SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Court TV) — One of California’s most notorious killers has died, 25 years after the trial that sent her to prison.
Betty Broderick is seen in court at her murder trial. (Court TV)
Elizabeth “Betty” Broderick died on May 8 at age 78, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) confirmed to Court TV. The initial cause of death was ruled as natural; the coroner will ultimately determine her official cause of death.
Betty Broderick was sentenced to life in prison after she was convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his new wife.
Court TV’s Trial Archives: CA v. Betty Broderick | A Woman Scorned (1991)
At Broderick’s trial, prosecutors argued that she was upset that her husband, Daniel Broderick, had left her for a younger woman. The defendant, once described as a socialite who appeared to have a perfect life, took the stand in her own defense and told the jury that the couple’s high-profile and contentious divorce proceedings caused her to snap.
A CDCR spokesperson said that Betty Broderick was transferred from the California Institution for Women to an outside facility for a “higher level of care” on April 18.
In a statement to TMZ, Betty Broderick’s son, Daniel Broderick, said that his mother suffered a series of septic infections as well as a serious fall that broke multiple ribs. He told the outlet that she was on life support by the time of her death and that he was with his siblings at her bedside when she died.
