Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Betty Broderick is?
Aside from a few part-time jobs, most of Betty Broderick’s fortune came from inheritance and the story of her conviction. Her incarceration affected her net worth drastically.
As of May 2023, Betty Broderick has a net worth of $0. How, might you ask? This article will give you the answers.
Table of Contents
Early Life
Elisabeth Anne Bisceglia—later known as Betty Broderick—was born on November 7th, 1947, in Eastchester, Bronxville, New York. Her Italian father, Frank Bisceglia, and Irish-American mother, Marita Bisceglia, were owners of a plastering business.
She had a decent, primarily Catholic upbringing. After attending Eastchester High School, she went to the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx for a degree in early childhood education and a minor in English.
She then went on to pursue further studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. This is where she met her husband—and later, murder victim—Dan Broderick.
Marriage and Family
Daniel Broderick III was the eldest son of a Catholic family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Betty in 1969, and they conceived their first child, Kim Broderick, in 1970.
In the following years, Betty gave birth to three more children: Lee, Daniel, and Rhett Broderick.
After getting a medical degree, Dan attended Harvard Law School. He then went on to practice law for a firm in San Diego, where the entire family moved. The honeymoon stages of their relationship ended pretty quickly.
In 1983, Betty had begun suspecting that Dan was having an affair with his legal assistant, Linda Kolkena. He denied the affair altogether but moved out of their house two years later. After 16 years of marriage, he filed for a divorce in 1985.
One of the worst divorce cases in San Diego County soon followed. Dan eventually won custody over all of their children, and the divorce was finalized in 1989.
Murder
Prior to the murders, Betty had claimed that Dan used his influence to tip everything in his favor: the custody battle, the divorce, their house, and even her share of his income.
Aside from flooding his answering machine with profanity and other foul messages, she went as far as ramming her own car into Dan’s house and spray-painting its interiors.
In response, Dan had her arrested and jailed. He also got restraining orders and even withheld support payments to her.
The Murder of the Broderick Couple and Betty’s Arrest
On the morning of November 5, 1989, seven months after Dan and Linda Broderick’s wedding, Betty entered their home. According to investigators of the case, she used a spare key from one of her daughters with Dan.
She used her .38-caliber revolver on the sleeping couple. Later, Betty surrendered to the police and confessed to the murder of her ex-husband.
She claimed that Dan wanted to control her and she was only acting out of self-defense.
Betty Broderick Net Worth 2023
As of May 2023, Betty Broderick has a net worth of $0. However, a lot of sources report a variety of numbers, too.
Unlike a lot of actors and social media influencers, Betty Broderick’s net worth is a bit harder to pinpoint. Some reports that Betty Broderick has a $200,000 net worth, while other sources have it as high as 1-2 million.
Part-time Jobs
Betty juggled a few part-time jobs, such as selling Avon and Tupperware products. She also worked as a teacher and babysitter.
Betty earned money as a stay-at-home mom and was the sole provider when her husband was working on his law degree.
Her part-time jobs continued even after Dan moved their family to San Diego. She could only work part-time because she was still taking care of their children.
However, Dan soon became one of the celebrities in local legal circles due to his educational background and cunning personality, hence why Betty never had to financially provide further.
Inheritance
Most of Betty’s money, prior to selling her story to the media, was from an inheritance from her family’s plastering business.
After Dan and Linda Broderick’s death, only Dan and Betty’s children—save one of their daughters—inherited his money and properties.
Alimony
Betty was paid $16,000 per month after the divorce.
She actually requested almost double that amount during the hearings, while Dan wanted to give her around $7,000 only.
TV Shows, Movies, and Memoirs
Betty Broderick’s case quickly gained a lot of traction and media attention. It first appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 1990 and was followed by several TV movie dramatizations, such as episodes in Dirty John and The Betty Broderick Story.
Betty also appeared in several TV shows and was interviewed by publications like Ladies Home Journal.
Incarceration
One of the biggest reasons behind her net worth amounting to virtually nothing of monetary value is her incarceration. The jury found Betty guilty of two counts of second-degree murder.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Betty Broderick Close to Her Children?
Kim Broderick, the eldest of all Betty and Dan’s children, wrote a book that talked about the children’s relationship with their mother.
According to Kim, they’ve agreed to disagree. Lee and Rhett vouched for their mother’s release during her 2010 parole hearing, while Kim and Daniel Jr. were adamant that their mother needed to serve more time.
How Old Was Betty Broderick When She Shot Her Husband?
Betty was 41 years old when she shot her ex-husband, Dan.
He was 44 years old, while his new wife, Linda, was 24 when they both died at the hands of Betty.
Key Takeaways
Actions Have Consequences
Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from Betty’s life is that while we have the freedom to choose our actions, we don’t have the same liberty when it comes to consequences.
Dan’s infidelity led to a rocky relationship with his children, a hostile divorce, and an untimely death. Betty’s anger had driven her to commit crimes, and she’s now serving her time behind bars.
Prioritize Your Mental Health
After news of the murders broke out, some people—even some of the Broderick children—confessed that they weren’t surprised. They were well aware of Betty’s rage towards her husband.
Her behavior, however, wasn’t unexplained. Aside from it stemming from the events of their marriage, a psychiatrist testified that she might have suffered from dual-personality disorders.
Betty’s story is a reminder that we should always keep our mental health in check and surround ourselves with people that we can talk to during hard times, so emotions don’t get bottled up inside.