Snapped: Women Who Murder - Betty Broderick

Episode Date: April 24, 2022

A powerful lawyer and his new bride are slain; detectives try to track down a scorned socialite, and they unearth twisted tales of adultery, restraining orders and alleged abuse.Season 25, Episode 11Originally aired: July 15, 2020Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WsLCJWqmIebSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wonder East Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. It's a story that captivated a nation. It was gabbled a gabbled coverage. We all did the Oprah Winfrey show.

It just got bigger and bigger and bigger. A media spectacle from which people simply could not look away. The breakup of a marriage, a new marriage, and then a murder. All of the ingredients of enticing her to laundry. It begins with the high society divorce of a beautiful socialite and her handsome attorney husband. He wanted to move on. He was remarried. She had her own boyfriend. She had a beautiful home.

She had her own boyfriend. She had a beautiful home. But that all changes in the wake of a horrifying crime. The female was laying face down. The male was half underneath the bed. In the quest for answers, investigators unearthed a couple's sorted past. His friends convinced him to wear a bulletproof vest because it was an outdoor wedding.

She drove the car through the front door. She feels completely overwhelmed. People were calling in about how this was justified. I almost drove off the road. It was very upsetting. He took this and said, your family is not going to be protected. And he smashed that family part.

And then that just made her act on what she had been dreaming about for a long time. The San Diego, California, the upscale neighborhood of Hillcrest is home to some of the city's most prestigious residence. It was a beautiful area, a place of privilege, you know, the dream of a lifetime. But just before 7.30 AM on November 5th, 1989, the San Diego Police Department receives a rare summons to this normally tranquil part of town. A frantic call comes in from Brad, Brad Wright.

He says, oh my God, something terrible's happened. The dispatcher sends units immediately. We're responding to the call on a house on Cypress Way. The caller, Brad Wright, tells the dispatcher that the home in question belongs to prominent attorney Dan Brodrick and his new wife Linda and the couple needs help fast. Officer Dominic Valely is the first to arrive. I speak to the gentleman out front and he tells me he's been inside and he found what he believes is two dead bodies up in the master bedroom. And they both shot.

In the bedroom, there were two bodies, a female in a male. The two victims at the scene were Dan and Linda Broderick. I checked for signs of life, and they're both deceased. The female was laying face down with an obvious gunshot wound to the back of her head. The male was kind of half underneath the bed. Had a gunshot wound to his chest. This is a crime-free neighborhood where everything is perfect.

The neighborhood where you would never expect to see a double homicide. Dan Brodrick's story began far from the posh neighborhoods of San Diego. He grew up in Pittsburgh, the oldest of nine, in a large Catholic family. From early on, Dan was focused on his future. Certainly Dan was extremely ambitious and highly driven. He was actually, in my view, a little shy. He was very focused, very serious.

When it came time for college, Dan chose prestigious Notre Dame, enrolling as a pre-med major. In 1965, during his junior year, Dan ran into 17-year-old Betty Bishaglia, a striking blonde co-ed from New York City, who happened to be visiting a friend in South Bend. Betty came from New York, and she was in school. She was successful, she was a model. She worked all the time while she was going through school.

Betty was a very intelligent person. She was amazingly quick. She was funny. Betty grew up in Eastchester, New York. And like Dan, also hailed from a large Catholic family. Her parents were very wealthy and went to good schools. and like Dan, also hailed from a large Catholic family. Her parents were very wealthy and went to good schools. When Betty met Dan, she was majoring in child psychology

at Mount St. Vincent College in New York City. Her brazen personality is charming at first and fun, and he was this quiet kind of introvert, hardworking, studious guy, and he saw that as almost a compliment to his personality. Betty had an image of her life, which meant that she would also want to be with somebody who was very goal-oriented, very successful. Still, Betty turned down Dan's first request for a date.

In 1966, Dan graduated from Notre Dame and enrolled in med school at New York's Wild Cornel Medical College. He telegrammed Betty and asked her on a date in the city. This time, Betty said yes. The second time she met him, she fell head over heels in love with him. It was an absolute lightning connection. Betty and Dan married on a beautiful spring day in 1969. Having graduated, Betty took a teaching job to pay the rent so Dan could focus on med school. She really took over at home so he could do the studying.

She looked at her role as making sure he got through school, doing all the things that were necessary, taking all the pressure off of him. After medical school, Dan went to Harvard Law School and Betty sold Avan and Tupperware to support their growing family. She had a daughter, then she had another one. They didn't have a lot of money. They struggled a lot in those early years

and she did the best she could. years, and she did the best she could. By 1973, Dan had earned both medical and law degrees and became an attractive candidate for any number of well-paying positions. Obviously, someone who has a dual degree in medicine and in law is going to be something that is going to be very marketable for law firms, especially for medical malpractice.

So he got recruited to San Diego to a large law firm. With Dan now earning a hefty six-figure income, Betty happily took on the role of stay-at-home mom. By 1980, she had given birth to two sons to go along with their two daughters. Once the money starts flowing, then they join a couple of country clubs, the best in San Diego. They go on vacations. They spend a lot of money on clothes on their children and generally start living

it up. In Betty's eyes, it was the golden years. It was the best time. The money continued to roll in, but not without consequence. Dan would come home irritable, he'd come home late. There were many, many nights where she, you know, was pretty much on her own. Life got harder. I'm sure Dan cared greatly for his wife. I feel that they probably just grew apart.

It was just not a good match. Betty wasn't getting what she wanted and Dan wasn't either. In 1989, Dan and Betty ended their marriage. The divorce was a blow, but Betty had a lot to be thankful for. She had a beautiful home in the Hoya, even post-divorce, with getting 16,000 a month and Alamani child support. She needed to move on with her own life. There are so many women who are divorced that move on

and find joy and happiness. As for Dan, now 41, he found happiness right outside his office door in the form of his 25-old paralegal, Linda Colquina. Linda was delightful. A very delightful person. Very smart, very funny, and very caring. Every time he saw her, she was smiling. She was just a sweet, sweet person.

After dating for three years, Dan and Linda married in April of 1989. In an intimate backyard ceremony, at the home they just purchased in Hillcrest. Dan was very handsome that day, and Linda was a beautiful bride. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day. Dan wanted to move long with his life,

and that's just the way it is sometimes. Eventually, Betty also started dating. At 41, she began seeing 36-year-old Brad Wright, a man who was nothing like her ex-husband. He's from San Diego, had a fencing company. I mean, just if you met him, he's a very supportive person that was there, and that was something that she needed. Brad was also there to comfort Betty

when she and Dan butted heads over the kids. Brad was a stabilizing force in her life. She confided in him about what was going on. She was with Brad, and she introduced me to him. He seemed very nice. She confided in him about what was going on. She was with Brad and she introduced me to him. He seemed very nice. She seemed happy. By the time Betty and Dan were divorced, the two girls were no longer living at home. The two boys were still kids living at first with both parents. By the fall of 1989, it appeared that everyone had settled

into a new normal. But then, on November 5th, an early morning call to 911 reveals all is far from normal at Linda and Dan's sprawling Hillcrest home. I always see there was foul play involved. At that point, it becomes a homicide scene. Investigators need to know who killed Dan and Linda Brodrick, and why.

There's no justification for walking no somebody's bedroom in an early morning and it's nothing out to lives. Coming up, as detectives dig in, they uncover some strange details about the case. Why is Betty's current boyfriend at this house? And police on Earth won stunning secret after another. She just drove the car through the front door. After successful San Diego couple Dan and Betty Brodric divorced, Betty started dating

a younger man, Brad Wright, and Dan married his former paralegal, Linda Colquina. On the surface, it looked like Betty and Dan had both found new loves. And they should have both been happy with their lives. They should have been ready to move on. But everything comes crashing down on the morning of November 5, 1989, when Dan and Linda are found shot to death in the bedroom of their Hillcrest mansion. Linda was shot in the chest and in the back of the head.

There's no question that head wounds are instant. Either shot in the head, you're pretty much gone. The same can't be said for Dan, who suffered a single gunshot wound to his chest. I noticed there was white broth coming out of the wound. And if you get shot in a lung, you don't die right away. You basically you believed in death and the blocks of your air. He was alive.

The medical examiner estimated at around 20 minutes. Based on the position of the bodies, authorities tried to piece together what happened. The first shots were fired as the police understand it, interlinda broadrick. He was cleared at Dan, obviously, heard the shots. So he started rolling off the beds.

Dan was shot through the lung, through the back. There were two bullets in Linda. There's one bullet in Dan. There's one bullet in the wall behind them. There's one bullet in the nightstand next to them. It's a total of five shots. And since no shell casings have been left behind, investigators believe the murder weapon was likely a revolver. The caliber weapon used to murder Daniel and there was a 38 caliber.

Aside from the two bodies, authorities find only one other disturbance in the bedroom. We found some ripped wires from the wall, telephone lines, and I walked in a hallway and there was the telephone. It looked like I'd been taken from the nightstand and out of Dan Broderick's reach. This person ripped the phone out of the wall. Took it out into the hallway and dropped it.

That would have obviously prevented him from calling for help. Investigators note that the rest of the house appears to be in perfect order. There was nothing missing as far as they could see. It just looked like someone had come into the house, climbed the stairs, fired the gun, taken the phone out of the wall, and then left. Who killed Dan and Linda Broderick, and how did they get inside the home? Seeking answers, detectives move outside

to question the original 911 caller, Brad Wright. The gentleman was Betty's boyfriend, Brad. He's at the scene, so yeah, that was a red flag. Why is Betty's current boyfriend at this house? Brad explains that he spent the previous night at Betty's. He was at Betty's house in La Jolla with her kids. Brad tells police that around 7 a.m. he was awakened when Betty's home phone

started ringing off the hook. And no one answered it. Brad's first thought was that El Betty must have gone to the beach. So Brad got up and he answered the phone. There was a friend of Betty's on the phone who was extremely upset. The woman on the phone did not give Brad a lot of detail.

Just something happened at Dan's house, so she was worried and she wanted Brad to go check. Brad explains that once he made sure Betty's 10 and 13-year-old sons were safe and sound upstairs, he headed to Dan and Linda's house to investigate. Brad made it over to the house. Tried going in the front door, which was locked. Tried and ringing the doorbell.

No answer. Brad tells detectives that's when he made a fateful decision. Went through a side door, broke the glass, reached in and opened the door, and then went up and discovered the bodies. It was at that point that they first called 911. According to Brad, he hasn't heard from Betty all morning and has no idea where she is now. Then, Brad reveals a crucial detail. I asked him with a door locked when he got there and he said yes.

So, obviously, a person who came in had to have a key. Police probably wondered maybe this guy has something to do with the murder. Brad is visibly shaken and insists he is innocent. Detectives are inclined to believe him. If you're going to commit a crime, why would you call 911 to report it? And plus going back and checking the alibis, everything matched up.

So we could rule out Brad. Detective Terry DeGelder checks in with the officers who responded to the 911 call. I spoke to the patrol officers in the front that we're guarding the scene, because a lot of times those patrol cops know exactly what happened, but nobody asked them. The effort pays off. One of the officers that was at the scene had responded to this house before

on another domestic violence dispute. According to the responding officer, the incident didn't involve Dan and Linda. Rather, Dan's ex-wife Betty Betty Brodrick, was the instigator. About a month and a half before Betty took her Chevy suburban and smashed into the front doors of the house. Betty just drove the car through the front door. That night, the police got there, and she fought with the police officers.

And they took it to County Mental Health, because she was acting so bizarre. They took it for a three-day evaluation, 72-hour hold. So Dan Broderick got a restraining order out on her. After learning of the restraining order against Betty, investigators seek out more details surrounding her and Dan's divorce. Court records indicate it had been tumultuous. From the moment it was finalized.

There was a lot of problems with her, not respecting the divorce, respecting his space, coming over to his house, crashing in the home, calling in all hours, and feeling she had the right to do this. Different arrangements had been tried to try to calm Betty down, to stop the phone calls, to stop her showing up unannounced, and also to protect the children.

After the SUV incident, Dan filed for primary custody of the boys, aged 10 and 13. By then, their daughters were grown and off on their own. In court, he was given temporary custody of the children, with very little visitation from Betty. And now, Dan's dead. Betty's missing. This is a huge red flag. So Betty became suspect pretty quick. Coming up, detectives head to the home of Betty

Broadrick, but both Betty and the truth will prove to be elusive. Betty never returned home from her walk on the beach. And a paper trail reveals disturbing evidence. She asked the store clerk for bullets that do the most damage to a person's body. MUSIC Ladies and gentlemen, get ready and buckle up.

We've got the one and only Conan O'Brien, making a legendary appearance on SmartLess. Picture this, the iconic Conan O'Brien, puffy red hair and all, joining forces with me and Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes. It is just, it's a recipe for podcast perfection exclusively on One Re plus. We're taking you on an unforgettable journey behind the curtain. We're pulling back the veil on the world of late night and giving you an inside look into the mind of a true legend. Our episode with Conan is the second of ten special episodes exclusive to One Re plus. These episodes are the full recorded interviews from our smartless tour that was filmed in front of thousands of our biggest fans

from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. You're not going to want to miss this conversation with Conan? You can listen to these episodes exclusively and add free with OneDriPlus, find OneDriPlus in the OneDriApp or on AppleBotGasts. San Diego police are investigating the brutal double murder of prominent attorney Dan Broderick and his wife Linda.

Detectives are now eager to track down Dan's ex-wife Betty. Betty Broderick was looked at as a suspect because of their history with their problems in their divorce and with their child custody issues. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to see what was in her head. You can see if she did this. Investigators went to Betty's house to check for Betty,

but she was not at her house. Is Betty on the run, or is she also a casualty of this heinous crime? Is it a murder suicide? Or did she go over there to kill them and then kill herself? What they're looking for is all kinds of different theories. We want to find her to get in her side of the story. So we put out an all-unus for her car

in order to locate her. We're looking for a big Chevy suburban. As the search for Betty ramps up, word of Dan and Linda's murders spreads through family, friends, and the media. Because he was a prominent San Diego attorney, I think that helped make it newsworthy. It was very upsetting, stunning to hear. They were so recently married. They're starting a new life, you know, everybody has a right to start a new life. They're literally in the honeymoon phase of their life.

When I found out, I was so broken-hearted, I started crying, I couldn't stop crying. And it just was so sad. You know, I immediately thought of the children as well. My adult daughter, who had babysat for Dan Betty's kids, told me that Dan and Linda had been killed. My adult daughter, who had babysat for Dan Betty's kids, told me that Dan and Linda had been killed. You don't believe it, and then it started to penetrate

that this was true, and then there were office people calling, and Betty hadn't been found yet, and people were afraid, and the police were out looking for her, and the rest of the day is now blur. As the news ripples throughout San Diego, looking for her and the rest of the day is now blur. As the news ripples throughout San Diego, detectives return to Betty's house armed with a search warrant. We just look for anything to tie to person into the crime scene.

And during a search of her house, they found a case for a hangar. She had a Smith and Wesson five-shot chief special. It was a 38. It's the same caliber weapon used to kill the newlyweds. When they get into her house, they actually find Mopagon, but some extra rounds of ammunition. We're searching through stuff, and I find this transcript, you know,

title of the book was, uh, what's a nice girl to do? The manifesto's author, Betty Broadrek. And it was basically an outline of their breakup before their divorce, you know, and the things that he said and what she did and their court experiences. Every argument that it had, anything that happened, it was all dance vault. She was an innocent victim. And everything bad that happened happened to her because of Dan.

The last line was kind of interesting. They said the only impact I'm going to have on this man is the killer. Investigators now believe Betty followed through on those fateful final words. But was her ex-husband truly the monster described in her manifesto? I just wanted to find out if Dan was a criminal or he was doing horrible things. I didn't know anything about either one of them. There were a lot of police out looking for Betty, because there were a lot of people who were afraid that she was loose with a gun,

and didn't have any boundaries. Then detectives receive a tip that Betty's vehicle has been spotted at her daughter's house. They rush to the home. They find her car at her daughter's house. They rush to the home. They find her car at her daughter's house. They go inside the daughter's house. Betty isn't there. They don't know where Betty is.

Along with the SUV, Betty apparently left behind some other personal belongings. Inside Betty's daughter's house, Betty had left her purse, and inside the purse was a 38-calibre handgun. The odds that the 38-calibre shells found at the scene would match the 38-calibre handgun found in her purse. We're pretty good.

What remains unclear is why would Betty kill the man she depended on to maintain her affluent lifestyle? Betty was being paid by Dan's $16,000 a month and Alamone child support. And she's got her home in La Jolla. It would have been odd that Betty would do something like that, knowing that she would lose her monthly support from her ex-husband.

Now they know that they've got the evidence they need to arrest Betty for the murder of Dan and Linda Brodrick. They get a warrant for first degree murder. They have no idea where she is. They don't know whether she's gotten on a plane to leave the country. They don't know whether she's committed suicide. They don't know whether she's in hiding somewhere, they don't have a clue. What began as a sensational local news story quickly goes national. It seems people are fascinated by successful, well-to-do people who have failure. You know, I don't know, that seems to be the American way for whatever reason. With their search for Betty now squarely in the spotlight, detectives are feeling the pressure,

but apparently, so is Betty. Police are out searching for Betty, and she walks into the police station with an attorney. Immediately, he told the officer she's not talking. Usually, you know, we will interview the suspect but she flat-refused to talk to us. Police are convinced Betty's silence is part of a calculated strategy.

Betty and her lawyer were coming up with a plan. Betty was charged with first degree premeditated double homicide. With Betty not cooperating, with first degree premeditated double homicide. With Betty not cooperating, detectives decide to take a closer look at her 38 caliber handgun. With the serial number of the gun, we were a trace where it was purchased from. So we interviewed the clerk at the gun store.

We found out that she had bought the gun in April of that year and asked the store clerk for ammunition bullets that do the most damage to a person's body. He sold her bullets called black talons Which is a bullet that expands When it when it hits you Detectives also discover that after Betty bought the weapon, she got serious about learning how to use it. She went to the San Diego Police Department, pistol range. On Saturday mornings, they have a course for civilians.

Teach them how to shoot. She had gone to a gun range and done quite a bit of practicing. She was a pretty good shot and knew what she was doing. and done quite a bit of practicing. She was a pretty good shot and knew what she was doing. Coming up, as the investigation continues, tales of fear and violence begin to emerge. All of a sudden Betty would lose it and something would happen.

And the media coverage of the case grows even more frenzy. The media was able to find us, find where we lived. My children were kind of scared. After the double murders of Dan and Linda Broderick, Dan's ex-wife Betty has appeared at the San Diego Police Department. She turns herself in, but she refuses to speak.

So they know that she has some kind of a plan that she's probably created with the attorney, but they don't know what that plan is. but they don't know what that plan is. We needed to show the district attorney that this was deliberate to help him build his case. I've seen a lot of evidence, including buying the bullets, buying a gun, going to the range, writing a book. And speaking to Betty's friends, investigators discover that her frustrations with her marriage began in 1983.

When during a law firm function, she realized Dan was attracted to his new paralegal, Linda Colquina. Betty first saw Linda at a cocktail party, and she hears Dan say, wow, she's really beautiful. And Betty thinks to herself, he never says that. Dan's never said that any woman was pretty. Then he wasn't coming home. He was staying late at work. He was getting phone calls, things like that. The friends give detectives an interesting bit of context.

Linda looked at awful light like Betty. When Betty was younger, very, very similarly, it could have been sisters. Linda and the young Betty. I mean, just amazing how close they looked. According to the friends, when Betty made a surprise visit to Dan's law office, her fears were confirmed. One day, on his birthday, she addressed up very nice

came in with all kinds of stuff for his birthday. And it was late in the afternoon, and she was going to take him out to dinner, and it was going to do all this stuff. And she came in, and Dan was looking into. For her, it was a complete betrayal. That's when she lit up the barbecue, put his top hat and his tux tail in there and set him on fire.

Friends explain that shortly after that, Dan filed for divorce. Betty complained to everyone that she would never get a fair shake in court against her powerful lawyer, husband. They went in for a hearing, and when Dan walked in, the judge looked up, didn't know Betty, but who Dan said, what kind of honor do I have to see you in my courtroom, Mr. Project? She claims she interviewed 60 to 100 attorneys in San Diego, but ultimately, she did not have a lawyer at the divorce trial. Betty represented herself at the January 1989 trial. She was awarded $16,000 in monthly child support and alimony, but was dissatisfied.

Making matters worse, Betty believed Dan was purposefully mistreating her. Dan would do things like she would go over to pick up the kids for the soccer game for practice and Dan wouldn't let him go. And so that was humiliating to her. It would evoke a response from her. All of a sudden, Betty would lose it and something would happen. So there's the time she drove through the front door of the house. She was calling his home and leaving these extremely obscene,

extremely abusive telephone messages on the answering machine. They were very upsetting phone messages at Dan's house. When the children were there, a dinner one night, we were talking to Dan, and, well, why don't you move? Because you need to be safe. Three months after the divorce was finalized, when it came time for Dan and Linda's wedding, their friends begged them to be careful.

His friends convinced him to wear a bulletproof vest because it was an outdoor wedding. They were so convinced that Betty's going to come by and do a drive-by shooting on him. So we're lucky only he did. There were security guards. And I do remember hearing somebody say, if there was even a backfire to a car

that a ruse going to hit the deck because I thought it was Betty shooting at them. Can you imagine how you're wedding day? Having to think about hitting the neck because there may be gunfire. Unbelievable. Friends explain to detectives that after months of ongoing threats,

Dan ultimately decided to seek full custody of the boys. The night before this occurred, Betty received a letter from Dan. The letter that came was a letter from his office that basically said we're going to court to deal with the issues of the boys, which basically was saying to her, you're not getting the boys back, this war is not over. Was this letter, the spark, that ignited a murderous rage

in Betty Broderick? As prosecutors prepare for trial, media attention surrounding the case has become a nationwide frenzy. People are captivated by other people's dirty laundry, the breakup of a marriage, and then a new marriage, and then a murder. So you have all of the ingredients of enticing dirty laundry. Oprah Winfrey had called, and we all did the Oprah Winfrey show.

She flew us out to Chicago. It just got bigger and bigger at the expensive, two wonderful people who are dead. In the court of public opinion, Betty isn't always painted as an evil villain. I remember driving to work one day and there was a radio show and people were calling in about how this was justified and looked what they had done to her and I almost drove off the road. It was very upsetting. There was a movement going on at the time about women going through divorce and people saying that the courts don't treat them, and they don't recognize the sacrifice that women make

through their life so that men can be successful. Betty went to this period of time where they lived, dirt poor, and struggling. He finally becomes successful in Edum'sr, so there was a lot of women say, well, good, he deserved it. Prosecutors begin to wonder, will a jury feel the same way? Coming up, Betty testifies that she was the real victim. Whenever I said something, he didn't like, he grabbed me by the neck

and pulled my face up into his face and said, what did you say? What did you say? And a surprise at the trial puts the entire case into jeopardy. It was very, very concerning, but she could get off. MUSIC San Diego, California, October 1990. Betty Brodrick's trial is about to begin. Charged with two counts of first degree murder,

Betty pleads not guilty. She admits she shot and killed her ex-husband Dan and his new wife Linda, but Betty is adamant there was no premeditation. The first trial ended with a hung jury after they could not reach a decision about sentencing. was no premeditation. The first trial ended with a hung jury after they could not reach a decision about sentencing. We expected that this was going to be a conviction.

And so when it wasn't, it was really upsetting. It was very, very concerning that she could get off. Betty remains in custody as prosecutors regroup for a retrial. One year later, the second trial begins. The media was able to find us, find where we lived. My children were kind of scared seeing all these trucks show up with satellite dishes on top, and there's a lot of things happening in front of your home as opposed to the courthouse.

This time, prosecutors charge Betty with second degree murder. The evidence is going to show without question she did shoot and kill two people that she'd hated with the vengeance. At the second trial, the couple's adult daughters, Lee and Kim, are also put in the difficult position of choosing sides. Lee was very supportive of her mom, and Kim was not. Kim testified for the prosecution. Lee testified for the defense.

We clearly saw the impact it had on the children. It divided their family. Prosecutors argue that the letter from Dan advising Betty of his intentions to seek full custody of their sons pushed her already reckless behavior to a whole new level. You wanted a custody of the children, and maybe that's why she snouted.

And then that just made her act on what she had been dreaming about for a long time. Prosecutors tell the jury what they believe Betty did after reading that letter. Betty wakes up early in the morning and takes the daughter's keys out of the daughter's purse and then goes and enters the house right at the crack at dawn. She knew that they were going to be home.

She knew that the kids weren't going to be there. She locks upstairs to the bedroom, opens the door. She aims and kills them both. Shoot some kills them. and kill some. Betty ripped the phone from the wall, so her ex couldn't call for help. with the nation glued to their television screens, Betty's defense team counters with a dramatic attack on Dan's character. And so what Dan did is when he took this family and when he left without telling her that there was going to be a divorce,

he took this and said, the glass is not going to protect this picture. Your family is not going to be protected. And he spat. And he said, the glass is not going to protect this picture. Your family is not going to be a divorce. He took this and said, the glass is not going to protect this picture. Your family is not going to be protected.

And he smashed that family apart. After these powerful opening remarks, the defense calls Betty to the stand. Under oath, she claims Dan was abusive. Whenever I said something, he didn't like. He grabbed me by the neck and pulled my face up into his face and said, what did you say? What did you say?

Betty testifies that she went to Dan and Linda's home that morning, armed with a plan and a revolver. She told me she was going there to try to convince Dan to let her have the kids to stop the fighting. And she was going to threaten to kill herself if Dan just told her it's over. You're not getting the kids back. What happened when you went into the door? It looked like Linda moved and she went toward Dan and Dan went toward the phone.

They moved and I moved and it was over. The defense attorney emphasized that Dan had over time, repeatedly harassed her and abused her mentally to the point where she just exploded. She had snapped. Ultimately, she's the one who pulled the trigger. She's the one who killed two people. She did it when she didn't have to. I think this woman had planned it, thought it out, wrote a book about it.

I've had a lot of homicides. I've never encountered one where the person had so much time to change your mind about what they're going to do and didn't. The jury convenes to deliberate. We broke up and we walked around. And when we came back, everyone felt they could support a murder in the second degree verdict. On December 10, 1991, Betty Brodrick is found guilty

on two counts of second degree murder. It was a huge relief when the verdict was a guilty verdict because it meant that there would be some consequence to her actions. And there was a tremendous amount of sadness because they didn't bring them back. And now we had four children without a parent. without a parent. In February 1992, Betty is sentenced to 32 years to life,

the maximum sentence. It was so tragic. Dan and Betty were both good-looking, smart, well-educated, and they had this great situation in life and beautiful children, and they ripped each other's rats. Dan was certainly not perfect. However, who is perfect, and who deserved to be murdered? Nobody should have died. Betty Broderick

should have just simply moved on with her own life and just accepted that her marriage didn't go as she thought it would. Dan was just this honorable respected attorney and Linda was a dynamic, fun, smart, and they didn't deserve what happened. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing them remembers them with a lot of love and fondness when missing them. Betty Brodrick was last night, Pearl in 2017 at the age of 69.

She will not be eligible for Pearl again until 2032. She will be 84 years old. For more information on snapped, go to oxygen.com