Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 23:22     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I felt bad for her but her psych assessment indicated narcissistic and histrionic personality disorder, and I believe that's accurate. She hated her two victims until the day she died and felt no remorse for the horror she single-handedly inflicted on her children. Two kids felt she should be released, but two did not.

Did she get everything she deserved in the divorce settlement? No. Was she wealthy and perfectly comfortable? Yes. Cheating sucks, and Dan and Linda were not great people, but she should have let it go and rebuilt her life.


Wealthy?

There was $2M in marital assets and she got $20K of that.



That was the lump sum, I agree not good, but she was paid $16k/month. That was a lot of money back then.


Sure $16k is a lot but she paid for his med school and law school working and raising kids …. You think it’s not wild that she was not give the marital assets and she lost her kids and she didn’t get the $16K while separated and she couldn’t afford a lawyer do she represented herself.

It’s financial abuse all around.


$16k in 1989 is the same as $42k now. If you can’t live on $42k a month, that’s on you.


+1


Mental illness doesn’t care about your math. But you’d clearly kill over money.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 22:41     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I felt bad for her but her psych assessment indicated narcissistic and histrionic personality disorder, and I believe that's accurate. She hated her two victims until the day she died and felt no remorse for the horror she single-handedly inflicted on her children. Two kids felt she should be released, but two did not.

Did she get everything she deserved in the divorce settlement? No. Was she wealthy and perfectly comfortable? Yes. Cheating sucks, and Dan and Linda were not great people, but she should have let it go and rebuilt her life.


Wealthy?

There was $2M in marital assets and she got $20K of that.



That was the lump sum, I agree not good, but she was paid $16k/month. That was a lot of money back then.


Sure $16k is a lot but she paid for his med school and law school working and raising kids …. You think it’s not wild that she was not give the marital assets and she lost her kids and she didn’t get the $16K while separated and she couldn’t afford a lawyer do she represented herself.

It’s financial abuse all around.


$16k in 1989 is the same as $42k now. If you can’t live on $42k a month, that’s on you.


+1
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 18:53     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What about the 48 hour rule?

Dan was making 140k/mo. He kept Betty on a hamster wheel putting him through school, having 5 babies, and building his business. He tortured her and then he tortured her through the legal system.

All of her children maintained relationships with her, and she accepted them including the one who called her a good person but testified against her release.

Her sentence was wildly unfair compared to a lot of men who brutally murder their partners and get off lightly.




The kids were evenly divided. Two supported her release from prison, two didn't. Kim denied her father ever abused her mom.
https://people.com/betty-broderick-dead-her-4-children-were-split-in-their-support-for-her-11970996

Read the housekeepers’ testimonies.

Kim didn’t want to get written out if the will. Even the court psychologist wanted the children to go back to Betty. This woman was troubled because she was victimized and the press covered her in a very cruel way because she had the normal body of a woman who had 5 full term pregnancies. She probably should have gone to a mental hospital and been given intensive treatment



Oh please. She loved her father and Linda, has said they were perfect for each other unlike her parents. Still publicly reminisces about them to this day.
It was not about money. She was genuinely sympathetic to Dan not Betty in the divorce and its aftermath. Are teenage girls always fair observers? No. But the older brother Dan seemingly felt the same way. Those two opposed parole, even after 30 years. The younger two were more attached to their mom.

You have the birth order screwed up. Kim is oldest, then Lee, then Dan jr, then Rhett. Lee pleaded for her mother's release and wanted Betty to live with her. Rhett also wanted her to be released. Kim and Dan jr have both waffled. But still, all chose to maintain relationships with her and took their children to Betty.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 17:49     Subject: Re:Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I thought she did not get custody so how did she get 16k a month?

Was that alimony?

I thought the shameless cheating scumbag Dan denied her custody with his legal clout to avoid paying child support.



Yes it was alimony. He assumed custody because she literally left the kids with their belongings on his front steps. Including a crying seven year old boy who sat there for hours because no one else knew he was there.



Terrible how the kids were the collateral damage here. All four of them were with her when she died, which is a blessing. Heartbreaking story.
https://people.com/betty-broderick-son-shares-new-details-about-her-death-11971016
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:55     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

She supported her husband through law school, gave him the life he said he wanted, then was screwed over by him and the legal system. He conflicted her out of all of the big firms in their area. Had an open affair with his “paralegal” who was not a paralegal, but someone he promoted despite her lack of any legal experience.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:45     Subject: Re:Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I thought she did not get custody so how did she get 16k a month?

Was that alimony?

I thought the shameless cheating scumbag Dan denied her custody with his legal clout to avoid paying child support.



Yes it was alimony. He assumed custody because she literally left the kids with their belongings on his front steps. Including a crying seven year old boy who sat there for hours because no one else knew he was there.


She lost custody because she took her kids to their dad’s house and he didn’t answer the door.

Back in the day, men weren’t expected to even take care of their kids for a second once they were divorced.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:44     Subject: Re:Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:I thought she did not get custody so how did she get 16k a month?

Was that alimony?

I thought the shameless cheating scumbag Dan denied her custody with his legal clout to avoid paying child support.


Alimony

She worked full time and put him through both medical school and law school, birthed 5 kids (one died) all by herself.

He was never home, did no child care, did not get her support after she tried to kill herself.

The older 2 kids were smart enough to kiss up to him for the money and their own safety. He was mean, manipulative and volatile.

One stayed quiet, the other got written out of the will,

Linda broke into the house while she was in court and stole her diary and made copies.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:39     Subject: Re:Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:I thought she did not get custody so how did she get 16k a month?

Was that alimony?

I thought the shameless cheating scumbag Dan denied her custody with his legal clout to avoid paying child support.



Yes it was alimony. He assumed custody because she literally left the kids with their belongings on his front steps. Including a crying seven year old boy who sat there for hours because no one else knew he was there.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:28     Subject: Re:Betty Broderick Dead

I thought she did not get custody so how did she get 16k a month?

Was that alimony?

I thought the shameless cheating scumbag Dan denied her custody with his legal clout to avoid paying child support.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 16:17     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What about the 48 hour rule?

Dan was making 140k/mo. He kept Betty on a hamster wheel putting him through school, having 5 babies, and building his business. He tortured her and then he tortured her through the legal system.

All of her children maintained relationships with her, and she accepted them including the one who called her a good person but testified against her release.

Her sentence was wildly unfair compared to a lot of men who brutally murder their partners and get off lightly.




The kids were evenly divided. Two supported her release from prison, two didn't. Kim denied her father ever abused her mom.
https://people.com/betty-broderick-dead-her-4-children-were-split-in-their-support-for-her-11970996

Read the housekeepers’ testimonies.

Kim didn’t want to get written out if the will. Even the court psychologist wanted the children to go back to Betty. This woman was troubled because she was victimized and the press covered her in a very cruel way because she had the normal body of a woman who had 5 full term pregnancies. She probably should have gone to a mental hospital and been given intensive treatment



Oh please. She loved her father and Linda, has said they were perfect for each other unlike her parents. Still publicly reminisces about them to this day.
It was not about money. She was genuinely sympathetic to Dan not Betty in the divorce and its aftermath. Are teenage girls always fair observers? No. But the older brother Dan seemingly felt the same way. Those two opposed parole, even after 30 years. The younger two were more attached to their mom.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 14:14     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What about the 48 hour rule?

Dan was making 140k/mo. He kept Betty on a hamster wheel putting him through school, having 5 babies, and building his business. He tortured her and then he tortured her through the legal system.

All of her children maintained relationships with her, and she accepted them including the one who called her a good person but testified against her release.

Her sentence was wildly unfair compared to a lot of men who brutally murder their partners and get off lightly.




The kids were evenly divided. Two supported her release from prison, two didn't. Kim denied her father ever abused her mom.
https://people.com/betty-broderick-dead-her-4-children-were-split-in-their-support-for-her-11970996

Read the housekeepers’ testimonies.

Kim didn’t want to get written out if the will. Even the court psychologist wanted the children to go back to Betty. This woman was troubled because she was victimized and the press covered her in a very cruel way because she had the normal body of a woman who had 5 full term pregnancies. She probably should have gone to a mental hospital and been given intensive treatment
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 13:58     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:What about the 48 hour rule?

Dan was making 140k/mo. He kept Betty on a hamster wheel putting him through school, having 5 babies, and building his business. He tortured her and then he tortured her through the legal system.

All of her children maintained relationships with her, and she accepted them including the one who called her a good person but testified against her release.

Her sentence was wildly unfair compared to a lot of men who brutally murder their partners and get off lightly.




The kids were evenly divided. Two supported her release from prison, two didn't. Kim denied her father ever abused her mom.
https://people.com/betty-broderick-dead-her-4-children-were-split-in-their-support-for-her-11970996
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 13:15     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

It’s been more than 35 years and we have changed as culture (for better or worse). I wonder how it would have played out today.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 13:13     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:What about the 48 hour rule?

Dan was making 140k/mo. He kept Betty on a hamster wheel putting him through school, having 5 babies, and building his business. He tortured her and then he tortured her through the legal system.

All of her children maintained relationships with her, and she accepted them including the one who called her a good person but testified against her release.

Her sentence was wildly unfair compared to a lot of men who brutally murder their partners and get off lightly.


He also wrote one of the kids out of the well for being so supportive of the mother.

The will, amended on August 9, 1988, simply stated: "I specifically make no provision in this will for my daughter, Lee Gordon Broderick". His estate was instead divided equally among his other three children: Kim, Daniel IV, and Rhett.

Looks like it was common for him to try to control people with money.
Anonymous
Post 05/09/2026 13:07     Subject: Betty Broderick Dead

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I felt bad for her but her psych assessment indicated narcissistic and histrionic personality disorder, and I believe that's accurate. She hated her two victims until the day she died and felt no remorse for the horror she single-handedly inflicted on her children. Two kids felt she should be released, but two did not.

Did she get everything she deserved in the divorce settlement? No. Was she wealthy and perfectly comfortable? Yes. Cheating sucks, and Dan and Linda were not great people, but she should have let it go and rebuilt her life.


Wealthy?

There was $2M in marital assets and she got $20K of that.



That was the lump sum, I agree not good, but she was paid $16k/month. That was a lot of money back then.


Sure $16k is a lot but she paid for his med school and law school working and raising kids …. You think it’s not wild that she was not give the marital assets and she lost her kids and she didn’t get the $16K while separated and she couldn’t afford a lawyer do she represented herself.

It’s financial abuse all around.


$16k in 1989 is the same as $42k now. If you can’t live on $42k a month, that’s on you.



This. Her ego couldn't handle him remarrying, an affair partner and much younger woman to boot. Her daughter said their marriage was unhappy and they never got along. This was not about love. She seemed to care more about appearances than the marriage itself, and was incredibly materialistic. Was he a gaslighting narcissist? Yes. But she should have taken her ample alimony and moved on with her life, focusing on her kids. In all likelihood she would have remarried, and maybe even more happily the second time.


I don’t know why everybody is trying to boil this down to money.

She was abused for decades. She tried to kill herself when her daughter was too young to even remember.

Her daughter doesn’t even know the person she was before she was destroyed by her husband.

I don’t think anybody should kill anybody, but I also I’m not losing sleep when you fully and intentionally abuse somebody and then you boo-hoo about the consequences.

He created the person and the situation that eventually led to the demise of his whole family.

They both did the crime and they both did the time.




Because that's what she did. It wasn't about him. It wasn't about the kids. It was about the money.


It was about being mentally ill.