Betty Broderick Was Repeatedly Denied Parole in Chilling 1989 Murder Case of Ex-Husband and His New Wife Before Her Death Behind Bars at 78
Betty Broderick was arrested on murder charges in 1989.
May 11 2026, Published 5:35 p.m. ET
Double murderer Betty Broderick died while awaiting yet another far-off parole hearing after being denied release twice, RadarOnline.com.
On Friday, May 8, Broderick passed away at 78 at an outside medical center near the California Institution for Women while still serving out her life sentence.
What Did Betty Broderick Do?
Betty Broderick shot both her ex-husband and his new wife in their bedroom in 1989.
The chilling case made headlines in 1989 after she was arrested for shooting her ex-husband, Dan Broderick, and his new wife.
Betty and Dan tied the knot in 1969 and welcomed four children together. However, more than a decade into their marriage, Dan, who was a medical malpractice attorney, had an affair with his assistant, Linda Kolkena.
The pair eventually divorced, and shortly after, Dan and Linda said "I do." But just over six months after their wedding, Betty received written notice that her ex-husband had worries about her having custody of their kids.
"I completely fell apart. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go back to court, and back to jail, and I didn't want my boys on a trial basis," Betty wrote in her book, Telling on Myself. "I knew exactly what that meant: Dan would be my judge and jury, and I knew how that would go — an endless Salem witch trial."
"I had to make it stop. I could not live one more day like this, waiting for his next ‘Gotcha!'" she continued. "I just couldn't stand it. I felt like I had failed my kids and I had nothing left to live for."
Betty Broderick turned herself in to police after the murders.
Although Betty claimed that she originally considered taking her own life, her plan changed. She said she was not in her "right mind" as she drove to her ex-husband's home, and she felt like she was going "insane."
Once she arrived, she went into the house and shot Dan and Linda in their bedroom.
That same day, Betty surrendered herself to police and did not deny her role in the crimes.
While her first trial resulted in a mistrial, she was later sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder.
Betty Broderick's Failed Parole Hearings
Betty Broderick was denied parole twice.
Over the years, Betty tried more than once to make parole. When she was initially eligible in 2010, the Board of Prison Terms Commissioner Robert Doyle denied her release on the stance that she showed little remorse.
"Your heart is still bitter, and you are still angry," Doyle said at the time. "You show no significant progress in evolving. You are still back 20 years ago in that same mode. You've got to move on."
Seven years later, she tried again, but her bid was rejected for a second time.
"Her demeanor was basically to be defiant, to smirk throughout the hearing, to act in complete denial, and not understand where she is, why she’s there and what happened," San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Richard Sachs said.
Betty died before she was eligible for parole again in 2032.
What Did Betty Broderick's Children Think?
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Kim Broderick and Dan Broderick Jr. appeared on the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' in late 1992.
In 1992, Betty's daughter Kim spoke out about her mother's murders on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
"I talk to some people, and they say things like, ‘Oh, well I relate to her,' and ‘After all your father did to her.' And they obviously haven't been listening because dad didn't do all these things to her," Kim said at the time. "And he definitely didn't deserve to die, and they shouldn't look up at her for doing that."
Dan Jr. called her "lost" and suggested she shouldn't be released into "society."
However, in a separate interview, Lee said she'd like her mother to "live her later life outside prison walls," per CBS News.
Rhett also told Oprah that his mom was a "nice lady" if she wasn't talking about his late father.
"Keeping her in prison isn't really helping her," he added. "She's not a danger to society – the only two people she was a danger to are dead."
