Linda Kolkena’s story is crazier than any Netflix season. After the murder of Linda and her husband Dan, within a week or two everybody in the US knew who Linda Kolkena was.

But one thing is certain, “There are no winners here” as said by Spencer Busby, a friend of Linda and Dan. 

What really happened to Linda Kolkena and why did it become the talk of the town? Is there something more to be known about the case? Let’s find out. 

On April 22nd, 1989,  Linda Kolkena and Daniel Broderick married on a warm sunny day.

In the Marston Hills backyard, San Diego, as the couple exchanged vows little did they realize that their marriage would be a far cry from a “happily ever after”. 

Getting to Know Linda Kolkena

A beautiful young wife, Linda was a Catholic raised by Danish parents. She was 21 when she fell in love with Dan Broderick. 

It’s quite remarkable how, when comparing photos of Linda to Betty during her youth, the resemblance is striking.

When Kolkena met him, Dan was already married to Betty Broderick. Betty had been his wife for 14 years. Together, the couple had four children. 

Linda worked as a receptionist at the office where Dan continued his legal practice. Soon, the affair of Linda and Dan began to be known. At one party, Betty eavesdropped on Dan calling Linda “beautiful.” 

But Betty didn’t give it a bother at that time. “This was just a phase, a bad time-too stupid to be true.”

 But on November 22, 1983, the truth was revealed. Betty came to Dan’s office to surprise him for his birthday.

But Dan was out with Linda for a day. Betty waited until 5 p.m., but no one came and then noticed remnants of a party in Dan’s office. 

Dan Broderick And Linda’s Wedding

Dan left the house that he shared with his family in February 1985. In June 1988, he got engaged to Linda Kolkena. After his divorce from Betty was finalized, Dan married Linda. 

But it wasn’t a carefree wedding. Linda was worried about Betty’s threat.

She even suggested Dan wear a bulletproof vest during the ceremony. But Dan shrugged it off and hired guards to protect the couple instead. 

Fortunately, the marriage took place in peace and harmony. The couple later visited the Caribbean for their honeymoon.

Linda Kolkena’s Murder

Life was good for Linda. She was living the life of her dreams with Dan.

Occasionally, the couple received voice messages on their answering machine. They were from Betty cursing Linda and calling her many offensive names. 

Once Betty also received an unidentified letter in her mail including a picture of Dan and Linda emblazoned with the words “Eat your heart out, bitch,”.

Betty doubted Linda was responsible. Betty also declares Linda denied returning Betty’s wedding china, and she gave her anti-wrinkle creams.  

On the horrifying morning of November 5, 1989, Betty went to Dan and Linda’s house using a house key she took from her daughter.

Also carrying a newly bought pistol, Betty moved to the bedroom. Linda woke up and started shouting. Betty started firing.

Two of the five bullets she fired hit Linda–one in the neck and another in the chest–while a third hit Dan in the back. 

Both were shot dead. Dan was 17 days shy of his 45th birthday; Linda was 28.

Five days after the massacre, 600 people attended Dan and Linda’s funeral at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral in San Diego.

The couple was laid to rest at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, forever inscribing their names into the chronicles of mystery and tragedy.

Betty Broderick now in 2023

Betty married Dan in 1969. She supported him through medical and law school. At the same time they also had four kids. Betty is said to have a difficult personality and some of her actions towards her children were also somewhat abusive. She was two days before her 42nd birthday at the time of the murder. 

In 2023, Betty Broderick is still in prison for the 1989 murders of her ex-husband, Dan Broderick, and his new wife, Linda Kolkena. In the New York Times article of 1991 Betty proclaimed, “But jail life, she said, has advantages over her old one. “I live a lot happier than I did when I had all that money,” 

In her 2015 memoir, Betty Broderick: Telling on Myself, Betty said that she still speaks and sees her and Dan’s children — Kimberly, Kathy Lee, Dan Jr., and Rhett. When Betty was up for parole in 2010, they testified at the hearing.

Who Inherited Dan Broderick’s Money?

When Dan died he had four children with his ex-wife Betty Broderick- LEe, Kimberly, Daniel IV and Rhett Broderick. A year before his death, Dan’s will stated that his estate should be divided equally among his three children. He made “no provision” for his second oldest daughter, Lee. 

Why did Dan Broderick Leave his Daughter Lee Out of His Will?

It is said that Dan left his daughter Lee out of his will because Lee had problems with school and drugs. He didn’t leave Lee out of the will because of her relationship with their mother. 

Do Betty Broderick’s Kids Still Talk to Her?

Betty is now 75 years old and behind bars in the California Institution for Women in Chino, California. Betty’s kids are still close to her and meet her in prison. “I didn’t want all their memories of those times to be of visiting Mom in prison,” Betty said. 

Undoubtedly, the story of Dan Broderick, Linda Kolkena, and Linda Kolkena is an unfortunate story of obsession and tragedy. No one remains happy, and it is indeed the kids who suffer the most.

Should We Sympathize With Linda Kolkena or Betty Broderick?

The saga of Betty Broderick and Dan is an all-too-familiar tale in countless marriages. After years together, Dan exchanged vows with Linda Kolkena, leaving Betty behind. 

Despite Betty’s dedicated efforts in the early years of their marriage balancing work and raising their children while Dan pursued education in law and medical school, it does not excuse her drastic actions of murdering her ex-husband and his new wife.

Following the divorce, Betty received a substantial settlement—$16,000 per month (equivalent to $44,500 in 2023) and a one-time payment of $28,000 ($78,000 in 2023). This financial support spared her from the typical post-divorce struggle that many face when rebuilding their lives. Despite this, Betty’s resentment and jealousy overshadowed the opportunity for her to pursue a fulfilling life on her own.

Some people argue that instead of making things messier for herself and her ex-husband Betty could have been living her “best life”. However, her jealousy took over and led her to murder Linda Kolkena. 

USA TV Series Dirty John

Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, the second season of the Dirty John anthology series, explores the issues of what Oprah called “one of America’s messiest divorces.”

Betty’s view on the circumstances leading to the night she shot and killed Dan and his second wife, Linda Kolkena Broderick, on November 5, 1989, takes center stage in Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.

As we witness in the series, and what happened in real life according to the Los Angeles Times, Betty declared that Dan, a reputable attorney at the time, was using his “legal influence to cheat her out of her fair share of his seven-figure annual income” during their terrible divorce battle in the late ’80s. 

Moreover, her defense lawyers argued that Betty experienced psychological abuse at the hands of Dan.  

“He took my home, my kids, my money,” Betty told The New York Times in the fall of 1991. “His was the white-collar way of beating you. If he had hit me with a baseball bat, I could have shown people what he did and made him stop.”  

It was a fact that upset and divided much of the country, with some perceiving Betty Broderick as a cruel, cold-hearted murderer, others challenging, and some even understanding her mental abuse claims.

Key Takeaways

Linda Kolkena’s murder is one that has been discussed consistently over the years. It’s something about. The murder gained notoriety because of its sensational nature that involved a high-profile and messy divorce between her husband and his ex-wife, Betty Broderick.

Betty Broderick now serves her life sentence at the California Institute for Women. She’ll be eligible for parole in 12 years. She’ll be 84 years old. 

The tragic murder of Linda Kolkena remains etched in public memory. It is a somber reminder of how complexities in relationships can sometimes cause devastating consequences.