In a tragic act of violence, Linda Kolkena, a 28-year-old bride carrying her unborn child, met a brutal fate. She was in her bed with her husband, Daniel Broderick, when she was mercilessly slain by Betty Broderick, her husband’s former wife
Linda Kolkena was born in 1961 in Lake City, Utah. She was an American by nationality. Linda Kolkena’s family was Catholic and had four sisters.
Her mother died of breast cancer when Kolkena was just 11 years old. She was the youngest child, and her sisters brought her up. She was never interested in studies but went to high school to complete her degree.
She always wanted to become a wife and a mother. She was a simple lady with no big dreams or demands. After graduating, she joined Delta Airlines as a flight attendant assistant in 1982. At the time of her murder, Linda Kolkena’s age was 28.
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How Linda Kolkena Met Daniel Broderick?
In 1983, Linda Kolkena left her job as a flight attendant and started working as a receptionist in the same building where Broderick had his law firm’s office.
He was mesmerized by the 21 years old young lady and could not resist approaching her. Daniel offered a job to Kolkena as a paralegal at his law firm, even though she did not know the law.
They started falling for each other, and their relationship grew in the office. In no time, everyone knew that Danial and Kolkena were head over heels in love.
Who Was Betty Broderick?
Betty Broderick was born in Bronxville, New York, in 1961. Her Roman Catholic parents raised her to be a good wife and support her husband in every matter.
She met Daniel Broderick in 1965 at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. They both started loving each other and got married on 2 April 1969.
Daniel Broderick’s Relationship With His Wife, Betty Broderick
Betty and Daniel welcomed their first child Kim in 1970. As of 2023, Kim is 53 years old. After the birth of their daughter, Daniel decided to get a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard law school.
While he was away from the family, it was Betty who raised the children alone. Within a few years, Daniel was offered a good post at a law firm in San Diego, California. He accepted the proposal immediately and called his family to California.
Broderick’s were doing very well, and with the support of Betty, Daniel owned a mansion in La Jolla, a ski lodge, and a sports car. He was earning more than one million dollars a year.
They were living happily with their four children until 1982 when Daniel hired Kolkena as a legal assistant at his law firm.
Betty could not bear the fact that her husband was paying $30000 a year to a 21 years old young woman who did not even know how to type.
As stated by Betty in court during her trial:
“She was not a lawyer and also was not even a secretary, she couldn’t even type. He needed a lot of help, but I couldn’t see that she was the right person to help him through his work.”
Betty gave an ultimatum to Daniel to choose between her and Kolkena. In the year 1985, Daniel approached the court to end his marriage with Betty.
Linda Kolkena Broderick and Dan Broderick’s Marriage
The couple started dating each other and decided to get married. Linda was deeply in love with Daniel but feared that Betty Broderick would not let them be happy in their lives.
While Daniel was clear in his head that he wanted to get rid of his sick marriage with Betty and start a new life with Linda Kolkena.
Daniel got custody of his children, and Betty was not ready to accept that. She became mad and claimed that Daniel had misused his position to get unlawful custody of the children and the house.
She also said Daniel is not giving her a share in their property. But everything went against her, and they got divorced in 1989.
She became wild and started behaving furiously. She tried to threaten the couple by leaving hundreds of threatening messages on Daniel’s answering machine.
Despite getting warnings from the court, she defaced Linda and Broderick’s new house. She even claimed that Linda Kolkena had tried to abuse her by sending emails about beauty products.
The marriage ceremony of Linda and Daniel took place in their own house in Marston hills. Linda Kolkena was extremely scared that Betty would ruin their bid day.
She even insisted that Daniel should wear a bulletproof jacket on their wedding day. Owing to Linda’s concern, Daniel hired security guards outside their house. The ceremony went very well and the couple soon took off for their honeymoon to the Caribbean.
The Young Bride Was Shot Dead With His Groom In Their Bed
No longer than six months had passed when the couple was brutally killed by Betty. On November 5, 1989, she entered their house with the help of a key she had stolen from her daughter.
She entered the couple’s bedroom with a Smith & Wesson revolver in her hands.
Linda started screaming and was instantly shot dead. Betty shot him twice, first in the head and then in the chest. The young bride died at the moment. Broderick, who was running to reach out for the phone, was shot in the chest by his ex-wife. His last words were
“OK, you shot me. I’m dead.”
Betty tried to escape but was caught by the police in no time. During her trials, she kept refusing her vicious acts and projected that she fired the gun in confusion after Linda started shouting and had no plan to kill the couple.
However, her crime was proved by the shreds of evidence collected from the couple’s bedroom. Betty had been sentenced to life imprisonment in California. She is still alive and 73 years old.
It is also suspected that Linda Kolkena was pregnant when Betty murdered her. In Linda Kolkena’s autopsy, it was revealed that Betty shot two bullets in her chest and one in her head.
Linda Kolkena and Dan Broderick’s Obituary
The couple’s funeral was held at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and was attended by several people. The young girl Linda Kolkena was buried beside her husband, Dan Broderick, at Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary, California, United States.
Daniel Broderick Friend’s Insight On This Tragic Event
Spencer Busby, a close ally of Daniel Broderick, shared his profound perspective on the devastating murders in a candid interview for Oxygen’s special. Expressing shock, Busby revealed how friends had warned Daniel about Betty’s intense hatred towards his new relationship.
The tragic fate of Linda Kolkena, caught in an unforeseen crossfire, left Busby grappling with the unimaginable rage that consumed Betty. Reflecting on the turbulent history between Daniel and Betty, Busby shed light on the growing resentment and the breaking point that led to Daniel filing for divorce.
With a heavy heart, Busby condemned Betty’s intrusion and the gravity of her actions that defied justification or understanding
Popular Adaptations
After the tragic death of young Linda Kolkena, the Betty Broderick case became high-profile and inspired many TV shows. Besides this, Linda Kolkena’s sister was interviewed on many talk shows.
Here are some TV shows that showed up the story of Linda Kolkena.
- A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story
- Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick
- The Last Chapter (1992)
- The Betty Broderick Murders
