Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings

The Betty Broderick Story

Elizabeth Anne Broderick—November 7, 1947—an American former suburban housewife, was convicted of murdering her ex-husband, Daniel T. Broderick, and his second wife, Linda (Kolkena) Broderick, on November 5, 1989. She was convicted in a second trial on two counts of second-degree murder and later sentenced to 32-years-to-life in prison. Receiving extensive media attention and extremely controversial, there were several books written on Broderick case as well as a made-for-TV movie told in two parts.

Early Life

Elizabeth Anne Bisceglia was born in 1947 where she grew up in a New York City suburb called Eastchester. She was the third of six children born to devout Roman Catholic parents, Marita (nee Curtin) (1919-2007) and Frank Bisceglia (1915-1998). Broderick's father owned a successful plastering business with his relatives. Broderick's mother was Irish-American and her father, an Italian-American. Broderick's parents were strict and expected a lot from their children. Betty recalls that she was trained at an early age to act as a housewife from birth, "go to Catholic schools, be careful with dating until you find a Catholic man, support him while he works, be blessed in your later years with beautiful grandchildren." Broderick's Catholic upbringing was bolstered by 1950 economic conditions when parents could rely on a son or son-in-law being able to support their wife and children on their own income.

Broderick graduated in 1965 from Eastchester High School and later from College of Mount Saint Vincent, a small Catholic women's college in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, majoring in early childhood education, earning a degree through an accelerated program. Broderick was also able to earn a minor in English as well.

Broderick (nee Biscelglia) met her future husband, Dan Broderick in 1965 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Daniel Broderick, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the eldest son of a large Catholic family akin to the Biscelglias and his parents were Irish immigrants. Betty Biscelglia and Dan Broderick were married on April 12, 1969 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe. After their honeymoon, Broderick learned she was pregnant with their first child, a daughter, Kim (b. 1970). Broderick had four more children: a daughter, Lee (b. 1971), two sons, Daniel (b. 1976) and Rhett (b. 1979), and an unnamed boy who died two days after birth.

Marriage Breakdown

Dan Broderick completed his M.D. degree at Cornell University after his daughter, Kim, was born. Combining his medical expertise with a J.D. degree, he enrolled at Harvard Law School. This caused Betty to be the main provider for the family, supporting the family while Dan attended law school with the aid of a student loan. An attractive prospect for many firms with his medicine and law degree, he was quickly hired by a law firm in San Diego, California and the family moved to the community of Coral Reef. Betty continued working part-time selling Tupperware and Avon while devoting her time to the children. Dan worked to build his business reputation. Specializing in medical malpractice cases. This allowed Dan to support the family entirely on his own and allowed Betty to be a stay-at-home mother and focusing for caring for their children and housewife. Dan hired 21-year-old Linda Kolkena (1961-1989) in the fall of 1982. She was terminated from her job as a stewardess at Delta Airlines where she decided to seek work as a paralegal to be Dan's legal assistant. Kolkena was Dutch descent from a large, close-knit family.

In October 1983, Betty suspected that Dan was cheating on her with his legal assistant, Linda. Dan denied engaging in extramarital relations with Linda, he told Betty she was "crazy." The marriage eventually broke down and against Betty's wishes, Dan moved out in February 1985. He bought his own home and took custody of their children after Betty dumped them, one by one, on Dan's doorstep. Dan later confessed that Betty was right and he had been having an affair with Linda since January 1983, leading to a hostile divorce case. Broderick vs. Broderick was an infamous divorce, raising legal issues involving women who worked while putting their husbands through graduate and professional schools.