Fact vs. Fiction: The Podcast and the Real People

[chlban]

On 7/1/2020 at 12:10 PM, Mrs. Hanson said:

I tried to remember last night:  Death Hag, Find a Death....I was spending too many brain cells on it, actually.  I am sure the Kolkena family wants it all to go away but never can, so they are not talking, nor should they!!

I do remember when she was up for parole in January 2010 - she went on and ON about how Dan and Linda made her do this, they were to blame, etc.  I am sure the parole board (who I assume have heard A LOT) were like......"really?"

I need to read that book!  I am surprised that she did not ask for custody.  The thing that gets me is Betty had this great life, lots of money and, I am sorry to report, her hubby had a wandering eye.  Welcome to the club.  She was offered A LOT of money and presumably, never would have to work if she did not choose to, yet she still blew it.  If my ex hubby offered me that much in alimony, I would be making him brownies every month and delivering them!

As for her parents saying, no, we are done:  Can you imagine being around her?  It would be EXHAUSTING.  And let's face it, parents know their kids.  They knew she needed to reel it in as well.

I do NOT get how the jury did not find her guily of first degree.  Second degree (as I understand it) means no intent.  She harrassed them, threatened them and drove over, broke in WITH A GUN and shot them!  How does that NOT show intent?

According to the book, there was a determined hold out that wanted Manslaughter. She would not agree to first degree, so they would have had a second hung jury. They finally got her to agree to 2nd. Degree. However, she (the hold out) assumed that 2nd. Degree would only result in a few years in prison, not a max of something like 25 years maximum  (don't recall exactly), and it was 2 counts. The Judge could have made the sentences concurrent, but he did not. He sentenced her to the maximum and the sentences to run consecutively.

Edited July 2, 2020 by chlban

[lovesnark]

1 hour ago, chlban said:

According to the book, there was a determined hold out that wanted Manslaughter. She would not agree to first degree, so they would have had a second hung jury. They finally got her to agree to 2nd. Degree. However, she (the hold out) assumed that 2nd. Degree would only result in a few years in prison, not a max of something like 25 years maximum  (don't recall exactly), and it was 2 counts. The Judge could have made the sentences concurrent, but he did not. He sentenced her to the maximum and the sentences to run consecutively.

1st Degree was never an option. The DA chose not to charge her with it because they didn't believe they would be able to prove premeditation with Betty's testimony. The jury had Manslaughter and Murder 2 to agree on. The woman who was a hold out in the second trial was floored when she learned what the judge sentenced Betty to. She thought she was going a get a slap on the wrist couple of years, then be out. The judge did not buy Betty's story or lack of remorse and gave her the maximum he possibly could. It probably didn't help that she changed her story between trials, either. 

[geauxaway]

I haven’t read any of the books, so I hope I’m not being annoying but if anyone who has more knowledge invested in the whole case etc wouldn’t mind info on the following:  where was Betty’s family (parents, siblings, etc) during the trial and after.  I know we were shown her talking to her parents on the phone and they pretty much shut her down, but did they ever end up coming around?  Why did the kids end up with Dan’s brother’s ex-wife?   

[Mrs. Hanson]

2 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

I haven’t read any of the books, so I hope I’m not being annoying but if anyone who has more knowledge invested in the whole case etc wouldn’t mind info on the following:  where was Betty’s family (parents, siblings, etc) during the trial and after.  I know we were shown her talking to her parents on the phone and they pretty much shut her down, but did they ever end up coming around?  Why did the kids end up with Dan’s brother’s ex-wife?   

I believe Dan's brother was still married when custody was awarded to him and his wife, when they divorced she kept the kids.  Can't say about Betty's parents.

[chlban]

4 hours ago, lovesnark said:

1st Degree was never an option. The DA chose not to charge her with it because they didn't believe they would be able to prove premeditation with Betty's testimony. The jury had Manslaughter and Murder 2 to agree on. The woman who was a hold out in the second trial was floored when she learned what the judge sentenced Betty to. She thought she was going a get a slap on the wrist couple of years, then be out. The judge did not buy Betty's story or lack of remorse and gave her the maximum he possibly could. It probably didn't help that she changed her story between trials, either. 

Not according to the book The Twelfth of Never. Dan's family and the prosecutor were both very disappointed with 2nd. Degree and Wells, the Prosecutor, spent a lot of time trying to prove premeditation.page 688: "Wells hid her disappointment well. Even if she hadn't won her first degree convictions, she hadn't entirely lost either".

Edited July 3, 2020 by chlban

[chlban]

15 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

I haven’t read any of the books, so I hope I’m not being annoying but if anyone who has more knowledge invested in the whole case etc wouldn’t mind info on the following:  where was Betty’s family (parents, siblings, etc) during the trial and after.  I know we were shown her talking to her parents on the phone and they pretty much shut her down, but did they ever end up coming around?  Why did the kids end up with Dan’s brother’s ex-wife?   

Her parents and siblings did come out and support her during the trial, although she never felt her mother supported her. It sounds like her mom was pretty self absorbed. Betty complained her mom made it about her, and not Betty. Which is pretty Ironic, considering how she treated her own children. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by chlban

[lovesnark]

2 hours ago, chlban said:

Not according to the book The Twelfth of Never. Dan's family and the prosecutor were both very disappointed with 2nd. Degree and Wells, the Prosecutor, spent a lot of time trying to prove premeditation.page 688: "Wells hid her disappointment well. Even if she hadn't won her first degree convictions, she hadn't entirely lost either".

Thank you. I don't know why I was positive I read that they didn't charge her with Murder 1 because they didn't think they could convict. So, the jury did have the choice of Murder 1? I thought it was Murder 2 or Manslaughter.

[lovesnark]

2 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I believe Dan's brother was still married when custody was awarded to him and his wife, when they divorced she kept the kids.  Can't say about Betty's parents.

They were also getting $4500 a month per boy to care for them! The youngest had a really hard time and was sent to boarding schools because of his behavior issues. He eventually landed with one of Betty's brothers until he was of age.

[Starlight925]

I wish they had spent a little more time on Linda Kolkena.  She had a serious boyfriend (Steve Kelley, a cartoonist) when she met Dan, who was broken-hearted when she suddenly left him.  Steve Kelley was floored when he saw Linda's new corner office, yet Linda insisted she had no interest in Dan.  Steve learned that she was making $30,000 (around $62,000 today) without having any sort of legal training.

Seems the portrayal of her as a vindictive gold-digger is accurate, and her insistence on not giving up Betty's wedding china shows just how hateful she was.

I have no doubt that Dan would have tossed her aside within a few years.  Betty should have just played the long revenge game, waiting until Dan was seen around town with younger, prettier blondes, while Linda sat and cried.  

[Elizzikra]

Quote

I wish they had spent a little more time on Linda Kolkena.  She had a serious boyfriend (Steve Kelley, a cartoonist) when she met Dan, who was broken-hearted when she suddenly left him.  Steve Kelley was floored when he saw Linda's new corner office, yet Linda insisted she had no interest in Dan.  Steve learned that she was making $30,000 (around $62,000 today) without having any sort of legal training.

I think that she was single when she met Dan. She and Dan broke up for a time; she started dating Steve Kelley and then left him to go back to Dan. 

Quote

I believe Dan's brother was still married when custody was awarded to him and his wife, when they divorced she kept the kids.  Can't say about Betty's parents.

I don't know about when Larry and his wife divorced, but his wife had the kids for awhile. Then Rhett went to live with Betty's brother in ... Georgia, I think and Danny (who was then 16) went to live with his sister, Kim. 

[DanaK]

I read an article from the 90s (either posted here or was a link in a link) where a reporter interviewed Betty several times and she seemed to indicate she was content in prison. I find that hard to believe given the reported tough rules and arbitrary changes the prison instituted per the article, plus the reporter implied Betty may have been lying to him on several occasions and she complained to him several times about the rules. However it was reported that Betty was mostly well behaved so maybe she is happy. Maybe she was angry at Dan not for his controlling behavior but because she couldn’t get him to come back to her. There was a boyfriend mentioned in the article that wasn’t behaving too well (while she was in prison) and Betty’s disappointment in him made me fear a bit for his life

[lovesnark]

The hardcore Betty supporters that are posting horrible things on her kids' FB pages are as unbalanced as she is. Their saying Kim testified against her mother is bullshit. Kim told the truth about Betty. Betty stole Kim's keys while she was there visiting, then had the balls to help her look for them when Kim came back to her house because she couldn't find them. Kim was horribly upset about it because Dan had told her to guard them with her life when she was going to be around her mother. Nothing she said in her testimony was 'against' Betty, she just answered questions about the crap Betty had been saying and doing for years. She also testified to Betty's wild spending habits, once again, all she did was tell the truth. 

I wonder if all of these people who think Betty was justified in killing Dan and Linda and that she's been unfairly imprisoned agree with the way she treated her kids? I'm sure they blame Dan for Betty exposing innocent children to her lunatic rantings. 

[SuzieQ]

11 hours ago, lovesnark said:

The hardcore Betty supporters that are posting horrible things on her kids' FB pages are as unbalanced as she is. Their saying Kim testified against her mother is bullshit. Kim told the truth about Betty. Betty stole Kim's keys while she was there visiting, then had the balls to help her look for them when Kim came back to her house because she couldn't find them. Kim was horribly upset about it because Dan had told her to guard them with her life when she was going to be around her mother. Nothing she said in her testimony was 'against' Betty, she just answered questions about the crap Betty had been saying and doing for years. She also testified to Betty's wild spending habits, once again, all she did was tell the truth. 

I wonder if all of these people who think Betty was justified in killing Dan and Linda and that she's been unfairly imprisoned agree with the way she treated her kids? I'm sure they blame Dan for Betty exposing innocent children to her lunatic rantings. 

That's so sick!!  While there are times I can sympathize with Betty, no one in their right mind can condone what she did.  Betty, Dan and Linda were all horrible people!!  The only innocents in this are the kids! (Now adults)

[marybennet]

Around the time of the trials, I read one of the famous articles about her that highlighted some of the feminist issues involved in the case:  women's economic disadvantage after divorce, the naivete and inexperience of women at the time in relation to the legal system and the way some men exploited that.  And I felt very sympathetic to her (though, like all of us, thinking that the murders were tragic).  And then I watched one of the interviews with her, and, while I remained sympathetic about the issues, she seemed really disturbed, really out of touch with reality in a way that felt like it preceded the murders and, frankly, would have made life difficult if you were her parent or husband or child or even friend.  It seemed like an aspect of who she was, like she'd have been a difficult person to be around no matter what, and the divorce just led to a bigger eruption of something that was there all the time.  It made me separate my feeling about the issues from my understanding of her.  Some of the stories about life in the household and about her treatment of the kids, and a story I remember reading in the New York Times about how she smeared her cell with excrement at one point when she was jailed and angry about something, made me feel like I was right about that.  It makes me think that, if I were the kids and she got out and was in my life again, I'd be afraid of her erupting again--even if not violently then with a kind of narcissistic anger that would be really disruptive. 

[2dogmom]

at this point her release would just be a giant burden to her supporting children (if any).  can you imagine having her hang around your house all day? I doubt she is a danger to anyone. 

if she can't profit off her notoriety, what would she do for money?

she is a drain on the state of California, and would be a drain to society if released.  it's a toss up to me.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

at this point her release would just be a giant burden to her supporting children (if any).  can you imagine having her hang around your house all day? I doubt she is a danger to anyone. 

I believe two of her children support her release and two do not.

I think she could be dangerous to anyone who crosses her. I think she has no control of her temper or violent impulses. Then, as I type that, I have to note that she is supposedly a model inmate and I'm sure people in prison piss her off. So who knows? In any event, I have no issure with her continued incarceration.

I honestly don't know how she would support herself if she were out of prison. Welfare, food stamps and medicare? Maintaining her in prison is probably cheaper. 

[DangerousMinds]

11 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I believe two of her children support her release and two do not.

I think she could be dangerous to anyone who crosses her. I think she has no control of her temper or violent impulses. Then, as I type that, I have to note that she is supposedly a model inmate and I'm sure people in prison piss her off. So who knows? In any event, I have no issure with her continued incarceration.

I honestly don't know how she would support herself if she were out of prison. Welfare, food stamps and medicare? Maintaining her in prison is probably cheaper. 

There is no "welfare" for adults without minor children.

[SuzieQ]

Not sure where the proper place to post this is, so here seems as good as any:

Just watched a Snapped episode and they mention her boyfriend Brad as the one who called 911.  Sounds like him and Betty were living together??  I'm old enough to remember this when it happened and watched the Meredith Baxter-Birney movies several times and don't recall any mention of a boyfriend or that she ever dated??

[lovesnark]

19 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

Not sure where the proper place to post this is, so here seems as good as any:

Just watched a Snapped episode and they mention her boyfriend Brad as the one who called 911.  Sounds like him and Betty were living together??  I'm old enough to remember this when it happened and watched the Meredith Baxter-Birney movies several times and don't recall any mention of a boyfriend or that she ever dated??

Yes, she'd had a live in boyfriend for quite a while. She signed the condo she was moving into over to him after she was arrested. The boyfriend called one of Dan's friends, I think he was a neighbor, and they went together to Dan's house and found the bodies.

[SuzieQ]

4 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

Yes, she'd had a live in boyfriend for quite a while. She signed the condo she was moving into over to him after she was arrested. The boyfriend called one of Dan's friends, I think he was a neighbor, and they went together to Dan's house and found the bodies.

Thanks!!  I just don't remember that at all!  Makes it even more messed up since she was in a new relationship and still couldn't let go!

[poeticlicensed]

11 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

There is no "welfare" for adults without minor children.

Betty is elderly and if she has no money, so she's eligble for food stamps and Medicaid. Normally, she would be able to claim Dan's social security, since they were married more than 10 years. I wonder if murder disqualifies her? 

[lovesnark]

3 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Thanks!!  I just don't remember that at all!  Makes it even more messed up since she was in a new relationship and still couldn't let go!

I know! I've read that her friends tried really hard to get her to appreciate him because he was very good to her, but she'd just keep blathering on about Dan and Linda like he didn't exist.  I also remember reading something recently about her being pissed off at him because he wanted to sell the condo. For the life of me, I can't remember which Betty Broderick rabbit hole I found it in. I'll see if I can find it later. She was pissed because she expected him to hang onto it for her until she was released.

[Elizzikra]

13 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

There is no "welfare" for adults without minor children.

True, I shouldn’t have said that. - I suppose she would qualify for some social security...

Edited July 15, 2020 by Elizzikra

[SuzieQ]

1 hour ago, lovesnark said:

I know! I've read that her friends tried really hard to get her to appreciate him because he was very good to her, but she'd just keep blathering on about Dan and Linda like he didn't exist.  I also remember reading something recently about her being pissed off at him because he wanted to sell the condo. For the life of me, I can't remember which Betty Broderick rabbit hole I found it in. I'll see if I can find it later. She was pissed because she expected him to hang onto it for her until she was released.

If you find it, please post!  I've been googling like crazy trying to find out about him, lol!

[Elizzikra]

54 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

If you find it, please post!  I've been googling like crazy trying to find out about him, lol!

The Twelfth of Never book talks about him a bit - I’ll see if I can pull together a little but of a summary. I don’t have a sense that it was a great relationship - he was a little younger than Betty, which bothered her and I think he was much more into her than she was to him. I also think (but can’t remember for sure) that he had a landscaping company and she was embarrassed that he didn’t have a similar educational pedigree or lucrative career that Dan had.

[SuzieQ]

6 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

The Twelfth of Never book talks about him a bit - I’ll see if I can pull together a little but of a summary. I don’t have a sense that it was a great relationship - he was a little younger than Betty, which bothered her and I think he was much more into her than she was to him. I also think (but can’t remember for sure) that he had a landscaping company and she was embarrassed that he didn’t have a similar educational pedigree or lucrative career that Dan had.

Thanks!!  I'm actually reading that now but haven't gotten that far.  I was just shocked that I knew nothing about him until the Snapped episode.  I don't recall him being in the 90's movies either.  Was so surprised that he's the one who found them dead.

[lovesnark]

58 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

Thanks!!  I'm actually reading that now but haven't gotten that far.  I was just shocked that I knew nothing about him until the Snapped episode.  I don't recall him being in the 90's movies either.  Was so surprised that he's the one who found them dead.

After the murders, Betty's friend called him to make sure the boys were okay (she had them that weekend) and asked him to go over to Dan's to check on things. She didn't know for sure they were dead, just that Betty said she'd shot them. Which totally blows Betty's testimony out of the water. She said she didn't remember shooting them, just that the gun had gone off.................5 times. Leaving poor Betty without any bullets left in the gun to shoot herself /sarcasm/

[DangerousMinds]

5 hours ago, poeticlicensed said:

Betty is elderly and if she has no money, so she's eligble for food stamps and Medicaid. Normally, she would be able to claim Dan's social security, since they were married more than 10 years. I wonder if murder disqualifies her? 

Yes, she would certainly get food stamps and Medicare but where would she live?

[chlban]

17 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

There is no "welfare" for adults without minor children.

She is eligible for Social Security.

[lovesnark]

16 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Yes, she would certainly get food stamps and Medicare but where would she live?

At her parole hearing in 2017, her daughter Lee said she could stay with her. The parole board said no and said she won't be eligible for another parole hearing until 2032. 

[lovesnark]

I found this article about Brad Wright, Betty's boyfriend. She was so into appearances and what people thought, he embarrassed her. What a bitch. He was good enough to have sex with and to do projects she wanted done around the house, but not good enough to be seen in public with.

Quote

Due to their age gap and the fact that Wright was a blue-collar businessman and hadn't attended an Ivy League school, Betty avoided being seen in public with Wright and even told most of her friends that he was gay. Although Wright was a "kind man who cared about her and did his best to distract her," Betty never took the relationship seriously, according to Cunningham.

"Bella Stumbo said in her book something along the lines of that Betty was and remains completely embarrassed by her lonely liaison, and that Brad would never really count to her ... It was clear that his presence in her life did not affect any of her interactions with Dan or her thought process or decision-making," Cunningham said. 

 

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/bradley-wright-betty-brodericks-ex-boyfriend-today

[chocolatine]

I think Betty would do just fine financially if she were released. She'd probably get a book deal like Amanda Knox, and if not she could self-publish an ebook with no up-front cost and sell hundreds of thousands of copies. She could start a podcast or YouTube channel reading and answering letters from her fan club of scorned spouses. Netflix or 20/20 could do a special about her re-integration into society. Heck, she could even become an "activist" against no-fault divorce. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by chocolatine

[poeticlicensed]

12 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Yes, she would certainly get food stamps and Medicare but where would she live?

If she has no resources other than SS and wants to live on her own, or one of her kids won't take her in, she would probably qualify for subsidized housing. My 92 year old MIL  only has SS, but she lives in an apartment,  gets food stamps, medicare, has  a home health aide, etc. Her rent is $400 a month. She pays for cable and her cell phone, but thats pretty cheap since she doesn't use or care about the internet LOL. Because she really doesn't go out and spend money, she actually does pretty well. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by poeticlicensed

[Elizzikra]

Quote

She'd probably get a book deal like Amanda Knox, and if not she could self-publish an ebook with no up-front cost and sell hundreds of thousands of copies. She could start a podcast or YouTube channel reading and answering letters from her fan club of scorned spouses. Netflix or 20/20 could do a special about her re-integration into society. Heck, she could even become an "activist" against no-fault divorce. 

Don't the Son of Sam laws prevent Betty from making money in this way?

[SuzieQ]

12 hours ago, lovesnark said:

I found this article about Brad Wright, Betty's boyfriend. She was so into appearances and what people thought, he embarrassed her. What a bitch. He was good enough to have sex with and to do projects she wanted done around the house, but not good enough to be seen in public with.

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/bradley-wright-betty-brodericks-ex-boyfriend-today

Thank you so much!!  She could have started a whole new life with someone who genuinely cared for her, but no!  She really was a bitch and this makes her totally unsympathetic!

[cinsays]

22 hours ago, lovesnark said:

Yes, she'd had a live in boyfriend for quite a while. She signed the condo she was moving into over to him after she was arrested. The boyfriend called one of Dan's friends, I think he was a neighbor, and they went together to Dan's house and found the bodies.

so the boyfriend knew she went over there to "deal with them" and he knew what he would find?

 

[chocolatine]

7 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Don't the Son of Sam laws prevent Betty from making money in this way?

Son of Sam laws have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Sam_law

[geauxaway]

I can only imagine a book written by Betty would go something like this: DAN IS BAD.  DAN IS MEAN.  LINDA IS A WHORE.  NOT FAIR, BOO HOO. So I murdered them.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  
 

Has she done any interviews from prison?  I mean 20/20, Dr. Phil, Oprah?  

[Nordly Beaumont]

6 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

Has she done any interviews from prison?  I mean 20/20, Dr. Phil, Oprah?  

Oprah in the early 90's. I remember her repeating over and over that she had no other choice, that Dan and Linda made her kill them. Man, if Oprah can't get it through your head that no one can make you kill them, there's just no hope.

[geauxaway]

14 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Oprah in the early 90's. I remember her repeating over and over that she had no other choice, that Dan and Linda made her kill them. Man, if Oprah can't get it through your head that no one can make you kill them, there's just no hope.

Ha!  No kidding, right??

And considering Betty is perpetually stunted at age whatever it was when she was last happy with Dan, I doubt she has anything new to say.
 

This mini series certainly has drummed up interest in the case, including for those that are too young to remember any of it.  Maybe Kim K. can try to get her released 🤣

[Elizzikra]

3 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Son of Sam laws have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Sam_law

Ok then! I guess she has a potential income stream then...

Quote

I can only imagine a book written by Betty would go something like this: DAN IS BAD.  DAN IS MEAN.  LINDA IS A WHORE.  NOT FAIR, BOO HOO. So I murdered them.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  

She is a smart woman but I doubt that she could even tell a coherent story anymore. Apparently her journals were all over the place (granted she wasn't writing them for public consumption but still...)

[Mrs. Hanson]

18 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

Ok then! I guess she has a potential income stream then...

She is a smart woman but I doubt that she could even tell a coherent story anymore. Apparently her journals were all over the place (granted she wasn't writing them for public consumption but still...)

If Betty did try to write a book to profit off this event, her kids who don't want her released and/or the Kolkena family could sue her for proceeds of the book so she could not make a dime.  

 

2 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Oprah in the early 90's. I remember her repeating over and over that she had no other choice, that Dan and Linda made her kill them. Man, if Oprah can't get it through your head that no one can make you kill them, there's just no hope.

No kidding!!! 

I watched the parole hearing and yes, her story did change:  "Linda lunged at me and Dan was chasing me!"  Is that why he was shot in the back?

[Razzberry]

23 hours ago, lovesnark said:

I found this article about Brad Wright, Betty's boyfriend. She was so into appearances and what people thought, he embarrassed her. What a bitch. He was good enough to have sex with and to do projects she wanted done around the house, but not good enough to be seen in public with.

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/bradley-wright-betty-brodericks-ex-boyfriend-today

He embarrassed her, a double murderer!  That's rich.  She's lucky anyone would want to spend 5 minutes with her.

[lovesnark]

9 hours ago, cinsays said:

so the boyfriend knew she went over there to "deal with them" and he knew what he would find?

 

No, he was asleep in a different room because Rhett, her youngest son was sleeping with her. Her friend called the house after she took Betty to her daughter Lee's and asked him to go over to Dan's. She didn't know if they were dead or alive, just that Betty had told her she shot them.

[geauxaway]

Does anyone know if there will be another series next summer?

[lovesnark]

37 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

If Betty did try to write a book to profit off this event, her kids who don't want her released and/or the Kolkena family could sue her for proceeds of the book so she could not make a dime.  

 

No kidding!!! 

I watched the parole hearing and yes, her story did change:  "Linda lunged at me and Dan was chasing me!"  Is that why he was shot in the back?

I believe one of the guardians for the boys did sue her for wrongful death and won a judgment.

The way her story went from only having a sensation that it was dark and the gun 'just went off'...................5 damn times!! To the embellished version at the 2011 parole hearing is really too much. At the time of that hearing, she'd had 22 years to fabricate quite a story.  Linda was lunging at her, yet she was shot in the back of the head. Even though he'd been shot through one of his lungs, Dan was able to have a conversation with her to the point that she didn't think he was injured and was able to chase her. I guess Dan pulled the phone out of the wall himself before he started chasing Betty, then dropped it in the hallway on his way back to lay down with his body half under the bed. 

[Armchair Critic]

Betty already wrote a book, or at least had somebody ghost write it for her

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25268793-betty-broderick

[lovesnark]

This is from June of this year and is a pretty good article. The quoted piece pretty much says it all. Dan's the reason she's been denied parole. She will NEVER move past 1989. 

Quote

 "I have met all criteria for parole and my release date was 2010. Now I am only a political prisoner. They have no reason to deny my parole,” Betty said. 

As she writes in her memoir, being denied parole is "a revival of every ugly losing moment in what seems to still be Dan Broderick's justice system."

 

https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a32654617/betty-broderick-now/

[Mrs. Hanson]

1 hour ago, lovesnark said:

At the time of that hearing, she'd had 22 years to fabricate quite a story.  Linda was lunging at her, yet she was shot in the back of the head. Even though he'd been shot through one of his lungs, Dan was able to have a conversation with her to the point that she didn't think he was injured and was able to chase her. I guess Dan pulled the phone out of the wall himself before he started chasing Betty, then dropped it in the hallway on his way back to lay down with his body half under the bed. 

I watched the first hearing on Youtube and luckily the head guy calls her out:  "No, that was NOT how it happened" or something like that.  

 

38 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

This is from June of this year and is a pretty good article. The quoted piece pretty much says it all. Dan's the reason she's been denied parole. She will NEVER move past 1989. 

I agree 100%.  Even if she DOES get parole, she will go right back into her "Dan was a monster" song and dance asap, kinda like Pamela Smart and her "I never convinced Bill Flynn to shoot Gregg."

Edited July 17, 2020 by Mrs. Hanson

[Nordly Beaumont]

27 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

As she writes in her memoir, being denied parole is "a revival of every ugly losing moment in what seems to still be Dan Broderick's justice system."

It's weird to me how she always refers to him as "Dan Broderick" - I mean, you're Betty Broderick, everyone knows which Dan you're talking about. To me, always calling him by his first and last name showed the unhealthy amount of importance she assigned to him.