Betty Broderick, convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his new wife in bed, dies at 78

Former La Jolla socialite Elizabeth “Betty” Broderick, one of San Diego’s most infamous killers, died early Friday morning while serving a life sentence for killing her ex-husband Daniel Broderick and his new bride. She was 78.

On April 18, Broderick was transported from the California Institution for Women prison in Chino to an outside medical facility due to a need for higher level care, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

By 3:40 a.m. on Friday, a medical doctor pronounced her deceased from natural causes. The San Bernardino County Coroner will later determine her official cause of death.

Broderick had arrived at the women’s prison on Feb. 26, 1992. The former La Jolla socialite was convicted in 1991 of second-degree murder and sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for shooting and killing Daniel Broderick, 44, and Linda Kolkena Broderick, 28.

Broderick’s story gained national attention and became the subject of a book, two TV movies and a television series.

Parole has been denied again for infamous murdered Betty Broderick. The San Diego socialite was convicted of murder in the 1989 shootings of her ex-husband, Daniel Broderick, and his new bride, Linda Kolkena Broderick, in a trial that gripped San Diego and the nation. NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda reports.

Who was Betty Broderick?

In 1989, Broderick used a key she had previously taken from her daughter and snuck upstairs into Daniel and Linda’s bedroom. There, she used a five-shot revolver to shoot into the bed where they were sleeping. Despite their efforts to dive for cover, they were struck by three fatal shots, according to the San Diego County Deputy District Attorney’s office.

Broderick’s ex-husband then reached for the telephone to call for help, but she walked to the bed, grabbed the phone and pulled it from the wall, dumping it in the hallway where it was out of reach, according to the DA’s office.

During the trial, Broderick maintained that she was driven to kill by a bitter divorce and custody battle.

In 2017, Broderick was denied parole for the second time since her double murder conviction.