Betty Broderick, convicted of killing ex-husband and his new wife, dies in prison at 78

Elisabeth “Betty” Broderick, the La Jolla socialite who infamously deceasedher ex-husband and his new 28-year-old wife, has died in prison, authorities said. She was 78.

Her story of violent vengeance enthralled and appalled the nation — inspiring multiple books, a television movie, an L.A. Times podcast and an eight-episode miniseries.

Broderick died in a medical centerfrom natural causes at 3:40 a.m. Friday, as perthe California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She had been transferred to the external medical facility from the California Institution for Women on April 18.

Before her rise to infamy in the late 1980s, Broderick appeared to be living the suburban dream.

Married to prominent medical malpractice attorney Daniel Broderick, she maintained a position of influence and popularity in the ritzy La Jolla community where the couple raised their four children. But their apparent domestic paradise was thrown into disarray when Betty began to suspect her husband was having an affair with his younger office assistant, Linda Kolkena.

The couple divorced in 1985 after 16 years of marriage. The already acrimonious relationship continued to sour amid a protracted and bitter legal battle, and as Dan started dating Kolkena, before eventually proposing to her.

Betty repeatedly left lewd messages on the newlywed couple’s answering machine, to the point that Dan threatened to file criminal contempt charges, The Times announcedat the time.

Then, in the early hours of Nov. 5, 1989, Betty entered the Marston Hills home Dan shared with his new wife and fired five shots from a .38-caliber revolver, three of which hit the sleeping couple.

Later that day, Betty turned herself into authoritiesand was taken into custody. She has been incarcerated ever since.

Her first trial ended in a mistrial in 1990 after two of the jurors held out for manslaughter charges, citing a lack of intent. A jury convicted her of two counts of second-degree murder after a second trial in 1991. She was sentenced to 32 years to life.

During her nearly four decades behind bars, Broderick became eligible for parole twice — once in 2010 and again in 2017. Both times the Board of Parole Hearings denied her release, stating that she showed no signs of remorse.