably not easy to live with, four children, a busy and involving law practice, an exorbitant lifestyle and salary.   

I think Betty was a woman of her generation - - her role began and ended with being Mrs. Daniel T. Broderick.  She may not have been happy with Dan and with her marriage but she was happy with her place in life and in society.  In her world, you didn't throw away your marriage.  You didn't leave your wife for the office receptionist.  You didn't divorce. 

Bottom line, I think if Dan had been honest with Betty from the beginning and come clean about his affair with Linda, none of what followed would have happened.  There is no doubt in my mind that Betty would have taken Dan back if he had just taken a tumble with Linda and then returned home.  Just as there is no doubt in my mind that years of lying, years of being told she was imaging things, years of having his affair rubbed in his face, of not knowing what was happening, of not being able to control it and properly deal with it, caused Betty to lose it. 

I am not defending Betty, although I do understand why she did it.  Having been in a relationship with a self-involved cheater, liar and general narcissistic fuckwit myself in my early 20s, I remember the feeling of absolute devastation, the grief, the questions, the anger, the rage and, most of all, the hopelessness, helplessness and fear I felt.  I was so consumed by his wrongdoing that I felt powerless to help myself out of it - - for a time.  That, of course, is the difference between me and Betty.  She let Dan's actions and Linda's actions consume her entire life and take over - - permanently, it seems.  Even today, she still seems to act and react like it's still 1989.  Dan and Linda are both long dead and Betty is still being victimized by them. 

It's sad, really.  I can't help but have sympathy for the woman Dan and Linda called "The Beast".  She may have been a pain in the ass to live with but Dan married her.  He chose to have children with her.  He stayed married to her for sixteen years.  He let her raise their children by herself, work different jobs to allow him to go to school to get his M.D. and then his J.D.  She was thanked with a long-term affair, name-calling, questionable legal tactics and some flat out harassment.

So let me talk about Linda for a minute.  When I first read Until the Twelfth of Never back during my early 20s/narcissistic fuckwit period, I absolutely despised Linda Kolkena and had zero sympathy for her.  I felt she got what she deserved.  Twenty years later, I still see her as a selfish homewrecker but I do have a bit of sympathy for her.  Why?  Because she was headed down the same path as Betty.  She entered Dan Broderick's orbit as a receptionist with only a high school education.  She had been fired from Delta Airlines (where she was a flight attendant) for inappropriate behavior with a passenger.  She was "promoted" from temporary receptionist to Dan's legal assistant/paralegal due to his personal relationship with her.  As a degreed paralegal myself, it's insulting to insinuate that someone with no legal experience or background, nor the ability to even type, can man the phones for a couple of months and then just slide into a paralegal position and perform the job accordingly, as Linda's family and friends have insisted in the past.  Linda got the paralegal title and "job" because she was screwing her boss, that's the truth.  But just like Betty, Linda's life revolved around Dan.  She waited around for six years while Dan dithered over whether to leave Betty, end his marriage, marry his mistress.  Either she was in love, determined or both.  She broke up with Dan once, due to Dan's indecision on whether to end his marriage, but she didn't quit her job and the break didn't last long.  She turned away a man who claimed to genuinely love her to wait around for Dan.  Had she lived, she likely would have spent her married life much as Betty did - - doing for Dan, waiting for Dan, everything for Dan.  Except for her youth as an excuse, it's shocking that Linda appeared to have no sympathy, no compassion, no understanding for Betty - - the woman she was effectively replacing -- whatsoever.  On her own, or through Dan's vitriol, she viewed Betty as crazy, deranged, a monster, a beast.  I can't help but wonder if she and Dan had lived, if she would have found herself in Betty's shoes, or if she would have put Dan in Betty's shoes.  A question that will never be answered. 

Did Linda love Dan?  Or Dan's money?  Did Dan love Linda?  It's been said that Linda cheated on Dan weeks before their wedding with an ex-boyfriend.  It does make you wonder how deep her commitment was.  For his part, Dan strung Linda along for years, while cohabiting with his wife.  Later on, she was concerned with Betty breaking into their house and expressed this concern to a fellow attorney.  She even requested that Dan wear a bulletproof vest at their wedding.  Dan refused.  Neither did he act upon her fear of Betty breaking into the house; there was no alarm when Betty did indeed commit her deadly break-in.   Perhaps most importantly, when their bodies were found on the morning of November 5, 1989, Linda looked as though she had been moving toward Dan, perhaps for protection, when she was shot and killed.  Dan's body was located on the floor, away from Linda, as if he had been moving away from the bed to save himself, not trying to protect his new bride.  Maybe the blast from the gun propelled him from the bed, we may never know.  But Dan seemed to continually act in his own best interests, not in his children's, not in Betty's and not in Linda's. 

This story is just sad all around and claims many victims.  Dan and Linda Broderick lost their lives.  They may not have been sympathetic but their actions did not constitute murder.  I see Betty as a victim as well.  She was (and continues to be) a victim of Dan and Linda but she's also a victim of herself.  She's locked up physically in a prison cell but she appears to be locked up mentally as well.  She simply cannot let go of what Dan did.  Listening to her you would think Dan committed adultery three months ago, not thirty years ago.   

I don't think Betty will ever be paroled and if she is, it won't be for a while.  She has never expressed remorse over the murders.  She has never admitted that she went to that house to murder Dan and Linda.  If she would admit these things, she may likely be given parole.  I also think she's being used as a poster child of sorts, for the San Diego legal system to show the public what will happen if you try to take them on.  Many people have committed murder, and first-degree murder, and received less time than Betty.  I'm not saying that twenty years compensates for the loss of two lives but there most certainly is not equality in the system.

The most easily forgotton victims in this case are the Broderick children - -now adults.  Dan's selfish actions fractured the family.  Betty's selfish actions took not only their father away permanently but also removed their mother from their lives.  In that sense, Betty did far more to destroy the Broderick family; she left the Broderick boys, still minors at the time, orphaned, dependent on various family members to raise them and care for them.  I feel sorry for them.  They grew up in a house parented by two people who clearly should not have married and who acted in a more childish manner than the actual children themselves.

For more information on the Broderick case and murders, the best source is Bella Stumbo's outstanding book, The Twelfth of Never.  It's unbiased, setting forth the facts in a straightforward manner and does not take sides. 

There have been two movies made about the murders and Betty's two trials, Betty Broderick: A Woman Scorned and Her Final Fury:  Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter.  Both movies star Meredith Baxter, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Betty.  However, both movies were made with the cooperation of Dan Broderick's brother, Larry, and the Kolkena family and as such, are heavily biased to represent that Dan and Linda were not involved until after his divorce, that no harassment went on, no shady legal manuevers and Betty was an absolute loon from the get-go.  Meredith Baxter's performance is excellent, if inaccurate, and the movies should be viewed only for entertainment value and not for specifics on the case.

The murder house in Hillcrest



The back door where Betty snuck in


Dan & Linda's bedroom where they were murdered

126 comments:

  1. This is a great article. I have written fairly extensively about the Broderick case over at my blog, and in fact just put up a new series of photos of Dan and Linda. Can I put a link to this article on my latest entry about the Broderick mess?

    http://atouchoftuesdayweld.blogspot.com/2013/02/liebchen-and-boy-dan-broderick-and.html

    I was much like you, by the way, when it comes to Linda Kolkena. Now I just see her as having been young and stupid. Both of those things are not crimes. The true villain in all of this is Daniel T. Broderick III, aka Danny Boy. I can feel sympathy for Linda and what might have been. I feel no sympathy for Dan.

    Also, always remember that the Brodericks and the Kolkenas have nothing to do with each other today. So much for true love, huh?

    Great bit of writing here :-)

    -laura

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    1. "Page not found."

      Has the post been moved?

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    2. The pictures should be of Dan and Betty and the life THEY shared that was tossed in the trash by Dan.

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    3. I feel like the justice system screwed her a long with Dan I feel like he and Linda push het to breaking point that got what they deserved feel no pity for them he used Betty and then destroyed her she cant get out if the past because being in prison us like it just happen freed this woman this system should be ashamed for they way that let Dan screwed with her in court and out he was a B

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  2. Hi Laura,
    Thank you so much for your comment. I will definitely check out your blog and yes, please feel free to include a link.

    The Broderick case has always interested me. I have a handful of others I plan on writing about, just need to get the time!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  4. The Children are divided Dan jr and Kim saw Betty do crazy stuff to their father and step mother. Dan was an ass and Jerk but Betty is a narcissistic . betty is all about making Betty look good and Dan's and Linda's family were all about making them look good. and there are evidence to support both the victims claims and Betty's claims. Betty got a nice house , a large settlement and she had a boyfriend when she shot Dan. I did much research on the case , the children were divided and each camp and supporters had claims of each ex spouse abusing the other.. I don't believe the movies and I don't believe the books. no one knows what happen between Dan and Betty , only they know. Dan's brother claims Betty didn't support dan in school, betty claims she did. Dan and Kim said that their father never laid a had on their mother and loved them, Lee gives an side. so I am writing to say with all this different stories and accounts of what happen, people need to stop blaming Dan who is not here to defend himself and realize that the truth may not be than Dan treated made her crazy but the fact that while he cheated on her and lied, Betty refused to let go and and some the things she did was disgusting . so which camp is lying Dan jr and Kim and their uncle and several witness or lee, betty and several other witness...........

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    1. Do you suppose, that before attempting to communicate, you could please acquaint yourself with spell check, or grammar check, or like, brain check? It is nearly impossible to follow your thoughts here, and they are also all over the place, so add construction check to all the other needs you have. sheesh

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    2. It might be that English is not their first language. I hope you have a great day. =)

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    3. yes, spell check would have been nice…Agree completely with Anonymous. Bad writing from O'Nika, hard to follow what she is trying to convey.

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    4. I read O'Nika's post and what I think he/she is saying is that none of us know the truth. The kids are divided, which I know I have heard. Two of the kids want Betty out of prison; two think she should stay in. Two of the kids are basically defending their father, since he is not here to present his side. None of the families (Broderick; Busceglia; Kolkena) are unbiased. Not to say they are unreliable but they may remember things as they want to, versus what may actually have happened.

      The only thing that is 100% known for certain is that the Broderick marriage was not a happy one before Linda entered the picture; Dan carried on a long term affair with Linda before his divorce; Betty killed Dan and Linda.

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  5. Sorry Lori Johnston, but Linda had to have more than just a high school education in order to work for Delta Air lines! Delta will not even look at anyone without a college degree!!

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    1. Check your time lines...as indicated by anonymous above, degrees were not an issue at that time. Again, could you really high class writer/researcher types get an education, before sticking foot in mouth?

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  6. Maybe Delta requires their flight attendants to have a degree now, Anonymous, but in the early 80s, they did not. Linda did not have a college degree or education. She was a high school graduate who began working in Dan's office as a temporary receptionist.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. beg to differ, personally knew Linda, and yes I worked for Delta with her, and knew ALL parties. Delta Air Lines, in early 80s hired 95% college degree candidates for F/A positions, Linda was special, and had a high recommendation from an businessman with inside contact at Delta. She did not have a college degree but she had an excellent work record already, when hired by Delta at age 20.

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    3. Lisa, I did not personally know any of the "players" in this sad story so maybe you can shed more light.

      How did Linda get such a high recommendation if Delta was strict about their FA having college degrees? What job did she work prior to Delta? And what of her firing by Delta? It's been reported in at least two books on the case that Linda was fired for acting inappropriately with a male passenger or passengers.

      Thanks for posting.

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  7. This comment makes me sick, read below to see it. I have copied and pasted it so it is word for word. The "Anonymous" that wrote the reply below is obviously mean spirited

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  8. Sorry, it didn't copy/paste. I am referring to the person that recommended a spell checker, etc.

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  9. Regardless of how hurt Betty was and how insensitive Dan was he and Linda did not deserve to be murdered "in cold blood" - period. If they did deserve death, then we all have free rein to kill whomever wrongs us which means probably 1/2 the planet would be wiped out and the other 1/2 would be constantly watching their backs! Betty is a pathologically narcissistic woman and this mental illness led her to commit murder but in that respect she is no different from other mentally ill murderers. She deserves life in prison - hope that's where she stays.

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    1. NEWS FLASH: Nobody here is advocating murder. Even Betty has admitted (see Oprah interview) that those two did not deserve to die.

      Stop erecting straw man arguments.

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  10. I've read a lot and have followed this case for over 20 years. What a great piece you wrote here. I do believe Betty will probably never get out of prison as she refuses to take responsibility. What she really needs is professional help. I often wonder if they were alive today what their life would have been like. Sadly, none of us will ever know. On a side note...I have read that Linda is actually buried somewhere else. Does anyone really know or have any proof?

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    1. No, Linda was not buried somewhere else. She and Dan were buried together. I was at funeral, and was a friend of both, before their marriage and after. Even though there has many many lies and exaggerations, misinformation spread-- Dan and Linda did not have a LONG term affair before Dan& Betty separated. I knew the kids, Dan, Linda, -- and and Linda's siblings, spend the night in Dan and Linda's home -- saw their wedding photos that Betty had damaged at photographers studio... just so much that could have been prevented had Betty been committed for a year or so. The kids lives were ruined even before Dan moved out from their family home. SO sad.

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    2. Lisa, I have read in several places that while they were initially buried together, the Kolkena family had Linda's body exhumed and moved elsewhere. No idea if that is true or how accurate these sources are.

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    3. Dan and Linda's affair began in January 1983. Dan left Betty in February 1985. Does two years constitute a long-term affair?

      Betty did not tamper with Dan and Linda's wedding photos. That is a lie.

      The Kolkenas buried Linda in a private location. This after Larry Broderick billed them for funeral costs.

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    4. I don’t have sympathy for Betty Broderick at all. People are married have families and end up in a divorce. She’s a nut case! She was a violent, destructive, pathetic bitch. She thought she was entitled to everything. She wouldn’t let it go. Her best friend tried to tell to move on with her life and was understanding and supportive of her. She ended up breaking their friendship. Betty told her Dan got to you to. What kind of friend are you. I have not one bit of sympathy for Betty Broderick. She’s a pathetic nut case. Everything had to revolve around her or if it didn’t she acted like a spoiled angry child! She is a evil and disgusting person!

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    5. She got what she deserved!!

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  11. The best article I have ever read on this subject! "Dan's selfish actions fractured the family" is what really happened. I too have been through an ugly divorce where the father came out looking like the hero after he was an emotional terrorist only looking out for himself. I think of Betty Broderick often and truly understand how she felt. Although what she did was wrong, he drove her to it.

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  12. MEW, I agree. If cheaters were punished by death there would be a lot fewer people on this earth and many more in prison. Betty should have gotten the best revenge by letting Linda have Dan (no prize) and realizing that by marrying Linda, he had created a job opening for a new mistress.
    Thanks for your comment!

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  13. Anonymous from June 25, thank you for the compliment! Like you, I don't believe Betty will ever get out and I also wonder what the lives of Dan, Betty and Linda would be like today if the murders had not happened.

    I don't know personally about Linda's body being buried elsewhere but I have read it. It wouldn't surprise me. She wasn't from San Diego, she and Dan weren't married long and apparently there is zero communication between the Brodericks and Kolkenas now.

    Thanks for posting!

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    1. I believe they were both cremated; therefore, Linda's "body" wouldn't be buried anywhere.

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    2. Interesting point, Anonymous. I guess we could say her remains were never buried with Dan's in San Diego.

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    3. WRONG, they were buried together in beautiful mahoghancy caskets, side by side. I was at the tragic funeral ...I knew them both, their families, friends, and the kids. IT was AWFUL, and Betty need mental help for 10 years before she committed murders.

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    4. Wow, it's a good think Lisa L. isn't biased or anything.

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  14. Anonymous from August 24, thanks so much for the compliment! I'm glad you liked my post.

    I too understand Betty's actions although I don't agree. The best revenge is to go on and be happier. I firmly believe that karma will always get those that wrong you. As the saying goes, karma = life's way of saying "let's see how the f**k you like it!"

    Thank you for posting!

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  15. I just saw this case again on television and now older and as a graduate in psychology, I can tell you that everyone is right and everyone is wrong because they are looking at the case through their own perspective. All the players in this case are human beings with their own weakness and mistakes. Betty committed a horrible crime that left her children without parents. This case should serve as an example for parents who are in the midst of a divorce to put the needs of their children first and not their own needs to win in a divorce case.

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    1. Betty and Dan were BOTH equally bad parents during this divorce.

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  16. I'm surprised she didn't kill them sooner. I believe Dan and Linda were trying to drive Betty to suicide. I hated Betty until I read a lot about her case and realized what an alcoholic psychopath her Dan was and what a total slut Linda was. Dan also abused animals but, of course, that was never talked about. Linda also was not known to be the most hygienic person around. Her nickname in the office was 'Linda Vagina' because she didn't bathe very frequently. Also, Dan never considered that he would have given Betty an STD by screwing a low life like Linda Kolkena? Nice guy, very thoughtful of him. Disgusting pair Dan and Linda were. Too bad Betty didn't let them self-destruct, which they would have. Linda could barely hold a job and didn't hold a candle to Betty's intelligence. Dan would burn himself out or someone else would have killed him eventually. I wish Betty would have risen above the abuse; she would have been a better person than Dan and Linda ever were.

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    1. The autopsy on Dan showed no evidence of alcoholism in his liver. Had he been a heavy drinker, it would have showed up.

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    2. Anonymous from August 8, thanks for your post.

      Per Dan's autopsy report, his liver "showed no abnormality," meaning there was no sign of damage. Liver disease does not occur in all heavy drinkers.

      His blood alcohol level at the time of his death was .04, which is half the legal limit of intoxication. It doesn't prove or disprove that he was an alcoholic but it does say that he had been drinking that night and his blood alcohol level was probably higher at the time he went to sleep. Remember, he and Linda were killed somewhere around 5 a.m. A normal person's body metabolizes alcohol between .015 and .020 per hour - - so it depends on what time he stopped drinking.

      In any event, it neither proves nor disproves Dan was an alcoholic. Betty says he was but she is going to see history a certain way. Others have claimed that he did drink quite a bit.

      This may be something that will never be known for certain.

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    3. She was nicknamed "Linda Vagina" in the SD legal community as a snide way to point out how she got the job: by screwing her boss. Only Dan and LInda's cohorts and friends perpetuate the "Linda Kolkena, Legal Genius" myth. If comments over on my blog are any indication, Dan and Linda were not as beloved in the SD legal community as the Mike Neils and the Robert Vaages would have you believe.

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  19. You can't wreck a home that doesn't want to be wrecked. It's the honest truth. If somebody in a marriage is unhappy, it will surface. Better to be honest in the beginning....than feel the burden of deceptions piling on top of one another later. If a relationship isn't working out drop it - don't keep it just because you "want to be married"

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  20. You got one piece of information way wrong when you speculated that the reason why Dan was on the floor to save his own skin.
    The investigation concluded that Linda was killed instantly with shots to the head (although the first shot hit the headboard of the bed) and that Dan , with a shot to the chest, took about 30-40 minutes to die as his lungs slowly filled with blood. Betty left immediately after the shooting. Investigators concluded that he was trying to reach the phone in the room to call for help.
    Other than that, it´s a pretty decent article.

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    1. Hi Anonymous,

      Your original comment ended up in my spam folder so apologies for that.
      Linda was shot in the chest first and then in the head. Dan was shot in the back and yes, he took at least half an hour to bleed to death. Betty did indeed yank the phone from the wall outlet so he could not call for help.

      As far as why he was on the floor, it could be that the shot propelled him to the floor. It could be that his body reacted that way upon the bullet hitting him. It could also be that he did roll off the bed, rather than toward his new wife, in an act of self-preservation. We'll never know.

      Thanks for commenting!

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    2. Linda said "call the police." Betty shot long's in the chest, then the head. Dan turned towards the phone and away from Betty, who then shot him in the back. She ripped the phone or of the wall and carried it out of the room and down the hall. Dan was reported to say before Betty left the room something like, "ok, you shot me, now I'm dead." It's been supposed that Dan was alive for nearly 45 minutes before he bled out. If emergency personnel were called, he probably would have lived. Betty's actions were calculated and deliberate.

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    3. I will never believe that Betty grabbed the phone and ran out of the house. I believe that one final, terrible conversation took place between Dan and Betty and only Betty knows today what was said. I also wonder what The Count du Money was thinking as he lay there on the floor, strangling on his own blood. I wonder if all that he did to Betty was worth it.

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  21. Betty was never an abused wife so can we please stop having lie about that fact. Betty was greedy so now she is where all murders belong. I just don't understand why she didn't get the death penalty for two murders.

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    1. Yes she was! She did everything Dan said to do. Without her, he would have never become the success he became....then he traded her in for a girl half his and her age who was obsessed with a millionaire sugar daddy. Dan lied he had anything to do with Linda. Betty was NOT greedy. She was entitled to half of everything he had after sixteen years and four kids. The bastard was a multimillionaire, and he fined her for stupid things. Betty grew up in Long Island NY as I did. When we are angry, we can develop quite a vocabulary. NOW, if your loving husband or wife treated you like garbage to discard, you may get pissed off too. Her stipend to live on sounds grand to some, but it was less than fair because Betty was the REASON he attained that education and wealth.

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    2. Barbara, I do agree that Dan owed Betty a huge debt. She stood by his side, worked hard to pay bills and bring up the children while he first went to med school and then law school. The $16k was not half his monthly income but he had the children so that may have been taken into account.

      As I said previously, I don't think greed had anything to do with the murders. I don't think Betty cared all that much about the finances; I think she made issue of finances because it was one thing she could argue about.

      I understand that she was angry and upset but it is frustrating that she didn't realize that Dan was recording her phone conversations and keeping the messages she was leaving on the machine in order to "dock" her monthly support. Once she realized that was happening, she should have quit. Scream from the rooftop at her own house what a bastard he was but don't give him more ammo. That said, maybe it proves that she wasn't thinking rationally prior to the murders.

      Again, I wish she had been the mindset to realize that Dan leaving her for Linda was the greatest gift he could have given her. Let him be someone else's problem while she collected those alimony checks and lived happily.

      Thanks for posting!

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  22. Anonymous, the abuse Betty may or may not have suffered has always been in dispute. I personally think if a spouse is lying and cheating on you, that qualifies as emotional abuse. We do know that Dan had an affair with Linda for over three years before he ever came clean to Betty, telling her she was crazy and imaging things when she accused him of it.

    I know someone who knew both Dan and Betty while they were married. He said that Betty was always warm and kind and did everything for the kids. He said that Dan was a flat out a**hole who had little time for anyone. That doesn't give Betty the right to kill him and kill Linda but it may help to explain how things shook out.

    Again, Betty was not blameless. She had options other than killing and I wish she had taken them. She destroyed Dan and Linda but she also destroyed her children, Dan's family and Linda's family - - all innocent victims.

    I don't think Betty's motives had anything to do with greed. She was collecting over $16,000 a month in support (and that was back in 1988 and 1989) and that support would have continued until she remarried. If anyone had a financial motive for murder, it would have been Dan. Betty's motive, in my opinion, was revenge, plain and simple. She never got over his infidelity.

    As far as why she didn't get the death penalty I think the jury split the baby, so to speak. I think they wanted to believe the psychological abuse and lack of intent (first degree) but had issues with the length of time she waited, as well as stealing Kim's key to break and enter. I think they felt this verdict would throw everyone a bone - - the State got a conviction and the defense got to keep their client alive.

    Thanks for posting!

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  23. I can tell you this.... You do NOT KNOW how this woman was purposely taunted, nose being rubbed into the fact that Linda was taking Betty's place. If you asked the Andes plane crash victims prior to their ordeal if they would cannibalize their friends to survive a plane crash, I doubt if they would have said yes. If murder was ever her plan, she sure did it in a stupid way for someone we KNOW is FAR from stupid. Desperate people do desperate things. Dan Broderick was intoxicated by the money he was allowed to make because Betty took care of EVERYTHING else. He LIED about his affair....continued it and prior to meeting Linda, the marriage was like every other after 16 years. It wasn't as new and exciting and his wife was 40 instead of 20 something. Linda saw a ready made millionaire and grabbed him. He let a young homewrecker do it. Betty didn't kill them intentionally. I don't believe that for a minute. The first thing she did was call her friend and confess! I truly think Linda yelled "call the cops" and Betty panicked. Betty is an intelligent person, a wonderful mother and is of NO DANGER to anyone. They wanted her to end her own life....they wanted her distraught, which she was. They made her distraught. NOBODY CAN TELL ME SHE WAS ANYTHING BUT A LOVING MOTHER and a faithful wife until Dan let his gold digging hussy rope him in. Let her out for God sake. She's served enough time. If anyone is afraid of her, put a gps ankle bracelet on her. She deserves parole!!!!!!

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    1. As someone who has been in Betty's place, you cannot underestimate the extreme emotional and mental pain a cheating spouse puts you through. It is overwhelming and it can suffocate you if you let it.

      I do think if Dan had come clean from the start, things may have been different. Betty was in denial for years, with Dan lying and then telling her SHE was the crazy one, she was seeing and hearing things. He was gaslighting her, if you will. He may not have intentionally set out to drive her crazy but at some point he had to realize that he was really doing a number on her. That is unforgiveable.

      I am on the fence as to whether Betty went there that night to kill both and leave. She stole Kim's key and she had a gun with her. She claims she wanted to talk to Dan but in the middle of the night? And after breaking into his house? Even in her fragile state, she knew what Dan would do. At the very least, penalize her financially; at worst, have her arrested. She also yanked the bedroom phone out of the wall so that Dan, still alive when she left, could not call for help.

      Part of me argues that she could not have been the best mother because she killed her children's father. She also continued to curse and rant obscenities about their father and Linda on the answering machine, knowing the children might and could hear it.

      On the other hand, based on what my friend said about Betty does lend to the argument that she was not a rational person by any means by the time of the murders. She seemed incapable of thinking about her children and what was best for them, or even herself.

      I think she would get parole if she could show any type of growth; that's what's keeping her in, I think. She still speaks of Dan in the present tense, despite him being dead for going on thirty years. If she could admit that she shot him because she was breaking and couldn't deal with the pressure of the threats from him any longer, and Linda was merely collateral damage, she might be paroled. But until she does that, I don't think she will.

      Thanks for posting!

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  24. ...and I consider her a friend who is more than welcome to come see me on the east coast. She is delightfully gracious and did a desperate thing that didn't go as planned. Those two did so much to break her spirit and gossip about her to friends she and Dan had for years. Dan of course let his new little sex toy do as she wished.

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  25. She should be paroled. She has been punished enough by the lawyer friends of her EX.

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    1. Unless and until Betty admits what she did and expresses remorse, she won't be paroled. That's what has hindered her the last two decades - - she seems incapable of admitting what she did and being remorseful.

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  26. betty should walk . the only danger she posed was to Dan and Linda. Dan and his Judge friends should have been fair with the divorce settlment. Linda should not have tormented Betty. Had Dan not been breedy he still would be alive. Let the women go but you can bet our corrupt justice system wont.

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  27. BETTY SHOULD WALK. SHE ONLY WAS A DANGER TO DAN AND LINDA WHO ARE LONG DEAD WITHOUT THEIR MONEY. LINDA IS BURIED IN HER HOME TOWN. DAN LAWYER AND JUDGE FRIENDS WILL CORRUT THE SYSTEM TO SEE BETTY DOES NOT GET PAROLED. SEEMS HE KEEPS HIS CONTROL FROM THE GRAVE. A DECENT DIVORCE SETTLEMENT FROM EL CHEAPO WOULD HAVE KEPT HIM AND LINDA ALIVE.

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    1. Thanks for your reply, Mike. It led me to write another post on this case, whether money had anything to do with the murders. I personally don't think Betty would have been happy with any amount she was given but that's just me. Regardless, I do think Dan had an unfair advantage in the legal arena and used his contacts to beleaguer Betty for years.

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  29. I suppose I agree with the author that what bothered me most about Dan Broderick's affair was not necessarily the affair itself but his dishonesty about it for all those years. I suspect that he wanted to have the 'best of both worlds,' a wife and a mistress, but felt pressured by Linda Kolkena to make a choice between the two women.

    About the rumour that Kolkena may have cheated on him with an ex-boyfriend before the wedding, that raises a number of questions. For instance, some people say that Dan would have eventually traded Linda for a younger model as he did Betty. But it might be equally possible that Linda would have traded Dan for somebody else. Another conjecture was that despite his image as a lady killer, Dan Broderick was not very good in bed (hence Linda's cheating). Some have speculated that Dan might have been gay, which I don't see as very likely but which isn't totally impossible. Anyway, a sordid story.

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    1. Hi emilializ, I think the most devastating part of infidelity is the lying and loss of trust. If Dan had been honest from the start, it wouldn't have surprised me if Betty had chosen to look the other way and accept the affair, just so long as Dan was discreet and it was never serious.

      I do think he probably wanted the best of both worlds. He had a wife who was a good mother and who took wonderful care of his home and a young girlfriend who (at that time at least) only wanted fun.

      I have never heard the rumor that Dan was gay so I am with you that it's not likely. I have heard that he wasn't all that in the bedroom. It makes me wonder the truth of Linda's feelings for him - - did the affair start as just fun, did it start because Linda was your garden variety gold digger? She was young when they first got together (22 maybe?) and you would think she would want someone who could keep up with her physically and be satisfying but I suppose we'll never know.

      Thanks for posting!

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    2. I knew Linda before she ever met Dan, I knew Dan after Linda and he started dating. I knew all their children. Dan and Linda did NOT have a 3 year affair before he ever admitted to Betty. I know this for a fact ! Dan moved out from their family home twice, once when the LaJolla home had a crack in the foundation, then he reconcilled with Betty and moved back in to help the kids, etc. Later, (approx. 1985, he moved out again.) that is when he and Linda started dating. I have a letter in my attic from Linda, dated 1984, in which she was telling me about her love for San diego Union newspaper cartoonist, Steve Kelley, he was a Princeton Grad., smart, handsome, already had been published in Time magazine etc. Linda loved him in 1984, met his parents in Richmond Va -- they were very serious. Dan and Linda began dating later. Linda lived in a condo north and west of San Diego for several years, before She and Dan lived together, just prior to thier marriage in 1989. I was at Linda's bachelorett e party in Cabo San Lucas Mexico, April 1989, I was at their wedding, May 1989, and at their funeral in November 1989. Betty should have been committed ... all lives would have been saved. She ruined many many lives.

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    3. Lisa, I'm not disputing your post but every book written on the case says that Dan and Linda were having an affair before he left Betty. One of the books even says that this was verified by people who worked at Dan's office. Linda did have preferential treatment. I am a paralegal, I had to go to school and get a certificate/degree in order to do so. Linda was a receptionist who couldn't even type according to a coworker and yet Dan gave her the title of paralegal, along with her own office and apparently her own hours? I'm not saying she didn't do the job but that's not how it works generally.

      As far as Dan moving out of the La Jolla house when there was a crack in the foundation, I believe the entire family moved out so I would hardly call that a marital separation.

      Steve Kelley was discussed in many articles and books and it's generally been stated that Linda was dating him while she was a break from Dan. So her letter from 1984 would have been accurate. Steve Kelley told a journalist that he had been in love with her but she elected to go back to Dan and he wished she had chosen differently.

      I do agree 100% that Betty needed help that she didn't get. It's tragic for all concerned that no one, including Betty, seemed to realize that. Knowing someone who did know Betty and Dan, I do believe that Dan was poking the bear constantly. Did he deserve to die for that? No. But as I've said none of the adults seemed to be acting in the best interest of the children.

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    4. Lisa L....you were a Cabo Chick?

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    5. Lisa L - if Steve Kelley was so great, and Linda was in love with him, why did they break up? Also, I'm not saying you're not telling the truth about knowing them but I thought it was a "thing" that Dan & Linda were married in April, and you said May. And to Laura Linger - what the heck is a "Cabo Chick", it must be something if "Chick" is capitalized but I have no idea what.

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  30. No problem. Sorry for accidentally double-posting! Some say that the marriage was already somewhat shaky when Linda came along. That raises other questions: did Dan turn to Linda as an 'escape' from a troubled marriage? Or would he have developed an interest in Linda at all if his marriage had been smoother? Again, as you say, we'll probably never know.

    I've come to the tentative conclusion that Linda probably didn't really love Dan - she loved the money and prestige of being the next 'Mrs. Dan Broderick III' (from Laura Linger's website).

    I just heard the gay thing once. It may have come up because supposedly Betty referred to him once as a 'fag' in a moment of anger - but remember that was at a time when calling a man a 'fag' as an insult wasn't yet politically incorrect.

    One of my questions is whether Betty is still seeing that man 'Brad' she got together with after she and Dan split up.

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    1. No worries about the double post. Sometimes the computer gets wonky!

      I think the marriage was on shaky ground from day one. Betty and Dan were ultimately incompatible; I think the only things they had in common were the children and their desire to live the good life. Dan could have used Linda as an escape, surely. I'm certain he was flattered by this young thing flirting and attracted to him. Do I think he fell in love with Linda initially? Probably not. He may have thought she would be a fun distraction and then they would go their separate ways, although working together would make that extremely difficult. It's hard to say if he still would have pursued an affair with Linda if he was happily married to Betty. There are many people who claim to be happily married and in love with their spouse who have cheated so we'll never know.

      I'm with you in doubting Linda's true feelings. She probably loved the lifestyle and the idea of being Mrs. DTB III. Maybe too she wanted to "win" Dan on principal. It may have been rewarding and exciting for her to have Betty "lose."

      I doubt that Dan was gay. I think Betty hurled any insult and cruelty she could when she was angry. From Bella Stumbo's book Dan seemed more driven by power and money than by sex. Just my opinion, of course.

      Are you questioning whether Betty still has a relationship with Brad now? I'd be very surprised. She's been in prison for over twenty-five years. As I remember, Brad was also younger so maybe he went on to meet a woman without so much baggage (and one that's not currently a guest of the California prison system.)

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    2. Emilializ - were you seriously asking if Betty is still in a relationship with Brad?? You can't be serious right? I laughed at Lisa's response to you, "I'd be very surprised. She's been in prison for over twenty-five years." lol!!

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  31. About Linda wanting to 'win' Dan, I think at her age (in her early 20s), there's something intoxicating about being the 'other woman.' However, a Canadian (female) commentator said that once a woman reaches a certain age, an 'other woman' starts looking less like a 'femme fatale' and more as simply pathetic.

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    1. This is true. I think given Linda's age she probably thought she "won" instead of seeing it as being the other woman and "winning" a man who had no problem cheating on his wife.

      FWIW, I think anyone who is okay with being the other woman is pathetic, regardless of age.

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    2. Remember this song? Says it all.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewxmv2tyeRs

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    3. I was never a big fan of Whitney Houston but the lyrics . . . wow. Good point, emilializ.

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  32. I'm not a real Whitney Houston fan (I usually don't care much for romantic songs, though I don't mind some of Houston's more 'upbeat' songs, like 'How Will I Know'), but the words of this one say it all.

    In the end, about Linda Kolkena, if you asked me whether she was a good person, I would say 'no.' Yet in another way, I feel sorry for her. I don't think she was Dan's 'true love' the way, for example, Camilla Parker-Bowles may have been for Prince Charles. Instead, I think, as has been said on this board, Kolkena was simply a fun distraction for Dan until she literally forced him to choose between her and Betty. Linda would always be the 'second wife.' In my eyes, Linda would have done better to marry Steve Kelley (the man who truly loved her), but I guess he didn't have Dan's worldly success or social connections.

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    1. Linda definitely made some poor choices and some outright inconsiderate ones. Like you, I do feel sorry for her. She was young and devoting her entire life to Dan, much as Betty did. She let him dither around for six years; who knows what could have happened during those six years if she had just left him.

      Do I think Linda was Dan's soulmate? No. If she was, I don't think he would have been so indecisive about whether or not to end his marriage and make it legal with her. He had no reason to end the marriage with Betty for a long time. He had everything he wanted - - a wife to take care of the home and children and a mistress to spice things up.

      The fact that Linda broke up with Steve Kelley to go back to Dan says everything about her. Steve loved her and wanted to marry her. He was a decent, good guy by all accounts. Yet Linda chose to go back to Dan, who may have still been married at the time. If she chose Dan because of worldly success, money and social connections, I would say she wasn't a good person and certainly didn't marry for the right reason.

      By the way, Steve Kelley was the man that Linda reportedly cheated on Dan with several weeks before the wedding.

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  33. Yes, I know that it was Steve Kelley that Linda Kolkena cheated with. Perhaps Kelley was better in bed than Dan Broderick. It may have also been that Linda actually felt more for Kelley romantically but decided to go with Dan because he was more of a 'social asset' to her.

    I can understand why Betty Broderick was so upset about Dan's betrayal. However, I wonder whether if Betty had known that Linda cheated on Dan before their wedding, she (Betty) would have dropped her plans to get revenge on the two. She might have figured that Linda wasn't really so in love with Dan or that Dan just deserved what he got (or might very well get after his marriage to Linda). She might have had the satisfaction of seeing Dan and Linda's marriage gradually unravel, though it would not have been the Donald Trump-type scenario (man leaves wife for younger woman, then leaves younger woman) but rather wife leaves husband for younger man.

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  34. Yes, I know that it was Steve Kelley that Linda Kolkena cheated with. Perhaps Kelley was better in bed than Dan Broderick. It may have also been that Linda actually felt more for Kelley romantically but decided to go with Dan because he was more of a 'social asset' to her.

    I can understand why Betty Broderick was so upset about Dan's betrayal. However, I wonder whether if Betty had known that Linda cheated on Dan before their wedding, she (Betty) would have dropped her plans to get revenge on the two. She might have figured that Linda wasn't really so in love with Dan or that Dan just deserved what he got (or might very well get after his marriage to Linda). She might have had the satisfaction of seeing Dan and Linda's marriage gradually unravel, though it would not have been the Donald Trump-type scenario (man leaves wife for younger woman, then leaves younger woman) but rather wife leaves husband for younger man.

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    1. Interesting that you made the comment about Steve Kelley possibly being better in bed than Dan. I recall reading in one of the books on the case that Linda had supposedly mentioned to a friend - - or maybe Steve Kelley - - that Dan wasn't very good in bed. Of course if it was Steve she mentioned that to, grain of salt and all. Regardless, I don't think Linda was with Dan because of the sex, good or bad.

      I believe if Betty had known about Linda cheating before the wedding she would have told anyone and everyone. I think she would have been gleeful about Dan being cheated on, as well as it substantiating in her mind that Linda Kolkena was nothing but a slut.

      It's really too bad that Betty couldn't just let things be and let the cards fall where they may with regard to Dan and Linda. We know that Linda cheated. It was possibly only a matter of time before Dan cheated as well. He certainly had not been in a hurry to divorce and then marry Linda. It seems more like she gave him an ultimatum versus some great, true love.

      Betty should have sat on the sidelines and collected her alimony.

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  35. I also think that if Betty had known about Linda cheating on Dan when it happened, she (Betty) may have just figured that Dan could have Linda if he wanted and called off any plans for getting back at him (and Linda).

    There was an interesting letter in an old 'Dear Abby' collection. A married woman wrote saying that she had fallen in love with a man, also married. The two abandoned their respective spouses and married each other. Two years later, the woman wrote, her new husband had met someone new. She called him a cheat and a liar. He responded that it took one to know one. So my guess is Dan and Linda would not have fallen into lifelong monogamy.

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  36. I'd like to think that if Betty had known about any cheating from Linda or even Dan, she would have let the entire situation go but I don't know. I think she was obsessed and bordering on mentally ill. I'm firmly in the camp of believing that Dan and Linda were tormenting her; I don't think anyone realized at that time how far gone Betty was.

    I'm always amazed at how many people that take up with cheaters are then surprised when the cheater cheats. I've heard that how you get him (or her) is how you're going to lose him (or her) if you're the other woman or man. Very true.

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    1. I think "cheating" might mean different things in different contexts. I think going with a person not your spouse when, for example, you're still legally married to him/her but living apart for eons is a different ballgame from cheating when you're living under the same roof as him/her and he or she has no idea you're seeing someone else. Dan Broderick was obviously in the latter situation. His marriage to Betty might not have been great, but he was living under the same roof and, presumably, still having sexual relations with her.

      That again brings me to the point that I would have less of a problem with his love affair with Linda if he had come clean to Betty from the very start.

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    2. Absolutely, Anonymous. Cheating is a very broad term and means something different to each person. I think Betty would have forgiven Dan and even accepted his physical cheating with Linda but it was the lying for years that got her. She confronted him multiple times and he lied to her, saying that not only was he not cheating but she was obviously crazy for even questioning him about it. That's really emotional battery in my book and pretty cruel.

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    3. I think if you're in the former situation (still legally married to your spouse but living apart from them for eons), you should tell them if you've started seeing someone else, so as to give them the "go-ahead" in case they are interested in someone else. I still think "cheating" in this context is a lot different from seeing someone else when you're still living/having sex with your husband or wife.

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  37. Yes, I think we'll probably be doomed to perpetual agnosticism as to whether Betty would have let the situation go if she had known about Linda's cheating with Steve Kelley. Even if Betty were asked this question now, what she said now might not be what she would have said (or done) 25 years ago when the whole thing happened.

    About people being surprised by cheaters then cheating on them, I think that might be in part because cheaters sometimes pull the line that their then-spouse is a total bitch/bastard and that the other woman/man is the person they (the cheater) have been looking for all their life. Or the second most common line, 'I'm not having sex anymore with my spouse; he/she is not interested in me anymore' - in which case, I think someone perceptive might ask why they're still in a sexless/loveless marriage if they're so unhappy.

    I don't know if any of this was said between Linda and Dan, but it's not implausible.

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    1. Emilia,
      I don't recall reading anywhere exactly how the affair between Dan and Linda started. It seems like Linda was very indiscreet at work so surely she told a girlfriend but if so, they have never talked. By not knowing, who knows if Dan told her that his marriage was over in all but name and Linda fell for the oldest line in the book or if she simply did not care and set her sights on a wealthy and powerful man.

      I have to keep reminding myself that she was very young - - only 21 or 22, I think when she met Dan. That's not excusing what she did because she still should have known better.

      Ultimately Dan was the worst out of the two, at least initially. He was married, Linda was not. He was cheating, Linda was not.

      Really just a messed up triangle all the way around.

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    2. From what I read, Dan and Betty were at an event where Linda was at well, and Dan said, 'Isn't she beautiful?' about Linda. Betty was surprised at first, because she was sure - I guess despite their less than lacklustre marriage - that Dan loved her too much to cheat on her. I think at first she probably thought it was an one-off remark because she apparently was happy when he told her he was hiring an assistant at work so he wouldn't be at the office so much - until she discovered the assistant was Linda Kolkena.

      About Linda Kolkena's youth, yes, it doesn't excuse her actions, but it definitely was a factor. The author at another site about the Broderick affair - A Touch of Tuesday Weld - was originally very critical of Linda Kolkena but ended up concluding that Kolkena was just young and foolish.

      About Dan saying that he and Betty weren't having sex anymore, there is no proof that he did (or for that matter, did not) say that, but one way he would have gotten away with saying such a thing is that Betty had had a tubal ligation so there would be no pregnancies to account for.

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    3. Linda was a receptionist at the executive suites where Dan had his offices. He paid the required fee to, essentially, poach her from the building management's employ, and made her his legal assistant.

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    4. Hi Gina,
      Yes, Linda was a receptionist when she first met Dan. A receptionist who allegedly could not type and had zero legal experience and yet Dan made her his paralegal?

      As someone who works in the legal field myself, I am calling b.s. on that. That right there says there was preferential treatment going on. I'm sure there were plenty of potential assistants in the San Diego area with experience. Why choose someone with no legal background?

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  39. Years ago I worked in the San Diego court system. At the time of the murders, I had been living in Los Angeles and working in the court system there.

    One evening in 1989 (after the murders), on the way home from work, I had a phone conversation with a friend who was still working in the San Diego court system.

    This person told me that Danny drove Betty to madness; that when she would appear in court, some of her files would be missing. A day or so after the hearing, the files would "reappear." That is how much power Danny had - and his meanness. He had been, after all, President of the San Diego Bar Association and was certainly well connected.

    San Diego was, and still is, a "good-old boys' network." Betty had a snowball's chance in hell of receiving a correct and fair settlement, and Danny let her know it in no uncertain terms.

    And by the way, years ago (in the mid- to late 1970s), I had worked with Danny Broderick. He was very handsome. Back at my office I was told, "Yes, he IS handsome, AND he's very married and in love and has four children."

    Betty got a raw deal and was pushed OVER the edge by Danny and the legal community. This friend also insinuated all the lawyers and judges were going around afterwards, hands ON balls, hoping their wives didn't discover their infidelities. I guess they never, EVER thought it could possibly come to some wife going off the deep end.

    Was what she did wrong? Yes. Was it understandable? HELL, YES. We are emotional creatures and there are consequences to our actions. If you poke a dog with a stick long enough, it WILL eventually bite back!

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Anonymous. It's always good to hear from someone who knew one or more of the principals in the case.

      I have long felt that Betty got a raw deal from the legal system thanks to Dan's connections. Justice most definitely is not blind.

      You and I are very much in agreement that while Betty's actions were wrong, her emotions were understandable. And Dan and Linda were playing a very dangerous game and got burned.

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  40. Dan and Betty's divorce was actually final in July, 1986. I would suggest that you update that fact as it makes more sense when you look at the timeline of Dan and Linda's relationship. I worked as a receptionist for Dan and Linda beginning in July 1986, and when I was introduced to Linda, was informed that Dan's divorce from Betty had just been finalized.

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    1. Gina, every source I have checked with and every bit of research I've done says the divorce was not final until 1989. As Dan had the divorce records sealed (which is bizarre in and of itself), it's hard to know exactly what went down.

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    2. I believe he got what was called a "bifurcated" divorce in 1986 -- that is, the marriage part was over and both were free to remarry, but the custody and financial settlements were still to come. He was able to do that because he knew the court system so well. So they were "divorced" in 1986, but the divorce was not final in all particulars (custody and financial) until 1989. Part of the reason that made Betty so angry was that Dan was able to continue racking up debts, etc. against the community property between the two decrees, and in the end he claimed that all he owed her was something in the neighborhood of $30K for a cash settlement (although he was paying her alimony). The whole divorce was crooked as hell if you ask me, and Dan Broderick played the system for all it was worth.

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    3. Thank you for the info, Anonymous. I agree with you that there seemed to be some shady behavior going on. Neither party should have been able to sell joint property without the permission of the other, or run up community debt. It did seem like Dan Broderick used his legal connections to his benefit.

      Thanks for posting!

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  41. I don't know where to start. BETTY SHOULD BE PAROLED PERIOD. Dan and Linda were sorry excuses for human beings and that is just a fact they are impossible to defend. I actually could write a book about why. Dan had 2 dui that even with his power and money he couldn't get out of. Not to mention being drunk and driving with 3 of his own children in the car! He had abused Betty for years. Despised by his own staff, and was known for kicking the family dog (animals know whos nice) Trashing the mother of his children in front of them. Please the list goes on and on. Linda was a gold digging slut. SORRY how do you think she got knick names like vagina and stinky. Poor Steven Kelly playing games with him to make $bags jealous. Her own sister made a joke she was always late, its no wonder she couldn't hold a job. Sex with passengers I am sorry but class and getting fierd for lewd behavior don't go hand in hand. Betty was head and shoulders above both of them and the 2 creeps knew it. Everyone knows they never would have lasted, well now they are in hell together where they belong. How anyone could defend them is shocking. God forbid if they were on the end of their cruel pranks trying to drive betty crazy or to suicide and soliciting a hitman to kill betty. Dan said that in the end someone would be dead. I guess he wasn't counting on Betty defending herself. If 2 people did half of what they did to my mom look out, did they deserve what happened to them absolutely not they got off way too easy. Betty is still alive and guess what she is helping abused women. This is why she has a following and such support.

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    1. I agree. She isn’t a danger to anyone, and the only ones she was a danger to are dead.

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    2. You drink and drive and you are ok with that wow 😮 I hope and pray that you don’t hurt anyone or yourself if you are still alive? You also are defending Dan and Linda and calling Betty fat that’s a laugh 😆 I could go on and on about Dan and Linda in the looks dept. but there enough pictures for people to make their own judgments? Are you married with children and are you ok with a man cheating because his wife gains weight after having 4 children? I don’t even know what to say about that you should be proud of yourself lol! Sorry people don’t seem to support liars, cheaters, and women that get fired from their stewardess job for having sex with strange men in the airplanes bathroom! People don’t seem to think to highly of a woman that has an affair with a married man with 4 children! And that same woman 2 weeks before getting married cheats with an ex boyfriend! Lol this is who you are defending! Please call a cab before you go and drink and drive!

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  43. Betty did it all wrong.......she should have aimed for spines, Dan’s genitalia, knee caps. It’s a lot more satisfying to see your enemies live long miserably lives than to kill them.

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    1. Hi Steve,

      I wish Betty had left Dan to Linda - punishment for both, if you ask me. Let Dan continue to pay her monthly support and live a fabulous life on his dime, while looking great and being happy. Best revenge ever.

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    2. Agree 100%...but dead is dead no happy life together. So that works too.Dont cheat and screw your exwife

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  44. Dan certainly look like the geek boy in his younger days, didn’t he?

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    1. I think even Betty said he was a nerd or nerdy back in the days when she met him. So you're not far off the mark, Steve.

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  45. I wonder if Betty reads any of these blogs.

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    1. I'm not sure if Betty goes online at all, Steve, but if she did, wouldn't it be something if she posted?

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    2. I just read somewhere else that inmates in her prison are not allowed Internet access.

      Too bad she can’t get out of prison. I think she’d be a lot of fun. Her answering machine messages to her uber nerd ex-husband were a hoot.

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  46. I don't know if I have ever told you this before, but I think that this is the best piece I have ever read about the Broderick case.

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    1. Wow! Thank you so much, Laura. Incredible compliment (blush, blush)

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  47. I have studied this case so much..I can feel for Betty..betray be is a brutal thing..my son's father cheated on me and I got the pleasure of listening to it on a digital recorder..but the best revenge was moving on and him doing to her what he did to me...I have my own opinions of Linda..do I think they deserved to die..no that's not up to us or ahoushoul be but she was no saint..none of them were..she knew he was married.

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    1. So true. I went through it myself and it's emotional torture. It's really too bad that Betty didn't realize that the best revenge is moving forward and being happier WITHOUT that person.

      I've said it before and I'll say it again. The adults in this saga behaved horribly.

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  48. Sorry I should have spell checked..this phone has a mind of its own.

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    1. Ha ha, my phone has a mind of its own too, Tara!

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  49. There was an interesting article in the magazine Glamour about 20 years ago by a woman who was actually the "other woman." She said her married lover, to whom she referred as "Paul," continually told her he could not "do that" (i.e. leave his marriage) to his four-, then five-, then six-year-old son. She also said that far from breaking up Paul's marriage, the affair may actually have helped it. Perhaps, she said, Paul was on a "starvation diet" before the affair began, but now with a wife and a mistress on the side, he was "getting all he needed." She also said the pain she experienced on being "led on" was "what you read in Russian novels."

    The author also warned a friend who was embarking on an affair with a married man that he wouldn't leave his wife. Here I think the author is extrapolating from her own experience. Some married men do leave their wives for their mistresses, like Dan Broderick did. However, I wonder: can an "other woman" whose lover actually leaves his marriage for her really trust that he won't do the same to her eventually? I'm sceptical. Old habits die hard. All in all, I would advise potential "other women" just to stop before it's too late and they among other people get hurt.

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  50. Dan and Linda got exactly what they deserved..especially Dan... He absolutely drove Betty to crack..he was an absolute piece of sh-t and a cheater...good riddance...Karma

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  51. I agree with your assessment that she was driven mad by him. She sacrificed their first almost 10 years of marriage for him to go to school and build his career only for him to treat her like a discarded rag. And Dan had poisoned the whole legal community against Betty. It was the "good ol boys" club for sure. She didn't get a fair shake at all, poor woman. What she did was wrong but I understand how she got to that place.

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  52. I'm curious. Does anyone know if Betty Broderick and Linda Kolkena ever actually met and had any sort of conversation?

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  54. Betty shouldve got the chair.

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  55. I recently watched some of this trial last weekend. Dan and Linda did not deserve to be shot in their bed and I don't believe Betty ever intended to kill herself, she went there to kill them both. I do feel Betty got a raw deal regarding the final settlement and Dan did screw her over. When he filed for divorce he should have split things 50/50 right then. Betty made a big mistake in in representing herself, she should have not only hired an attorney but a forensic accountant.

    During the trial it was revealed that there had been marital problems for many years. Betty even threw Dan out of the house for a week or two before Rhett was even born so to say they had a perfect marriage is not true, it was far from it. When Dan did start his practice they had to take out more loans to live off of and he really didn't start rolling in money until about 1981, he met Linda late in 1982 and started the affair in 1983. I think Dan had been wanting to move on for some time and if it wasn't Linda, it was going to be someone else.

    I just wish Betty could have moved on with her life. She did everything wrong after he left and just lost control. Part of me feels that she murdered them not only for revenge but he finally married Linda and was going to start a family and she knew he was never coming back. Betty is the same age as my Mom and they do have similarities. My Mom suffered emotionally as a child and even though her parents have been dead for many, many years but when she talks about it she is just as angry as she was 40 years ago, it's like she loves to hold onto this rage. Betty does the same thing.

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  56. Sad all around. 3 wasted life's.

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