Here's Who Inherited Dan Broderick's Fortune After His Murder
In the 1980s, Elisabeth "Betty" Broderick and her husband Dan Broderick had been going through the divorce from hell (via The New York Times). After more than a decade of marriage, the California couple began having marital problems around 1982 (via Oprah Daily).
Dan Broderick owned a legal firm, and he began having an affair with his legal assistant, Linda Kolkena. Suspecting he was cheating, Betty tried to get revenge for years — constantly. She vandalized Broderick's home with spray paint and ruined his bedding with a Boston cream pie. When Broderick took custody of their kids, Betty retaliated by driving her car into his residence. She left him scathing voice mails, shattered a mirror, and hurled a bottle of wine into a window.
The dramatic end to their 16-year marriage finally came in September 1985, when Broderick filed for divorce from Betty (via Oprah Daily). After being jailed three times and spending time in a mental hospital for her repeated attacks on Broderick, Betty's rage got the best of her on November 5, 1989 (via The New York Times). She woke up that morning and started reading newspaper articles that aired out her private divorce proceedings. Panicked and furious, she drove to Broderick's house.
He took one of his daughter's out of his will
On November 5, 1989, Betty Broderick entered her former husband's home (per The San Diego Union-Tribune). She claimed she only wanted to talk to him. But she was carrying a .38 caliber gun, and within minutes, she murdered Dan Broderick and his new wife, Linda Kolkena Broderick, as they slept in bed. The Los Angeles Times reports that Betty called her daughter Lee around 7:20 a.m. to confess that she'd shot her ex five times. She apparently wanted to end her own life too, but ran out of bullets and began to panic. Per The San Diego Union-Tribune, she turned herself in to police by the end of the day.
So what did Dan Broderick leave behind for his next of kin? According to Distractify, in 1986, the year after he filed for divorce from Betty, Dan Broderick created a will and testament to specify where his possessions should go after his death. He made one intriguing change in August 1988 — he completely omitted one of his children from the will. He added the sentence (via Distractify), "I specifically make no provision in this will for my daughter, Lee Gordon Broderick." When questioned about it, Lee said her dad told her in previous years that he would remove her from the will, but she didn't think he would actually go through with it.
His three other children were named in the will
No one is quite sure why Dan Broderick decided to remove his daughter from the will, but some people speculate that it was a power move to try and get back at Betty, since Lee Gordon Broderick was supportive of her during the divorce proceedings (via Distractify). However, Broderick's three other children — Kimberly, Daniel IV, and Rhett Broderick — were named in the will, according to Distractify.
Dan Broderick was quite wealthy — he took his family on numerous vacations every year, and he had bought a brand new mansion to live in with Linda. At his home in Coral Reef, California, he had owned multiple cars. Per the Los Angeles Times, Dan paid Betty $16,000 per month, or nearly $200,000 per year, when he was making a seven-figure salary. According to Heavy, Betty was not happy with her alimony payments — she requested $30,000 per month, while Broderick insisted she should receive just $7,316 monthly.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Betty was very focused on money during the divorce proceedings. Although she wanted custody of the four kids, she focused on the money issues first and foremost. She was reportedly a "compulsive shopper" and once bought a $40,000 coat.
Dan's net worth grew after he died
Rhett and Daniel IV Broderick were both minors when their father died, while Kimberly and Lee were legal adults (via Heavy). Dan Broderick's will specified that when each child turned 25 (save for Lee), they would be entitled to half of their inheritance. When they turned 30, they would receive the second half.
Dan Broderick's net worth has actually grown significantly since his death (per Distractify). According to the outlet, it was estimated at around $60,000 in 1989 when he died, but as his assets were sold, his net worth increased to $1.6 million. The Los Angeles Times reports that one month before Broderick's murder, he took out a $2 million life insurance policy, so his children would receive an additional $250,000 each. Linda would have received a $1 million payout if she had survived the tragic attack.
Betty Broderick is now in prison for 32 years to life, per Us Weekly. She can request parole again in 2032, but she has been denied three times before.