A note from Laura:
I have decided to republish my pieces about Betty Broderick in light of her continued incarceration. I feel that my words, coupled with your words, are the only true justice Betty will see. She deserves to have her story told. Perhaps these truths will, in some measure, set her free.
January 4, 2017
A NEW piece about the Broderick case, in light of the Dirty John series:
Linda Kolkena on her wedding day: April 22, 1989.
Sent to me by Anonymous.
Sent to me by Anonymous.
The title of this post is a line lifted directly from Betty Broderick's nearly incoherent scrawled diary entry for that day.
It makes me sad that Linda Kolkena apparently thought so little of herself that she settled for the alcoholic jackass that was Daniel T. Broderick III.
It took Mr. Wonderful SIX YEARS to get around to marrying the woman he supposedly loved so much.
How insulting. Then again, women who marry men for their money always find that they have to earn every single penny.
It makes me sad that Linda Kolkena apparently thought so little of herself that she settled for the alcoholic jackass that was Daniel T. Broderick III.
It took Mr. Wonderful SIX YEARS to get around to marrying the woman he supposedly loved so much.
How insulting. Then again, women who marry men for their money always find that they have to earn every single penny.
Notice that she is wearing emerald and diamond earrings. Probably a gift from Danny Boy. Dan Broderick and his fellow annoying friends were all obsessed with Ireland, you know. (Including David Monahan, the lawyer who was so mean to Linda Kolkena about her lack of a college education that he used to make her cry...something her paramour, Danny Boy, apparently did nothing about.) Christ, Dan Broderick must have been a thumping, insufferable bore to know. An overgrown fraternity boy with an overinflated sense of self.
Maybe if he and his second bride, partners in infidelity and mental cruelty and eventually death, had been a little nicer to his *first* bride, the mother of his children, we'd still be able to find out whether or not my assessment is correct.
They chose to be mean, manipulative, and childish. They drove Betty crazy. Betty shot them both and killed them.
Now all that is left are photographs.
Maybe if he and his second bride, partners in infidelity and mental cruelty and eventually death, had been a little nicer to his *first* bride, the mother of his children, we'd still be able to find out whether or not my assessment is correct.
They chose to be mean, manipulative, and childish. They drove Betty crazy. Betty shot them both and killed them.
Now all that is left are photographs.
What goes around, comes around.
you are an outstanding writer. love the blog.
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me feel very sorry for Linda Kolkena. It's strange, I always had such contempt for her, but seeing her in her bridal veil, with such joy on her face, it's really sad.
ReplyDeleteShe had no compassion or empathy when she chose to steal another woman's husband. she took everything she could from Betty and ran with it....two bullets settled that score. Both she and Dan got what they deserved. Wonder if she thought it was all worth it as the life left her eyes. Paybacks are a bitch....Touché Betty.
DeleteAlthough I do not think murder is ever the answer, I read the book, watched the movies, watched the trial and more. I do believe that Betty was indeed the 1st victim. They (Dan & Linda) just couldn't stop chipping away at everything Betty was. Linda, was indeed what Betty referred to her as. Sham on her for putting such a wedge in a family! She, in essence, created her own murder plot. As for Dan, very, very sad that he could treat the mother of his 4 kids like he do.
DeleteIt would have only been a matter of time before he did the same thing to her as he did to Betty.
DeleteLinda was a home wrecker, Betty was the victim. Crystal clear to me. I hope Betty gets out on parole.
DeleteAnonymous #1, thank you very much for the compliment.
ReplyDeleteAnon #2, I agree with you 100%. I think Linda had so much to do with her own murder, but that doesn't mean that she didn't settle for the short end of the stick, too. I just always think of what my husband Ken would do if someone insulted me in any way...let alone to the point of making me cry. Danny Boy didn't do anything because he really didn't think much of Linda, I think.
He would have dumped her(Linda) in six years and Betty would have last laughs.People think she was gorgeous???NOT
DeleteThat is not a good looking woman.
ReplyDeleteA very sad story where everyone involved seemed bound and determined not only to do the wrong thing but to keep doing it over and over with increasing intensity and to never learn anything from it. The three principals are archetypes, frozen in time: The cheating husband, his younger, blonder, thinner girlfriend who--despite "winning" the man--is still insecure (and rightly so), and the wronged wife whose self-image is so tangled up with her vision of herself as a wife that she can't adjust to a world where she no longer has that role. Every time there was a choice to be made, every time circumstances called for a mature, compassionate approach, each of them chose to do the absolutely wrong thing.
ReplyDeleteThe French have a term, folie-a-deux, to refer to the kind of destructive craziness that can only happen when two people who are utterly toxic for each other manage to get together. In the Broderick case, we're talking about a folie-a-trois because all three of them (Betty, Dan, and Linda) seemed to stoke each other into committing acts of such incomprehensible spitefulness; up until, of course, the ultimate act that broke the vicious circle forever.
Well said.
DeleteVery well written. I never could understand the reason each of these people behaved as they did. Why couldn't one of them just hold out the olive branch?
DeleteWell, because in order fo rDan to do it, he would have had to part with some money he was bound and determined to cheat Betty out of... and I think Betty was too wrapped up in her anger to be able to do it. I have often wondered how much the infidelity played versus how all the machinations to hide it factored intot he big picture. Had Dan ome home, said he was in lvoe with another woman, he was sorry but he wanted a divorce and here is your 50%... what would have happened? If it would have gone the same way, then, yes. I would agree that Betty had been mentally ill. With the fact base we have, I think he drove her to be that way.
DeleteThis was a mean ex husband who cheated his ex wife out of everything ,including her children.Had he lived he would be onto wife number 3 or 4 a la Trump.He should have given her rightful share and get over it himself,she was good enough of a wife while he was in school, shame on him and Linda , they are to blame for Bettys problems.A whore and a John.
DeleteJust one more comment: A few hours after I posted the above, I was running errands and the song "I Confess" by English Beat came on the radio. It contains the lines:
ReplyDeleteI confess, yes, I ruined three lives.
Did not care till I found out
that one of them was mine.
And I thought how applicable those lines were to the lives of Betty, Dan, and Linda.
BTW, English Beat was the group from which General Public (and Fine Young Cannibals) eventually morphed.
It's sad to see her in her wedding veil, probably full of hopes and dreams for her future with Dan. That future only lasted about six months. I wonder why she hung in there with all the craziness. Was it love, money, a combination of both? It sure wouldn't have been worth it for me...I would have been out of there.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I wouldn't have gotten involved in that kind of situation in the first place.
I agree with you 100%
DeleteHer hopes and dreams??MONEY MONEY MONEY,AN UNEDUCATED SLUT CASHES IN BIG TIME!
DeleteMoney, yes, but I also believe she loved the son of a bitch. All three are to blame.
DeleteLinda got what she deserved. Paypack time. Betty had no other option but what they made her do. I feel sorry for Betty. She worked so hard for her family and her husband and Linda had no respect for this poor woman.
DeleteYes, what Betty Broderick did was wrong, but the way she was degraded and treated was horrible. She put Dan through school, working her butt off and raising the children. I'm sure she felt like she was going crazy, losing everything, which is probably what prompted those crazy messages. I don't now nor will I ever condone the taking of a life, but she's done her time. As for Linda, she was a home wrecking gold digger, who didn't care about the family she was ruining. After Dan used up the wide he married, he traded her in for a new model. A not so pretty and what appears to have been stupid model, but young none the less.
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny! Only today I watched an old episode of Law & Order, which was based on the Broderick story and it all just came back to me. And what do I know; here you are talking about it :D Weird!
ReplyDeleteI also read your previous post about Betty and how you feel about her. I agree with many of your thoughts. I saw the TV movie about the Broderick case some time back in the 90's and had to feel sorry for Betty. She did not make the right choice, but I can totally see how she lost the ability to think rationally, after all that she was put through. What really made me sick was that even all Dan's colleagues would play along with him, by his rules :( That was just disgusting and I find it very disturbing that legal system is run by such malicious, low-life individuals.
So, I do understand why Betty did what she did, but on the other hand I'd rather have Dan and Linda alive, getting the loathing they deserve ;) By now they would've been sunken in it :)
Greetings all the way from Finland.
"She did not make the right choice, but I can totally see how she "lost the ability to think rationally" after all that she was put through."
DeleteGreat way to put it. I can totally understand how she lost the ability to think rationally too.
Of all the photos I've seen of Linda Broderick, this is the best one. Most are too small or in black and white. They always described her as beautiful, but I never liked her smile in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAs for the makeup, bear in mind, that is 1989. Funny thing, it could pass for the mid '90s. Hard to believe she's 27 there, and she would be 50 this year. Crazy.
Correction: She WOULD HAVE BEEN 50 this year.
ReplyDelete50 and probably divorced. In all fairness, though, I haven't seen many photos of Betty that were all that favorable, yet she was described as looking as good as it gets...
ReplyDeleteLara, you are a wonderful writer. Your last line kills me every single time. You're right, all that is left now is photographs. No one else has ever put it so plainly or so correctly. Good job.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great read! I just watched this story on True Crime with Aphrodite Jones. It made my blood boil. Just last year my husband of 12 years at age 37 had an affair with the 22 year old receptionist. His career had just started to really take off. (same ages as Linda & Dan) I caught it fairly quickly & we are now happier than ever. However, had I not caught it, I can guarantee the same thing would have happened... She was a poor slut looking for a way out of her shit life. It took months for my husband to actually see this. He thought she was so sweet when it was over & that she didn't want to break up our family. Well, the truth was that when he ended it (because I found out) she let it end on great terms just in case we didn't work out.... She would still be there to pick up the pieces if we ended up divorced.
ReplyDeleteI can also see the similarities in our looks... She was taller than me, but we are both chesty, with sharp facial features. Similar in our interests too. Basically an 18 year younger version of me... Except the fact that I married him because of being madly & deeply in love. I wasnt looking for a man or a meal ticket. I was perfectly happy with who I was when we met.
I've never been through anything more devastating & painful in my life. I really felt like I was going to die from a broken heart.
I can see how Betty snapped. I truly can.
You know the other woman in the Betty Broderick case was young and very impressionable. As all has said, she thought she was going to be living a long and happy life with Dan Broderick. You can't expect the situation to turn out all well. I mean she literally assisted in splitting a family up........... just so she could have happiness for herself. Most people would view her as a "home wrecker". Having an affair with a married man can lead to nothing but trouble on top of trouble, or maybe a step further.........death. Not saying it was all Linda's fault, it's takes two to tangle. Dan was just thinking of what he wanted and what he wanted was Linda. He didn't care what he had to do to get her, he just did it. From what I could see.......the movie portrayed Betty as making stupid choices in the way she reacted to Dan when he tried to be nice to her. It was as if she drove him to do what he did. All three individuals made stupid choices.
DeleteDan.......when things were not so hot between he and his wife, he decided to look elsewhere instead of work out things in his existing marriage.
Linda.......she didn't care that her choice to be with Dan would bring a tremendous amount of emotional pain on his wife. Linda wanted what she wanted at all cost. And she got it and then some.
Betty...........she could not deal with the outcome of the situation. She just couldn't let it go, so she ended three lives........ Dan & Linda, and then her own. Even though she is still breathing, her life was forever changed once she pulled the trigger.
I was recently reminded of the old adage regarding cheaters: "If he'll cheat with you, he'll cheat on you". I wish Betty had been stronger, but too much of her personal self-worth was invested with and tied to the louse, Dan Broderick.
DeleteBetty - the best revenge is living well!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! I have been interested in the Broderick case for years and really enjoy your writings on it. Also thank you for posting this picture of Linda. I have always been interested in her as there is very little about her on the web and she has always been described as so beautiful but most of the pictures out there really do not give you a good idea of what she looked like. This by far is the best picture I have seen of her. I do not think she is as beautiful as what they made her out to be but based on this photo if you fix her not so nice teeth so would be considered attractive, but not drop dead gorgeous. May I ask where you were able to get this photo and do you have any others of Dan, Betty and Linda.
I sympathize with what Betty went throught as it must be very difficult to see the life you worked so hard for just taken away from you. I do agree though that she should have handled it differently. By now surely Dan and Linda would be divorced had they lived. Betty would have had the last laugh.
I was also dissappointed to see that Betty was not paroled last year. The only two people she is a danger to are dead and I think she has served her time. Seems very unfair considering that people like Casey Anthony are free but Betty must continue to serve time.
Anonymous 7/17/2011, the wedding photo of Linda was sent to me anonymously. I do assume that it was from someone who is/was close the case, as the photo is obviously one from the Broderick 1989 wedding and not a common one from Google Images. (And thanks for your kind words about the blog...am glad you like it :)
ReplyDeleteAnother picture of Linda Kolkena I have never seen before. Thanks to Shirley N. for sending me the link.
http://records.ancestry.com/Linda_Bernadette_Kolkena_Salt_Lake_City_Salt_Lake_Utah_USA_records.ashx?pid=26069978&gss=seo
Followed the link and she was hideous. What did he see in her.Took him long enough, first he had to clean her up and wash her up, fix her teeth and dress her, on Betty's dime.
DeleteI think they deserved what they got and they both should rott Hell with every other adulterer and home reckers
ReplyDeleteI think Linda had teeth like a shark and greedy little eyes. How appropriate.
ReplyDelete“It is just as cowardly to judge an absent person as it is wicked to strike a defenseless one. Only the ignorant and narrow-minded gossip, for they speak of persons instead of things.” Even us who knew Linda and Dan are not capable of judging them. From what I saw and knew, they truly loved each other. And Betty was acting strange long before Linda showed up on the scene. We often wondered how long Dan could put up with some of he antics.
ReplyDeleteIf you knew these immoral people you should not have encouraged them.All of you who condoned their outrageous behavior have blood on your hands.
DeleteHow convenient that she just "showed up on the scene"! Yeah right....A 22 yr old! She was hired at 22, a full 6 years before the remarriage and murder!!! If Betty was acting strangely it wasbecause her uungrateful pig of a husband had spent half a ddecade boning a barely-legal, mean spirited girl! It speaks to his maturity level that he would go for that age level. Douche.
DeleteDon't you think her holding down multiple jobs and raising their 4 children alone while allowing Dan to go to school without working for many years, had a lot to do with it!!!
DeleteThey may very well have "loved" each other. Neither one seemed to have a particularly strong set of morals. And each was a selfish pig. The " love" wouldn't have lasted long. Love like that never does. Too bad Betty didn't realize that. She would have had the last laugh
DeleteWell, it probably wasn't yours to say how or why "Dan could put up with some of the antics," given how adverse you are to gossip and all. We're all capable of judging Dan and Linda, and well we should, for theirs is a cautionary tale of karma, of how what we put out to the universe can and does visit us back, and sometimes in horrible ways. Maybe they truly did love each other. They also both truly loved tormenting the mother of Dapper Dan's four children, the woman to whom Danny Boy was married for 16 years. I don't condone violence and certainly not murder. However, I cannot think of one case where two victims were not more richly deserving of their fate. People who are afraid of the tiger do not continually stick their hands in the tiger's cage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%, they got what they deserved. Linda especially.
DeleteYes they did. I wish they would free Betty now, she's served her time and deserves to be with her children, and future grandchildren.
DeleteTo Rachel, if Dan couldn't 'stand Betty's antics,' why didn't he leave then and there rather than carrying on a long affair behind her back and dragging her through the mud? No, I don't condone what Betty did, but Dan's dishonesty wasn't very commendable.
ReplyDeleteNo his dishonesty was horrible, that does not justify what she did. He probably didn't leave because he didn't have all his money hid from her yet, ie. Larry
DeleteHe also may have tried for a time to have 'the best of both worlds:' his 'real' wife and a mistress on the side. Then I think the situation 'imploded' on him so he was forced to in the end choose Linda.
DeleteAlso, Rachel, if Linda really loved Dan, why was she sleeping with one of her ex-boyfriends just before she married Dan? While many say that Dan would have eventually 'traded' Linda for a younger model, maybe Linda would have 'traded' Dan for someone else as well.
ReplyDeleteLinda was a tramp who went to the highest bidder.She slept around a lot, Dan just had the most money.She would not have traded up anywhere, no decent man would have had her.
DeleteI wonder about this sometimes. So, we know that Linda Kolkena slept with Steve Kelley, a final fling maybe, three weeks before she married Danny Boy.
DeleteAnd your job, your car, your living arrangements, pretty much everything you have depends on your relationship, and soon to be marriage, to Danny Boy.
Why did Linda Kolkena jeopardize that by sleeping with Steve at any time, not just close to the wedding? I don't understand. Was she looking for a way out of the marriage to Dan and the situation, even subconsciously?
Or was she just a horny slut, and a dishonest one, too?
As I posted on your other entry ('This message is for the...'), Linda may have slept with Kelley because Dan Broderick was apparently not very good in bed. Ironic, it seems, because Dan's portrayed as such a lady-killer.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThere are some other indicators. He and Betty were virgins ont heir honemoon, so I am not sure if that is something one can compare to... She did say that he was becoming a better lover to her when he would act on the self-help books he would read right in front of her. She put that down to Linda having more sexual experience and perhaps demanding more.
DeleteLinda Kolkena was awfully busy in March and April of 1989. Planning her wedding to Danny Boy, a sexual tryst with Steve Kelley...and let's not forget The First Annual Cabo Chicks' Bachelorettes Party (complete with custom t-shirts). Cringe.
DeleteThose are small emeralds, he couldn't afford any bigger ones?
ReplyDeleteThis entire story, although it happened many years ago, is proof that you never know how you will reap what you sow. Linda obviously had an affair with a married man and was instrumental in tearing that family apart. Betty was humiliated and cast aside repeatedly. Whatever her faults were, Dan could have handled this entire situation differently. Now he and Linda are dead and Betty, although still incarcerated, is still alive and well
ReplyDeleteI think Linda's teeth look very good in this picture. They should have; Dan paid to have them fixed. There's a previous picture of them together where she's smiling (she always seemed to have a big, goofy grin on her face) and she had a rather large gap in her teeth on one side, which looked very white-trashy. I know Dan must have found the defect completely unacceptable, so he paid for the dental work. He did the same thing with Betty! She had an overbite, and he had her get it fixed.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some pictures of Linda in her wedding attire, and I'm very unimpressed. She had money; so why did she choose such a plain, unflattering wedding gown and big ugly veil, complete with the cheap-looking headband decorated with imitation pearls? Betty looked much better on her wedding day.
Much had been said about Linda Kolkena's supposedly drop-dead gorgeous looks. In my opinion, she wasn't all that. In some of her pictures she looks pretty, but in others she looks like any other tall, skinny blonde with big teeth. I thought Betty looked much prettier when she was at her best. I saw of a picture of the young Betty Broderick recently that I hadn't seen; she was a dead ringer for Naomi Watts!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think the photograph you mentioned was the same one I saw. In Bella Stumbo's excellent book on the case "Until The Twelth of Never" she recounts how Linda took special care with all the wedding details, the cake, the music, the flowers, the gown: "she spent weeks searching for the perfect, flowing, white wedding gown." She spent weeks searching for a gown and that's what she settled on? Weird. With all her and Dan's money you would think she would have chosen something better looking. She wanted everything to be perfect because in her view your wedding day is supposed to be the most special day of your life and she had waited six long years for Dan to commit to her...and she choses a wedding gown that looks so nondescript and a tacky veil and headband? Oh well, there's no accounting for taste (or lack of it), I suppose.
DeleteA word about Linda's wedding dress... she married DTB III in 1989....the whole "strapless" look didn't come about for another almost twenty years and I actually like the dress. I think it's tasteful and elegant...a surprising choice for Kolkena since nothing else about her was tasteful or elegant.
DeleteThe veil. That poofy, bouffant cloud like look with the headband was seriously ALL the rage in the late 80's. It was as overdone in the late 80s as the strapless gown is today.
I have no idea why more photos of their wedding were not published since Larry Broderick and the Kolkenas seem to think that Dan and Linda did no wrong.
Here's a goodie for you that was sent to me by someone who wishes to remain anonymous (but who knew both Dan and Linda):
ReplyDeleteFor those of you very familiar with the case, here is a clip about the infamous Reidy O'Neils bar, financed by Dan and his fellow drunks. Be sure to watch until the end of the clip to see the artist's rendering of Dan and his pals Bella Stumbo details in her book.
Also note that no mention is made of Linda.
http://youtu.be/RbF8gIYKL1E
umm..linda was not that pretty. she was a homewrecking gold digger. i dont believe for one minute that she actually loved dan. i believe she loved his money. if dan wasnt making his millions, she wouldnt have given him the time of day. the younger betty was,by far, ALOT prettier then linda. and betty was very attractive as she grew older also. she just started gaining a whole bunch of weight due to depression and stress. and from what i read, is that linda was sending betty fat and wrinkle cream ads in the mail. dan and linda were not innocent either. i dont condone murder, but they continued to fuck with betty, even though they knew about her instability.
ReplyDeleteStill like Betty more than this home wrecker. Linda knew exactly what she was doing! Those kinds of woman always do. Love ya Betty!
ReplyDeleteEver since I picked up this story again earlier this month, I have been reading almost everything on the internet and of course Stumbo's book. I tried to be fair to all three, but in the end - no matter how crazy or abusive Betty was, I still had to take her side. There are a few things that Dan did and I am not even talking about "hearsays", this is actually facts:
ReplyDelete1. He cheated
2. He was hiding money - sent to his brother - this was later exposed by the magazine California Lawyer.
3. The greeting on the answering machine - why in the world would he let Linda tape her voice? There were 5 people living there (Linda had not officially moved in yet) - why not let the boys record a greeting? Most families do... and that tells me Dan had the intention of hurting Betty.
4. Wrote his 2nd daughter out of his will. What good parent would actually do that to their own child. I know rich people threaten that to their kids, but to actually follow through on paper. And what's worse is that Linda was the witness. She should have taken that as a big HINT that this man was COLD and Calculating - if he could do that to his daughter, think what he could do to Linda.
5. Wedding in April. Come on... there are 12 months in a year and they had to pick April? And 10 days after what would have been his and Betty's 20th anniversary. That is COLD!
6. Checks made to Betty with memo written "for the Fat one".
Betty pulled the trigger, but those two died by putting the gun in her hand.
All true points. The bit about the answering machine is just so damned childish, so unnecessary. I really wonder if Dan Broderick had a brain tumor, or something. His cruel streak sometimes smacks of a mental illness, or something.
DeleteEven as a child watching lifetimes movies, I felt for Betty. I had no idea those were anti betty. I read 12th of never and it broke my heart. I want to kill them again. No wonder shes still angry, I am too and I don't even know these people. Linda worse than Dan, actually. How could she look those kids in the eye while torturing their mother like that? Men are cruel, but with an evil woman, he was diabolical. Had Linda showed compassion for Betty, the story could be much different. Clearly, she was very insecure.
DeleteThe old saying "You can't build happiness from others unhappiness" springs to mind when looking at that wedding snap. Less sympathy for her and groom than Betty. I wouldn't go as far as to say I think she should have shot her tormentors. Perhaps I say that as I am more of a "more than one way to skin a cat" kind of person and Betty could see no other way out.
ReplyDeleteIf Betty really isn't a danger to anyone anymore, I hope she gets parole at her next appeal.
So true. His friends keep saying he was unhappy, yet there are photos of the family during the two years he was cheating where he was happy. Also, why do people blame Betty for treating her children so badly when he was doing the same? Yet he is absolved. The prosecution also made such a big deal about the ketchup bottle being thrown during their marriage. Whose marriage is perfect? I have thrown worse things at my husband, does that mean we are not happy? On any given day, husbands and wives fight and things are said and done, but we don't give up and we're not unhappy. Dan just thought too highly of himself, that he was entitled to be happier and with those friends and the little gold digger pleasing him and probably telling him he's too good to be dealing with that, so he was convinced he was not happy. That's BS. I work with men and I have heard a lot of men complain about things at home when something terrible happens, but I don't hear of the happy times. So Dan was probably doing the same, just telling about the bad and little gold digger jumped on it. She baked him cakes and probably served him on her golden knee pads. How long would it last before she too ends like Betty? How much could she take of his control?
ReplyDeleteI bought the book 20 years ago and have always been fascinated with this case. I feel differently today than I did 20 years ago. Some of the comments on here are just unbelievable. My dear friend that I've known since fifth grade married her high school sweetheart and they were married for 25 years until her best friend and husband decided to have an affair. He even moved her best friend into their home. Can you imagine? I've watched her hurt for years and to me that is the ultimate betrayal. She didn't do what Betty did but it would have been understandable to the rest of us if she had. Betty was and is a very selfish person. What she took from her children for her own satisfaction is utterly disgusting. I watched her parole hearing on you tube recently and she is flat out crazy and I believe she was crazy before Dan ever had an affair. I was just telling my friend today that enjoying life and living well is the best revenge....It's to bad Betty didn't do that for herself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. My husband of 20 years cheated on me with a friend. Why would I EVER give them the satisfaction of watching me self destruct? I did, however, not know, until then, that I could ever wish physical harm to another, but I did. However, I'm not dumb enough to do that to myself or my son. Thousands of women are cheated on, even princess Diana was left for homely Camilla. Can you imagine all of us killing our husbands and their lovers?? I want them to hurt like I did, but I'm moving on, let them be the ones constantly checking each others text messages. They'll never trust each other.
DeleteThe really sick part is that I believe Betty would have taken Dan back in a second if things didn't work out with Linda Vagina. She would have taken him back, no questions asked.
DeleteBetty was a broken woman. Ain't no two ways around it.
Betty was depressed and rightly so. It seemed that whenever she tried to get her life on track the other two were there to turn the screws on her.
DeleteI felt sorry for her when I first read the books, I feel sorry for her now.
An Anonymous sent me an email saying that Danny Broderick and his wife have a lovely new baby, and that Rhett is now married, too. I am not going to put a link to any photos here; however, I will say that they are easy to find on a certain social networking site, should you want to see them. They look like wonderful people who obviously love each other very much and enjoy spending time together. Let's never forget that the Broderick kids are the TRUE victims in this case...victims of what three incredibly selfish adults did, a horrible mess not of their making. They all deserve happy lives.
ReplyDeleteI notice on this same site that Kim, the daughter that betrayed Betty at her hearings, now has TWO daughters that look just like her. Lee now goes by Kathy.
DeleteKim was a huge manipulator and was so disloyal to her mother. She is rotten to the core like her father and Linda.Her crying "ACT" on the stand stunk too.She was like Linda,after money,so she sucked up to Linda,after all Linda shared that special "I'll help you get an abortion time with Kim.What a great step-mother. YUK
DeleteKim has published a book about her experiences growing up Broderick and beyond. It was so dull I can barely remember what was in it. Opportunist.
DeleteFYI, Kim did not publish that book, her so called friend did, and used unauthorized pics of her kids as well, get your stories straight before pointing a finger at her trying to cash in.
DeleteI wonder if Linda did not die, would she have developed breast cancer as her mother (died at age under 40) and her sister (survivor) both had it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, just found out why he chose April for both weddings. There's an Irish saying "Marry in April if you can, brings joy to the maiden and the man." He was so fixated about anything Irish. What's strange is why would he think this time might work since his first didn't. I also wonder why he never made it to Ireland, except in ashes.
If Dan was so fixated on Ireland, why did he leave Betty, who was of Irish descent, for someone who was not (Linda Kolkena was of Dutch descent, I believe)?
DeleteInteresting points, these. We know from Stumbo's wonderful book that Dan went to Europe at least twice with Betty, and several times (1986, for sure) with Linda. Why did he never go to "the homeland" with either woman?
DeleteIs it just me or does Dan have a chilling thing going on with his facial expression (it is mostly in the eyes) in almost all photos past 1980-ish? No matter who he was with (yes, even in some of the pics with Linda), even when smiling. I am currently reading the Bella Stumbo book for the first time. I got the book and went straight to the pics. It spooked me to see him with the same facial expression, even when with his kids. Wonder what that was all about. To me, Dan Broderick looks like an entirely different person, earlier on.
ReplyDeleteThe look in Dan's eyes is EVIL incarnate.Bella Stumbo's book was great.His brother Larry was evil too. He tried to screw Dan's two sons out of the money Dan hid with him so Betty could not have it.I think the father of Dan was a creep too. I wonder if any of Dan's brothers were decent.
DeleteYes, I think he looks evil, and I wonder why he never got treatment for his obvious thyroid problems (bug eyes). Not only did Dan just think he was too cool for cats, evident in the photos, but I really do wonder if he had a brain tumor or some other major malfunction. He looks very, very "off."
DeleteYes! Me too - especially the photo showing him giving a peck to Linda at some party. It's as if he wanted to camera to capture the image for Betty to see. Why did he hate Betty so much? I also wonder if there's something Betty knows about him that nobody else does and the only way to keep it that way is to control her financially. I find it odd that even though he knows he could easily make back the money Betty was requesting, he purposely cheats her of it. Also, find it odd that he really doesn't care too much of the women in his life. How he treated his own daughters is clearly evil. He did not want to pay for their education and kicked them out as soon as they turned 18. He took his second daugther off his will with a statement specifically "no provision for my second daughter, Lee,"... He was an evil man. Linda has no clue who she married, she only chose power and money. Apparently, she slept with her ex-boyfriend just months before she married Dapper Dan. She also had contusions on her hand and wrist the day she died, a finding that coroner's confirmed occurred just hours before.
ReplyDeleteDan kissing Linda on the cheek was apparently a cherished way for the couple to pose for photos. Through the years and the various Broderick-related shows I have seen, I can name at least four instances of photos where Dan kisses Linda on her right cheek, all the while looking at the camera, while Linda beams at the camera. I never thought of it as a "fuck you" to Betty. Now I can't believe that I never thought of anything so obvious before.
ReplyDeleteStrange isn't it? I look at photos of celebrities kissing their lovers and seldom do I see them looking into the camera the way Dan did. One of his friends said that Dan had ambitions of being in the Senate and even the White House. I wonder if he thought that Betty's abortions ruined it for him. Remember, this is the 80's and running on a Catholic platform (similar to the Kennedys), the abortions would have ruled him out. That's why he didn't give a damn anymore and chose divorce. He knows he will never realize his dream of politics, which is why he acted in the most hateful way. Betty was stupid not to have a lawyer for the settlement. Dan claimed Betty was responsible for half of the debt was crazy. He purposedly did not pay taxes for 2 years, and minimum on the mortgage and credit cards. Then just months before the settlement, he paid for everything. Where did the money come from? It was over 800,000 and if Betty had a lawyer, they would have been able to dispute that if he had 800,000 to spend, where did all the money go prior to that. I think Betty was hoping that Dan would find some compassion and settle. Sad story all around. Glad she got the final say. Even if she's in jail for the rest of her life, she at least is living in peace.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I go through the Broderick story (and, let's face it, I think about it a lot, because my pieces on the case are HUGELY popular on the Internet and I get lots of comments from a lot of great people), I am always just struck that Betty wasn't savvy enough to make sure Dan Jaffe remained as her attorney for the divorce. Stumbo's book made it out to be a money issue. The truth is, Betty had a lot of friends with money: Brad, Gail Forbes, Candy Westbrook, etc. These are people who loaned Betty money to pay her monthly bills. Why couldn't they have loaned her money to pay Jaffe's retainer? Jaffe certainly would have gotten his attorney's fees back in the divorce settlement and anyone with a lick of sense (!!!!) knew it. Jaffe would have taken Dan Broderick to the cleaners, and no one was more acutely aware of that than Dan Broderick. It pains me to think that Betty didn't come up with the money somehow to make sure her numerous interests were protected.
ReplyDeleteHer brother was also an extremely well off attorney, a founding partner in his firm. There was money around for that. Someone should have helped her with it.
DeleteI'm in the middle of the Stumbo book, and my impression is that even if the money had been available for Jaffe, Betty's antics made Jaffe nuts and unwilling to continue as her lawyer. I could be wrong.
DeleteI think Betty was hoping that Dan still had enough feelings for her to not cheat her like he did. Even her questioning in court, asking him when he thought of divorcing her she was hoping to hear that it was LInda, instead he said their wedding night. In the end, she just could not believe that after 16 years, he had no feelings at all. In the book Forsaking All Others, he had led her on in the beginning after he moved out - where he kept telling her no divorce and for her to look at properties for their future. She loved him too much and didn't want a top-notch lawyer which may have angered Dan. Meanwhile, Dan was laughing inside. He thought he had her where he wanted and boasted to people that she would not kill him because he was the one who provides for her financially. Sometimes I feel sad for Betty, but when I think of the adverse, her living and he's dead, I too feel peaceful.
ReplyDeleteOf all of the reasons why I hope Dan Broderick is burning in hell, it's Dan's horrible response about when the divorce began ("April 12, 1969"-their wedding day) that makes me hope the fires are just that little bit hotter. What a prickish, childish, outright MEAN thing for that man to say to the mother of his children. A horrid, horrid, piss poor excuse for a man.
DeleteHere's an analogy I want to use to describe that battle. The movie Hunt for Red October. The look on the Russian Captain's (the one chasing the RO)face when he realized the torpedo he sent off was coming back around to his vessel. That's what I pictured on Dan's face when he saw Betty with the gun. All this time he had tormented her, laughing and gloating. He purposely bought a $2M life insurance with half going to Linda thinking that Betty would not kill him or LInda would benefit. Linda was like the Captain's assistant cheering beside him (Dan) and stupid as she was did not expect Betty to finally get the gut to do it. She was telling everyone that she would not be surprised if Betty came at her with a shot gun but then laugh about it. Who got the last laugh? In jail or not, Betty did what she had to do - do not agree with it, but that was what finally gave her peace.
ReplyDeleteGreat analogy. And I think it was worth it to Betty, and it still is: in the few seconds where Dan and Linda saw Betty in the bedroom with the gun aimed toward them, their terror and their fear...going to jail was a small price to pay for what that gave Betty. A small measure of power and vindication for a woman who had been victimized by those two people since early 1983.
DeleteHere is my question: WHY did Betty not go to her husband's office on a regular basis to finally meet Linda? I am at my husband's office to stop by and say hello to everyone. Am I wrong or is this true? I read in Stumbo's book that she had only met linda one time...at the house? If Dan was my husband, I would have already met her and made darn sure she knew who I was as well, ijn a very nice and friendly, but FIRM way!
ReplyDeleteI just sent you a comment about Betty never visiting the office when linda worked there...and how ironic that TODAY is Linda's birthday... I did not know that until now. 6-26-'61... alot of "6's" hmmmmm..... ;/
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I think of Linda's age when she met Dan, it is so unreal. My youngest daughter is her age and I cannot even imagine her being interested in a man of that age!!! She would think he was soooooo OLD!!!!! :) THe age difference would be too great for her. She is having so much fun being 21!!! and in college. Too bad Linda didnt get that opportunity to have fun and just be "21" and grow up normally and leave the "mid-lifers" alone to grow old together. So sad to think what good things could have happened to all three of them!!! :(
Your daughter isn't a scheming gold digger looking for a meal ticket. Linda Kolkena was. That's the difference.
DeleteExactly. Linda saw a better life for herself with Dan. Dan was not an attractive man. I always thought he had a thyroid condition the way his eyes about pop out of his head, but I see his youngest son looks exactly like him, with that same strange eyes, so I guess it is just a genetic thing.
DeleteAnyway both Dan and Linda were quite unattractive.
Yes, today (June 26th) was Linda Kolkena's birthday. 24 years ago this evening, Dan asked Linda to marry him, giving her a diamond and emerald engagement ring. He asked for her hand at Dobson's, the favorite watering hole of all of the San Diego legal community drunks, and apparently the usual players were present as far as Dan and Linda's friends go.
ReplyDeleteI will never understand Linda Kolkena. She could have done so, so much better.
The picture you have of Linda on her wedding day I would bet came from her sister's website- I saw it on there once, and then never saw it again- apparently, someone else saw it as well, lol- I read the Stumbo book years ago, and have read it several times. It's one of those books that just hooks you in, and is completely fascinating. I always felt that Dan did Betty pretty dirty, just the way he treated her in general during the whole affair, and afterwards. Linda, well..she treated her pretty badly as well, but even though I certainly don't condone the way she treated her and involved herself, I can almost sympathize with the fact that she was really young, and at that age, we're not always as tactful as we should be, you know? I would guess that Betty wasn't a dream to live with either, there are always two sides to everything like that- but she sure didn't deserve the crappy way Dan did her, and don't you know he was probably livid that he had to pay her $16,000 a month in temporary alimony. I would guess that if it had been left up to him, he would have given her nothing. What an awful way to treat someone you shared a life with for 16 years, regardless of whether or not it was a good marriage- maybe Betty wasn't so thrilled with him either, who knows. With the money he was making, he could have well afforded to give her what she wanted per month, and it wouldn't have made much financial difference to him. But obviously, he enjoyed the games he was playing with her in court, regardless...he was a lawyer, what can you say. To me, the victims in this whole mess were both Betty and Linda (and their children, of course- that goes without saying)...Betty because of the games these two played with her, and Linda simply because she was so young, and pretty well got sucked into the whole thing with Dan. When you're older, you think a little more- she never had a chance to mature enough to figure out that this guy, money or not, was a total douchebag. Sorry, but...just my two cents!
ReplyDeleteI have no sympathy for Linda or Dan. I'm not saying I condone Betty's actions, but Linda did not care about Betty's feeling, she just wanted her husband and the lifestyle that went along with it.
ReplyDeleteLinda should have set her sites on a single man closer to her own age & she would be alive today. Sorry Linda, you put your life in jeopardy the day you set your sites on a married man.
Agree with many of the comments here. I've never read Stumbo's book. It's priced pretty high on amazon. Anyone have a copy they might like to sell or loan? just a lowly pharmacy student here, who happens to love true crime :) thanks! And great site, btw!
ReplyDeleteSame! I'm dying to have a copy of it, to read the REAL story. I wish they'd put it up in a kindle version, for free...
DeleteAll the books on the case can be found for reasonable prices on abebooks.com
Deletei got it from the library. the library has it
DeleteI had a copy, got it on ebay for three dollars. For the life of me, I do not know why these books are priced so outrageously now.I lost the first copy and got another for 2 bucks, now some are over $200 for a paperback. I'll lend my copy to you.Contact me at teta1960@aol.com GREAT BOOK.
DeleteOr you can now download it for free if you have an Amazon Prime account.
DeleteIt's available for Kindle now.
Deletehttp://www.knittingparadise.com/t-113598-1.html
ReplyDeleteCheck it out. Betty is now part of a prison knitting group. The poster of this message is asking for donations of yarn and patterns to Betty's group. Of all places to read about this case, on a knitting website.
I've been fascinated with the Broderick case for years and was disappointed that Betty didn't get paroled last year. She is no longer a danger to anyone.
The two people who needed to worry about Betty Broderick regarding their safety have been dead since November 1989. I just wish that Betty could have let Dan go and made her own way in life. I mean, why would you still want him around, given that he would throw you and your kids over for a stupid bimbo with crooked teeth and a stinky pussy?
DeleteLinda and Dan got exactly what was coming to them. Dan was a self centered jerk who just kept Betty around until he didn't need her financial support any longer. Then when he started going through his midlife crisis and found his new gold digging girlfriend, he dumped Betty. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he had to first lie to her, making her seem like she was going crazy, then when he could lie no longer, he shoved that ugly skank in Betty's face.
ReplyDeleteIf Betty hadn't killed them, you can bet gold digger would have popped out a kid pretty quick to ensure her 18 years worth of free money. I am really quite shocked she didn't get pregnant before they were married. I guess she knew Dan wouldn't like that.
Yes, I agree with you. Linda Kolkena may have loved babies, but I wonder if her rush to get pregnant right away wasn't also a shrewd move on her part. Then again, Linda saw up close and personal how Danny Boy treated his own kids: disowned troubled Lee, wouldn't return the boys to Betty even though they begged to live with her, had Kim's phone disconnected at college rather than pay the bill, etc. It's baffling that Linda would think that Dan would treat any child they would have together any different.
DeleteRemember, when Kim needed an abortion, she went to Linda for advice and where to have the procedure done.
I would love to hear what Dan's longtime secretary has to say about him and Linda. In the movie she quit because Dan took her for granted while promoting the dumb as a rock girlfriend up to Paralegal and giving her a private office. I bet she has some stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteWe know that he paid her hourly, no health insurance, and wouldn't even pay for her parking. Meanwhile, the "paralegal" is getting her birth control pills paid for by the law firm and having her teeth fixed on the company dime. Fancy office, brand-new furniture, new car, covered parking, snazzy new wardrobe...all on the law firm dime. Yeah, I'll bet that secretary would be interesting to talk to.
DeleteI have been reading Hell Hath No Fury, and while I can empathize with a husband leaving you, Betty didn't do much that was commendable. The house was "sold out from under" her because she was blocking legitimate offers. I can see so many places where Betty was wrong and simply refused to look the truth in the face. While I think that Dan should have been upfront with his wife about having an afair and wanting to leave, Betty was getting numerous calls from friends that were seeing Linda and Dan all over town is quasi business social events. I wish that Dan would have given her an equitable settlement because it was obvious from all of the books that he was raking in money and would have recovered anything he gave her in a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteDan agreed during the encounter weekend that he hadn't been the husband that she wanted and deserved, but that he hoped to be once he "made it." It doesn't seem to be unreasonable that she would want to reap the financial benefits from that as well since she was doing without so much and investing her own efforts in their joint desire to be affluent and for her children to have what she had enjoyed as a child. The problem became the thought that once they WERE wealthy, it all belonged to Dan.
They definitely stuck it to Betty in the divorce and it was wrong of them to do that. All three adults behaved very badly and all three are where their own actions put them. To hell with all three. I have no compassion for any of the adults, only the Broderick children.
ReplyDeleteLinda was a home wrecking tramp. Plain and simple.
Poor Betty, I wish she would have gotten help for her mental state. She had to endure pictures like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAl0c6LAqNA/T-OJwKM1XdI/AAAAAAAABRk/IAVzOKkN-Ik/s1600/stepmother.png
If I could go back in time and slap Kim Broderick, I would.
DeleteWhy? Because she was subpoenaed and told the truth at trial? Someone should smack you, she was so young at that time, you are an idiot!
DeleteThe biggest tragedy is the poor Broderick children. Their tormented years of watching their parents attack each other, hearing their father lie to their mother and then eventually admit he was having an affair. That alone would be traumatic. But then to see their father marry the woman who's name was attached to so many family quarrels, and then to find out their mother murdered them seven months later seems like it would be enough to make them never want to get married. But, Daniel Broderick IV was married a few months ago and seems to be very well adjusted, and successful like their father.. :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Those three adults did not care about the children. At all.
DeleteIf it wasn't for the senseless tragedy of it all, I actually think "F head and the C nt" are quite appropriate.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled on this site I have always been interested in the Broderick case and enjoyed reading everyone's opinion. So, IMO I first have to say I don't think I could of taken it as far as Betty did and really wished she would have let them live in (eventually) their our misery. It would of just been a matter of time before they both (Dan/Linda) turned on each other. It was Dan not Betty that created the whole mess he should of given her everything and started over again with the tramp. After all he made tons of money. He was just a selfish hateful and evil man who's no.1 concern was himself. I have read Stumbo's book which by the way I did find at the library and it gave way more insight than the movie. I don't condone what Betty did but I understand how one could be driven to that point. Personally I think she should be released from prison she served enough time after all next to the children she was the only victim.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was entirely the Broderick extended family version. Linda's parents had nothing to do with it. From all I've read, the Kolkenas were dent people who were heartbroken when their daughter died and who wanted no part of the media circus that followed. I think Linda's sister may have been a consultant for the Lifetime movie. There was no attempt to consider Betty's side of the events.
DeleteLinda Kolkena's niece, Liz Seats, is getting married. Liz is Maggie's daughter.
ReplyDeleteThat's terrific. Good for her. I have often wondered if Maggie's children attended Dan and Linda's wedding. The Kolkenas seem like such a nice, decent family. I wonder what went wrong when it came to Linda.
DeleteI feel bad that Betty never got the help she needed for whatever she was going through mentally. Dan and Linda pushed her over the edge. Betty does not deserve to be incarcerated.
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled onto a website that features Danny's wedding to the Linda look-alike. You'll notice that Kim Broderick is one of the brides maids, but Lee is nowhere to be found. Kim's 2 daughters that look just like Betty are also featured. No picture of Rhett anywhere either.
ReplyDeletehttp://insideweddings.com/real-weddings/megan-cooper-dan-broderick?tab=gallery
Yeah, I saw that website with Danny and I think Megan's (the Linda Kolkena look alike) wedding... that has to be the most pretentious thing I've ever seen. "Oh la la we're just a perfect little couple in our perfect little La Jolla world... our only challenge was having so many people to thank!" I, too, found it strange that you don't see anything on there about Lee (now goes by "Kathy") or Rhett.
DeleteWith that being said though, I do wish the best for the Broderick kids, as they really were the true victims in this case. No children should have to endure the bitterness that they did.
My only hope is that Dan Jr. treats his bride with more love, respect, consideration, and devotion than what his father gave his own bride. I wonder if they mentioned Betty by name at all at the wedding. I'm sure Danny Boy was mentioned. I'm quite sure Linda wasn't, because anyone with the last name of Broderick seems intent to completely ignore that Linda Kolkena ever existed.
DeleteWhatever happened to Lee Broderick?
ReplyDeleteShe goes by the name "Kathy," apparently, and is teaching in San Diego. It seems she is quite close with her sister, Kim, and her nieces. Kathy testified on behalf of Betty during Betty's parole hearing.
DeleteI love your blog. I read about this case 20+ years ago in Vanity Fair, and will admit, I have been curious about it ever since. I can understand Betty's rage, but just because you are married to someone for 16 years doesn't justify taking two lives. 16 years is not a long time, but it is obvious that Dan did trade her in for a younger version, and I could not have imagined the pain that Betty went through. The fact that Linda had taken her place, and was so flippant about it, says a lot about her too.
ReplyDeleteI wish Betty could have gotten over it somehow...walked away and made something of her life. Of course, this is mere supposition on my part, but I think Betty would have had the last laugh if she hadn't been so trigger-happy. Ain't no way The Count du Money and Stinky would still be married today. We know Linda was cheating on Dan a scant month before the wedding...she would have found happiness with someone else, someone maybe whose sense of humor was not limited to getting drunk and acting out Blues Brothers skits. Betty would have been vindicated, but alas, she couldn't see the forest from the trees, largely due to Dan's legal harassment.
DeleteThis is such an amazing blog and with rare photos/links to photos. I grew up in San Diego and the Broderick case was fascinating and so very sad. Until I read Bella Stumbo's book recently, I had based much of what I knew of the case on the TV movies, the first of which my uncle had a brief cameo in so I'd seen it many times. What a load of b*llocks those two movies were, utterly whitewashing Dan and Linda as innocent, blameless victims! I feel for Betty. She should not have taken their lives but my gosh did they push her to it! Let the woman out, it's been 14 years. I wish I had been on the jury - she'd have walked.
ReplyDeleteIf I had been on the jury, Betty would have walked, too.
DeleteHas everyone seen this??
ReplyDeleteIt looks like someone recorded it off of their TV.
http://youtu.be/OqpVvfMZDNs
Thanks for this. For those of you who were looking for crime scene photos, this YT clip has them. Linda reached for her husband. Her husband dove off the bed to get away from Betty.
DeleteIf anyone wants to see the inside of Dan & Linda's former house, UTube Realtor showcase video. The master bedroom has been dramatically changed.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/7TwZP2PXQS4
What I always remember from Dan and Linda's bedroom are two things: Linda had a Liz Claiborne purse, which were THE purses to have in the fall of 1989 (I was in college then and I coveted them!), and there was a Scarlett O'Hara doll on the mantle.
DeleteThe prosecutor made such a big deal out of Betty hollering at her son on the phone. The kid was saying things like "Stop saying mean things about Linda mom." And "All you care about is the money." If my kid was sticking up for my husbands whore I would flip out on him too. They wouldnt even help her out at the parole hearing. I would NEVER turn against my mother. I am so sad Betty didnt get parole.
ReplyDeleteWhat I hope any parent would remember is what Betty forgot: it wasn't the kids' fault that The Count du Money was acting like a drunken fraternity boy. The kids did nothing to deserve being put in the middle of the drama, which is something that BOTH parents did with regularity. The Count was just shrewd enough to get Betty's actions on tape. God only knows what he said about Betty to the children.
DeleteShe wasn't even pretty.
ReplyDeleteI think that, in certain lights, she was quite lovely. I do not think Linda Kolkena was the stunning beauty the media always makes her out to be. She obviously had something that appealed to Danny Boy...enough to get him to leave his wife and children.
DeleteShe should have been acquitted, period. Fighting a lawyer in court is horrible (personal experience). You don't stand a chance. As I was told, "your money will run out and I can keep filing motion after motion". I was going through basically the same experience as Betty was, but without the violence. I kept my 3 kids, he kept his 20-something assistant and all the money. But, life went on, I've been happy, he's gone through numerous girlfriends. I don't apologize for my way of feeling that Linda was just like so many others out there--taking what they can from whomever they can so they don't have to worry about making a living on their own. Of course Linda was smiling big, she knew she'd never have to work again. Just hang on his arm until she got older and sleep with him till he got tired of her. They know that leads to a big payoff!
ReplyDeleteI get emails every single day from women who have been battered and abused in the family courts by their lawyer husbands during divorce proceedings. They identify so much with Betty. It's a goddamned national epidemic.
DeleteI really enjoyed the blog and the ensuing discussion. I will say that I think that Linda was pretty and Dan was handsome. Maybe not on the inside so much. I feel horrible for those kids. To be so young and to hear such venom from both sides must really have fucked them up, and then the whole murder thing. I wish Betty had killed herself. She is clearly mentally ill and she has obviously not moved on as evidenced by the 4 page letter she sent to the tv reporter after her parole hearing in 2010. I looked up the kids on that social network and found 3 of them easily, as well as the step aunt. I wish them all peace and happiness and healing. Unfortunately as long as their mother is alive and not feeling any remorse for what she did, they won't get it any time soon. Kim actually posted a picture of her and her mom together on a past mother's day. So apparently she is trying to work through things... Just sad all the way around, and yes, I do think Dan and Linda poked the snake with the stick one too many times and were equally culpable in their own murders.
ReplyDeleteI think Dan and Linda enjoyed what they were doing to Betty, right up to the moment Betty started pulling the trigger.
DeleteVery exciting news for those of us trying to find the Bella Stumbo book for FREE! If you are an Amazon Prime member you can download it to your kindle or ipad for free!!! There was only one copy of this book in the whole state of Colorado library system and it wasn't available so I looked at Amazon and found it!
ReplyDeleteIf my mom committed a crime I doubt I would be supporting her. Blood is not thicker than water.
ReplyDeleteBroderick was an insufferable bore, this much is obvious. So was my ex-husband. I got my revenge the legal way without killing anyone however-I lost weight, got sole custody of our kids, and am happily living my life away from him. He on the other hand...well...not so much.
There are ways to avenge oneself without breaking the law and ruining your own life in the process. She let her desire for revenge take her over. Her own writing show she has a massive personality disorder or two going on. Good for the kids who don't support her...I wouldn't either.
Are those the actual crime scene photos on that video? American Justice has it looking completely different (no bedsheets and full of blood)
ReplyDeleteBetty is now on Facebook (another person set up the page and monitors it for her since she cannot go online). She is in dire need of money to be deposited into her prison account to cover personal items like socks. Her brother Frank, who apparently took care of this, died earlier this year. There is information about how to send money; not directly to her as that is not allowed. What I don't understand is why her children don't take care of this. They could each send a little every month to at least make sure she has socks.
ReplyDeleteTo find Betty's page, go to Facebook and type in her name. There are actually two pages for Betty; one is obviously a joke but the genuine one shows her address as Corona, California.
I was disappointed when she wasn't granted parole but not surprised. She has never shown remorse for killing Dan and Linda; one of the officials at her hearing said she was still "20 years in the past." At this rate she may never be released.
While I don't condone what Betty did, I think she has served enough time.
I wouldn't give a dime to this woman. She's scum as are the people she murdered. The only ones I feel sorry for are the kids. No one gave a rats ass about them during this whole mess. They were just 3 disgusting self absorbed adults acting like children.
DeleteI don't condone Betty's crimes, either, but I don't think she belongs in jail. She has done more time for the murders she committed than some murderers have done for First Degree. That isn't fair. I think she will die in prison, thanks to Dan's drunkard legal friends, and, sadly, at least two of his children. I'd like to have fifteen minutes alone with Kim and Danny Broderick to give them a piece of my mind about their horrendous treatment of their mother.
Deletewhen a woman KNOWS that a man is married and goes after him anyway...she is nothing short of a home-wrecking whore. so if this leads to the death of her/him...so be it! (til death do us part) No one blames Betty Broderick for what she did...
ReplyDeleteI soooo wish I could send the above comment to my ex and the OW. Well, the homewrecker part, not the dead part. (Sigh) Guess I'll have to settle for having it engraved on my tombstone... :)
DeleteI have to agree with the last blogger...she knew he was married and she just did not care SHE KNEW HE WAS MARRIED...she destroyed a family and I feel she got what she deserved.
ReplyDeleteI have watched all the movies about Betty. I had completely forgotten about her until last night when a friend and I were talking. I have not read the Stumbo book but plan to find it. I too thought Betty was more to blame when I saw the movies. The movies portrayed Dan as a man who fell in love with someone else and Betty just couldn't accept it. I am living Betty's nightmare right now and I have a different view. The following are my opinions after reading all the comments on this site and I am on the inside looking out unlike my friends and my counselor. First of all I agree totally about how horrible Dan's comment was about when he first thought about divorce, on their wedding day. Yes that was horribly hurtful, but incredibly truthful. After a 4 year relationship and him telling both sides of the family that we were getting married, after the OW was in the picture, my friends call her raw sewage, one day he said "what's the big deal we only had a couple of dates". I believe that Dan used Betty to support him so he could focus on becoming very successful and he likely NEVER loved her ever and he was honest. Sad but true. He probably also saw the rage and vulgar side of Betty early on just like the OW has in my world, that personality type was tolerable on the way up but she was never society material in his eyes. I think Linda was using Dan for a meal ticket and to "win" like most histrionic women do and Dan was using Linda to stick it to Betty just like my ex is doing to me. It's all a game and you are all right in that the true victims are the children, confused and torn. The answer to why Betty couldn't get the money to continue her attorney is because she didn't want it, it was never about money for Betty if it had been she would have stopped the destruction, quite the opposite Betty wanted the love, respect, support and partner she thought she had married. I know because that is what I want. And she wanted the return on her investment her lifestyle that she earned. I too have lost everything. The only player in that game that put so much importance on money, status and outward appearance was Dan. I would never harm another person, I am a dormat. I believe that Betty had her own issues even before meeting Dan. They were toxic together and they were toxic apart. Promises mean nothing to people like Dan. People change or grow apart or want something different but there are humane ways of doing things and there are brutal ways which is what they all chose. Betty kept fighting not for the money but for her dignity and for unconditional love and like me she helped him destroy that for her. It is hard enough to be attacked by someone and much worse when it is two against one like in my situation and hers. Add low self esteem and well in my case the OW is a pathological sociopath, and you feel beaten every day. Betty should have never killed them that was wrong, but for anyone including the judicial system to ask her to apologize or feel remorse or bad or forgive is also wrong. No human being should ever become controlled, used and abused by the person that once made love to you and treated you like a precious gift and be made to feel like you are no longer good enough. My story has not ended and I pray each day for strength and guidance. I am tired and I think Betty just got tired too. I am on the fence about her, I think part of her is happy in the victim role I wind up there too sometimes. I know there is more than enough money for socks for this woman. Socks seem to be a theme, the OW in my world buys him socks from all the various brands and after he wears holes in them she sends them back to the manufacturer as defective and gets them replaced for free. I have learned a lot but most of it is useless. I am going to try and find the book, but even without reading it I bet I could write it. Great site, I really enjoyed your comments.
ReplyDeleteHang in there & don't let the anger do you in. You can prevail, not hurt your children, and find happiness. I did it.
DeleteThis case continues to intrigue me, but in a very, very sad way. I still cannot believe that two of her children still side with their cheating dead father. Can't they understand what it is to initiate the break up of a family? I am not justifying the murders. I sincerely believed Betty should have moved on with her life. But her family...her vows...her honor were wrapped up in her family. Dan deliberately destroyed everything Betty held dear. She has done the time. It is now time to allow her to enter society again. Dan's prominence (and money) obviously had influenced some of his children. If it were Betty who was murdered and whose family had prominence, would the kids be siding with their mother and mother's family?
ReplyDeleteI don't feel it's siding with their father. I think they loved both of their parents very much and they lost them both on the same day. They are truly the victims here, all four of them. I think it's so easy to judge people without going through what they had to endure for years from both parents. I think for Dan and Kim.....they just want their mother to take responsibility for what she did and she hasn't. They truly have had to live with this for many, many years and I cannot fathom how hard it's been. I'm glad that they all are doing well. I noticed that one of Kim's girls looks just like Betty.
DeleteHi Laura. Thanks for bringing back these great blogs about Betty.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe that after so many years this story still brings out strong opinions from people. I think it has really touched a nerve. Like you, in the beginning I saw Betty as a complete victim. Now, whenever I think of this story I'm really dissapointed at Betty and even Linda Kolkena for thinking that a low-life like Dan Broderick was the best that they could do. I could easily describe Dan in more graphic terms, but I don't think I would be saying anything about him that hasn't already been mentioned on this blog already. Well, now that I think about it, I can say something new. Dan Broderick did not deserve to have any children, much less a wife. He was the most selfish bastard (in my opinion) that ever existed. There is one picture in Bella's book of him and a ten year old Kim (I think) where Kim is wearing a Ms. Piggy mask for halloween. The expression on his face speaks volumes about what kind of a man he was. He has the most arrogant, entitled look on his face - as if the person (probably Betty) photographing him should be honored to be in his presence. He completely ignores his daughter and looks down his nose at the camera. Who the hell did he think he was? Well anyway, that's my take on that particular picture. Perhaps I'm just reading my own thoughts into it, but take a look at that picture & let me know if I'm the only one who feels this way.
Take care Laura, and keep up this great blog of yours.
Ken
I fervently believe that Dan Broderick was both an alcoholic and mentally ill. Neither excuses his shockingly cruel treatment of the mother of his children.
DeleteI love, love, love this blog. I have been obsessed with this case since it happened. I too am a mother of 4, actually 2 boys & 2 girls, like Betty. I was married for almost 20 years and my husband was running around on me in a very small town so everybody knew. We in no way had the social power or anything as the Brodericks, but betrayal still feels the same whether you're rich or poor. I am fascinated still by this case, but am intrigued that I can find no crime scene photos anywhere. I actually received an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice and love true crimes. This one is so fascinating because while I do not condone murder, I do believe that normal people can be pushed to the brink and therefore do things they would normally not do. I too have looked the Broderick children up on social networking sites and am AMAZED at how much Kim's daughters, especially the young one is the spitting image of Betty, also did anybody notice that the older daughter of Kim shares the same birthday as Betty. Hmmm. I have thought many times of writing Betty, not sure why, just thought she for sure has a lot of time and just wanted to tell her how much her story has intrigued me. I have so many different feelings about Linda. She was so young, I cannot help but think how irresponsible she was to get caught up in this mess, but when you have somebody throwing money and their wealth at you and you are so young, I can see how it can happen. Think about how she must have been to be able to got to Hawaii and Europe and the Greek Isles, and all the other traveling they did. She had the lifestyles of the rich and famous and who wouldn't love that? What a shame because she was so young if only she had been older maybe she would have been wiser. Oh well, one will never know. Love this blog, keep up the good work!!!
ReplyDeleteDanny Broderick is either delusional or just as cruel as his late father was for insisting that his mother should stay in jail for the rest of her life. The same goes for his sister Kim, who's a real piece of work in my opinion. However, it sure seems like she's been paid back, as another person mentioned earlier on this blog. She's had a short-term marriage and two daughters who look just like Betty. Like any mother, I'm sure she lover her children. But still, I wonder how she deals with having to look at two duplicates of her own mother every day. How karma will apply in Danny's life - that's something no one can predict. But I'm pretty sure one day he will either realize or be reminded of the terrible mistake he and his older sister.have made. Their mother has more than served her time and should be paroled - she is no danger to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI know it's rude to speak negatively of the children involved after what they have been through. However, what I noticed is that when something this drastic happened in children's lives they tend to band together as a unit for protection. In this Broderick case, they did not. They are still split in their views of what happened. The sad thing is the daughter Lee Broderick has almost no contact with the rest of the siblings. From recent FB postings to recent articles about them [Danny's wedding], it is evident Lee was not included.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have heard, Betty is actually doing well where she is incarcerated. A lot of people who have met her during their incarceration and released have only good things to say about her. Not sure how I feel about her coming out especially with how her children feel about her. I do believe the influence of Dan Broderick is still very affluent in the legal community since most of his friends/colleagues are still alive which makes it almost impossible for Betty to ever get out. In addition, Betty has yet to acknowledge what she did was wrong.
As a father, Dan is a pos for excluding his daughter Lee in the will just because she chose to live with her broken-hearted mother.
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.latimes.com/1993-02-23/news/mn-456_1_betty-broderick
I have to say to all the people here that say the harshest words about Kim and Danny, You weren't there!! They went through hell! It is their life and their feelings! You can't help how you feel. Lee not being at Danny's wedding? So what, maybe she was and the photos are not on here. Maybe she wasn't, and??? I think they have and are doing the best they can given the shit that was dumped on them growing up and after the shootings. They didn't ask for this life, it was thrown on them. Have any of you haters ever really put yourself in their shoes?? Probably not. The 3 adults were horrible, and this is the outcome, what a shame. But for outsiders to comment because they don't fill mom's bank for socks? Well she should have thought of that before she shot 2 people in their sleep!! Yep Dan and Linda screwed her over good, that does not condone killing anyone. The person who said she would like to go back in time and slap Kim, your an idiot! She was 19, 20? when all this came down, still a kid, what is wrong with you?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that you might actually be Kim herself. If that is true, that's cool, and welcome. I am sorry for the clusterfuck that is and was your parents. You did nothing to deserve the steaming pile of nonsense and woe heaped upon you by both of your selfish parents and one meddling gold digger. If you are Kim, would you like to post some of your thoughts on the case here? Please know that you are welcome to do so, either in the comments or in a post for me to have on the blog. I think many of us would be interested to hear your memories of your father and mother, and Linda Kolkena, and what it was like to be in the eye of that storm, so to speak.
DeleteLaura
Hi Laura
DeleteI just typed a whole bunch of stuff and it didn't ask me to verify if i am not a robot :). So i will try again,
No i am not Kim, and glad i am not, given the life she was thrown into.
I do however get irritated when people, that were not there, say they want to slap her and basically call her a backstabber, (Traitor in Bettys words). I think people tend to forget they were all so young, and lets face it, cheater or not, he was their dad, and Betty took him away from them. It's easy to run someone in the ground or point a finger or criticize when they are not the one is has happened to. As far as Lee not being at the wedding, is that all people are taking away from the pictures, Lee wasn't there or his wife looks like Linda? Wow, what i seen is a man who had a pretty messed up life, because of 3 nasty adults, take the high road and live life, thats what i see when i look at those pictures. But when you read such nasty things directed at the kids that don't put money in her account, it just irritates me so much. They did not put her there, Betty did. Let me clarify though, I do understand what and why she did it. Dan and Linda did not play fair at all, but not any one of the 3 thought of those kids, they put themselves before them, and sadly this is the outcome and the mess they, all 3, left behind. Just my thoughts of course.
I agree with everything you have said KS. All four children suffered for years before Betty murdered. It's really easy to sit behind a computer screen and condemn people you don't even know. These kids went through hell for years and are the true victims here. Betty decided one morning that she would take her children's parents away and that is what she did. Basically orphaned them. Regarding Danny and Kim, they just want their mother to take responsibility for what she did and she is still mentally living in the 1980's. Sad, sad story for these four kids. I'm glad that they have been able to move on with their lives and find some kind of peace and happiness.
DeleteI have followed this case for years, I was saddened when Betty didn't get paroled. It seems as if the majority of people have the same feeling about Betty,she was tormented, Dan was a prude,and Linda a gold digger. I do feel sorry for the children, always have . I really want to see Betty go free . She has paid dearly for what they made her do.It is time, way past time for Betty to be released. I would really like to see if all of you in support of Betty would write a letter to the parole board, it couldn't hurt. I think it may help . I have seen horrible cases of people who do horrendous things to children and they're out in 2 to 5 years . Dan and Linda asked for this,just as sure as it happened. I may as well say this too,like I said before I have followed this case for years, as I read this whole blog today, I suddenly got chills, I looked at the calendar and today is Lindas birthday..CREEPY,I think she sent me a message, she wants Betty free as well. She and Dan are spending eternity in hell,I think she wants this,I really do. Please help Betty, please contact the parole board and ask for the release of Betty Broderick. This is such a tragedy, but she deserves to be free, she is not a danger to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI am going now write to her,and send her some stamps,I have wanted to write her for years,I was just worried about what to say, since I have read this blog, I know that alot of people feel the same as I do . I know now what to say to her . I LOVE this blog, so glad I found it . Keep it up, Best Regards
I too find Dan & Linda revolting in their disregard for the marriage along with the cruel psychological torture of the 2nd and equally important member of the marriage, Betty. But I do not see it as an excuse for murder. An explanation perhaps, but no excuse.
ReplyDeleteIn life we take our licks as unjust and unfair as they may be. We do not get to determine the the penalty shall be death by our own hands for those who cause us pain.
All three struck me as narcissists, but what do I know. I guess I don't quite understand how much better charactor Betty has considering what she did. I mean if I'm weighing out disgusting things each party was capable of and the lack of moral fiber they possessed' It would seem Betty doesn't exactly hit a homerun in the virtue department herself.
I have always followed this case even with Betty's appeals. I remember seeing the Lifetime Movie when I was a young adult. Honestly, I went through 2 divorces with my Mother as a child/teenager where she was abused physically and emotionally. Both cheated on her and when she walked away, she walked away with dignity. I even went through one bad relationship of being cheated on and abused, and I cut my losses and left. I found a wonderful man now and married him- and my life is very good! Some people are always going to cheat and hurt their family and spouses- and you have to decide in life if you are going to continue to make lemonade or make a new life that is so much better! Highly unlikely that if they had lived, Dan and Linda would have finished their lives together anyways. once a cheater, always a cheater. He would have found someone new and younger after a few years! Betty allowed him to end her life too that day---when she pulled the trigger she ended her life and left her children with no guardian. Sometimes you just gotta know when to fold em and walk away a better person!
ReplyDeleteThe shame of the judicial system is that Betty Broderick will not be released until she shows remorse for her actions against her ex-husband and his wife. What does it matter if she is or isn't remorseful? Has not Ms. Broderick served her time in prison? Yes, she has! How many other murderers have had to "be remorseful" in order to be released from their incarcerations? Are those individuals who are not remorseful still in prison? Why do prisoners have to state they are sorry for their crimes in order to be released after serving their time? Or, is it only Ms. Broderick who is being held to that standard?
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't condone murder everyone has a breaking point. Sadly, Betty Broderick reached hers with a lot of help from her ex husband and his new wife.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the blog. I agree with so much of what everyone else has already written. My only contributing comment would be echoing the words of the juror "What took her so long?"
ReplyDeleteGoooooooooo Betty. I was married to a policeman who was sleeping around and had a hard time finding an attorney who would take my divorce case. I finally ended up with the worst attorney in my county. I know how Betty felt and how the legal system treated her. Linda and Dan got what they deserved.
ReplyDeleteLarry Broderick is also married to a much younger woman. Her name is also Lynda. There is a video on Youtube of Larry on a boat with her and some of the other usual suspects in the Virgin Islands.
ReplyDeleteThis one. I would rather gouge my eyes out with toothpicks than be stuck on a boat with these people.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/Ceg-0JFKpLE
Listen to the comment at the very beginning of the clip, "all present and accounted for and shitfaced, sir" Yeah that pretty much sums it up right there. The Lynda with a Y looks alternately bored and embarrassed with their antics.
DeleteI can't imagine accusing someone of cheating for 3 years and being told I am crazy over and over again to then find out that I was right all along. That alone would drive someone crazy. So mean and cruel. The tv movie is so one-sided and must have been written by Linda or Dan's friends.
ReplyDeleteIt WAS sanctioned by Dan's fiends and family. After reading "Twelfth of Never" I understood how Betty snapped and killed Dan and Linda. Dan was an alcoholic psychopath and incredibly cruel. I feel bad for Linda in a way because she was so young and stupid. Could she really have believed Dan would have treated her any better? I found an interesting photo-link is below. I think the pic is rather bizarre. Maybe it's just me but why would anyone in their right mind take a picture of their 2 babies on top of a gravestone? Weird.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151603827237578&set=pb.658477577.-2207520000.1422076051.&type=3&theater
Jesus Christ, that photo is creepy.
DeleteAnd lest we forget, Linda is not buried beside her "beloved husband." The Kolkenas had her buried somewhere else. Man, there is SUCH a backstory there, the Brodericks and the Kolkenas have NOTHING to do with each other today, which is strange when you consider what a "love story for the ages" Danny Boy and Linda supposedly were. Wow.
Laura, isn't that creepy? I thought so, too. Why would anyone DO that to their babies? I've heard Linda's not buried there, either. I wonder where she is? I'd like to call the cemetery to see what they say about her burial. I read in "Twelfth of Never" that the Brodericks pretty much cut the Kolkenas out of any money because presumably Linda died BEFORE Dan did so they weren't entitled to anything Linda might have received from Dan's estate.
ReplyDeleteThat is correct. Linda died instantly and Dan took somewhere between 10 minutes and a half hour to die. The book also states that the Kolkena family was given a 7k funeral bill by Dan's family. Being that she was his wife, why wouldn't Dan's estate pay the bill. Now we see that Dan didn't fall far from his family tree.
ReplyDeleteThat makes me really sad for the Kolkenas. I have not always had the best relationship with my in-laws, but they would never, ever disrespect the very relationship their son and I have as husband and wife.
DeleteOne of the saddest and most telling things in Bella Stumbo's book is that after Betty submitted her settlement demands and while Dan's lawyer was reviewing the request, Betty ceased making the phone calls, started to think about dieting and was moving forward. One would think that Dan and Linda would have seen this and would agree to ANYTHING to just move on. But, they didn't and not only did Betty not get all but one demand, she got even less. The only thing she got was for Dan to get a 1 million dollar life insurance policy. this is why she snapped. I think the "BIG 80's" played a role in Dan's greed.
ReplyDeleteIt's very true. I personally cannot understand why neither one of them got tired of the fighting and just backed down for the sake of having a happy life. That is my true anger with Betty in this case: that she thought so little of herself that she was convinced that they only thing she could be, she should be, is Mrs. Dan Broderick. There was so much more to her than that. Maybe it's just a case of different values, but I would have gotten to the point where I said Screw The Money, just so that I didn't have to deal with Danny Boy any longer. Money is as important to me as the next person, but it cannot buy you happiness. It sounds trite, but it's true. How might this story have played itself out if Betty had had the cojones and the good sense to just walk away? Would Dan and Linda still be married today?
DeleteI saw the photo of Danny Jr. and his nondescript blonde wife smiling behind their two babies, who are perched on the gravestone of his late father and stepmother. I was amazed and disgusted. Who DOES something like that? It's just so bizarre and unseemly.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that Danny Jr.'s wife is a perfectly lovely person, and their children are precious, but I cannot get past her resemblance to Linda Kolkena. It knocks me for a loop every single time.
DeleteWish Betty would be freed. No one cared about her feelings. Dan was a terrible man and lousy father
ReplyDeleteWas Dan ever diagnosed with with any personality disorders?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this thread. I have been a follower of the case and KNOW that the true victim was Betty. She had single handedly caused all whoring men to think twice before they leave the WIFE for the slut.
ReplyDeleteDanny Jr. and the Linda look-alike have had another baby. Now they have three kids. I wonder if Danny went skiing while his wife was in labor, too. You'd think the little fucker would have a little more compassion for his mother and a little more contempt for what his drunk asshole of a father did to her and his family now that he has a wife and kids himself. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, it seems.
ReplyDeleteTheir lack of compassion for their mother is staggering.
DeleteA picture's worth a thousand words. Look at the very left at the beginning of this clip. (Turn the sounds down so you don't have to listen to the caterwauling.) Then go to 0:54. Guess who that is, driving the car. Cool man, really cool. Was he Jake or Elwood do you think? look at the kids piled unsafely in the back. Wasn't that the day Rhett was supposed to take an entrance exam for some school, and Dan Broderick took him drunken driving in the parade instead? God, what a prick. Where is Linda?
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/yi25Bliyruk
OMG. Yes, I agree with you. A picture is worth a thousand words and Dan Broderick really thought he was hot shit, didn't he? That YT channel is full of stuff that features a lot of the "usual suspects," that San Diego group that is growing ever older. They were embarrassing even back then.
DeleteDid you see the clip at the gravesite? Get a load of this one:
https://youtu.be/db_GbxTj2fs
Danny Boy's portrait, a big-ass thing of ugly flowers, everyone stomping all over the place, tacky shamrocks. Did Linda Kolkena ever exist to those people? Did she ever matter at all to any of them?
I fault Linda for so many things, but the way Danny Boy's friends treat her, even in death, infuriates me. She made a lot of mistakes in her life, Linda. But you know, she deserves better.
He was so smug in that clip. You can just tell that he was an arrogant POS!!
DeleteHe was such a dork when he and Betty were younger. His looks definitely got better with age. But his disposition and character definitely did not.
Linda was an average pretty. Not gorgeous or breath taking. But not unattractive or ugly. Although inside she was hideous.
ReplyDeleteAnd she looks like any other "pretty" girl from the 80's. A lot of men them found the whole big blonde hair and lots of makeup attractive. And easier to hide flaws with all that too.
Really, Linda looked like every other bimbo of the 80's.
And let's not forget, that Dan was very inexperienced with women. Betty was his first (and maybe only til be met Linda).
And Linda had a past and probably pulled out all her tricks in the bedroom. And maybe even stuff Betty wouldn't do.
Men often confuse lust/sex for love. And especially inexperienced men. Linda knew this.
But I have never found Betty beautiful either.
She, too, is pretty. There are pics from her youth where she is more attractive. But certainly not gorgeous, as some have said.
Before losing her mind, she was definitely more elegant and intelligent than Linda.
There were definitely more beautiful gold diggers in store for Dan, down the road. And he would have left Linda for one of them too.
Too bad his selfish ways prevented this from happening.
It does not surprise me that the Kolkena family and the Broderick family do not have anything to do with each other. Whatever kind of person Linda might have been before she met Dan Broderick, he was ultimately responsible for drawing her into a relationship that ended up getting her killed. Whatever kind of person Linda might have been, she will be forever remembered as a homewrecker, a gold digger, and a smelly crotched whore. Given all of these facts, if you were a Kolkena, would you want any contact with the Broderick family?
ReplyDeletePoint well made and taken. To add insult to injury, the Broderick kids post photos of Daddy Dearest on their social media accounts...never Linda. Never Linda.
Delete