‘TIL MURDER
DIRTY JOHN SEASON 2
THE STORY OF HUSBAND KILLER BETTY BRODERICK IS TOLD IN
Betty and Daniel Broderick III had a seemingly storybook marriage with an expensive house and four children living in the posh coastal town of La Jolla in San Diego.
In the early 1980s, Daniel
– a well-paid malpractice lawyer – and stay-at-home mum Betty were somewhat local celebrities in their social circles and would regularly attend lavish parties with the upper echelon of La Jolla.
But this façade of perfection was shattered in 1983 when Betty, then aged 42, suspected her husband was having an affair with his 21-year-old office assistant, Linda Kolkena.
Dan strenuously denied having an extramarital affair. However, in 1985, he filed for divorce from Betty and moved out of their home.
The couple’s marriage breakdown should have remained faded ink on a long-since retired divorce lawyer’s files – but it was soon dubbed ‘America’s Messiest Divorce’ after a five-year battle between estranged spouses.
Jilted ex-wife Betty began a campaign of harassment against her former husband, including spraying graffiti inside their home, ramming her car through Dan’s new property and leaving obscene, threatening messages on his answering machines.
Dan’s legal prowess meant he won full custody of their children and avoided paying her owed alimony. This angered Betty and more than once she told her kids she would kill their father.
It didn’t help that Dan went on to marry Linda, his young assistant, either.
The final straw for Betty came on November 3, 1989, when she was delivered another stack of legal papers
Dirty John Season 2.
Australia has more than 25 million people roaming its sunburnt soil, with that population growing every single minute.
But each year, a staggering 38,000 of us disappear without a trace. While most are luckily found after it is reported to the police, 2,600 remain as ‘longterm’ missing people.
These invisible Australians leave behind a trail of broken hearts, shattered families and unanswered questions.
This month, during National Missing Persons Week 2020, Australian Federal Police launched a new initiative named ‘I’ll see you later’, to highlight the pain and grief felt by a missing person’s loved ones in the wake of their disappearance.
“In telling the stories of these missing people via social media, outdoor advertising spaces and traditional media, we hope to draw out new leads and piece together these sad and enduring puzzles,” National Missing Persons Coordination Centre coordinator Jodie Mcewan said.
“The short videos illustrate these are real people, with hobbies and dreams, who continue to live in the memories of those left behind. They are more than just statistics or photos on a missing persons poster.
“We hope the community connects with these stories and if you have any piece of information – no matter how small – please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”
One missing person the AFP has put a spotlight on this year is Queenslander Peter English. The 38-year-old was travelling through outback Queensland and Northern Territory on February 12, 2019, when he suddenly stopped making contact with him family back home in Maryborough. A father of two young children, Peter was struggling with a marriage breakdown and the loss of his job when he embarked on a road trip and disappeared into the dust of the outback.
Speaking with New Idea, Peter’s heartbroken parents, Gary and Marlene English, say they desperate for answers and are still holding onto hope their
“WHEN THE PHONE RINGS I ALWAYS HOPE IT’S HIM … I WANT HIM TO WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR”
son is out there somewhere.
“It might have all been a bit much for him and he’s decided to have a new start somewhere; I’m picturing him out working on a cattle property or something like that,” Peter’s father Gary says