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Conviction November 5, 1989 Multiple Homicide

Dan Broderick

Status Conviction
Type Multiple Homicide
Date November 5, 1989
Location La Jolla, California
Victim Age Unknown
Gender Multiple

Betty Broderick shot and killed her ex-husband attorney Dan Broderick and his new wife Linda in La Jolla. The divorce had been bitter and acrimonious. Betty was convicted and sentenced to 32 years to life. The case became famous through TV movies and a Netflix series.

Dan Broderick is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a multiple-homicide case in La Jolla, California. The events are dated to November 5, 1989. The case involves more than one victim. The last known information on record places the case at November 5, 1989, their home in La Jolla, CA.

Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Dan Broderick is filed under Multiple Homicide with a status of Conviction. A multiple-homicide entry documents an incident involving more than one victim. The record is cross-referenced under the themes homicide, California, domestic, conviction, Desperate Housewives inspiration, which connect it to related cases across the database.

The Dan Broderick case ended in a criminal conviction. It is retained in this index as a historically significant case — one whose investigation, prosecution, or aftermath shaped forensic practice, criminal law, or the public understanding of violent crime.

Primary jurisdiction for the Dan Broderick case rests with local law enforcement in La Jolla, supported by California state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.

homicide California domestic conviction Desperate Housewives inspiration
Last Known Information
November 5, 1989, their home in La Jolla, CA
Date of Incident
November 5, 1989
Current Status
Conviction

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