Is Betty Broderick nonetheless in jail?
She is. Although the the sequence took pains to discover either side – the unfairness of the authorized system, the ‘no fault’ divorce legislation which meant although Dan had left Betty for an additional lady she ended up very a lot on the uncooked finish of the settlement, and the petty management Dan tried to placed on Betty fining her from her alimony cost for utilizing dangerous language on telephone messages – in the end, none of those cruelties may be an excuse for homicide.
At trial her lawyer Jack Early introduced Betty as somebody pushed over the sting by Dan, and simply because the present portrays, the jury did deliberate onerous earlier than arriving at their responsible of second diploma homicide verdict, some saying on document that they’d anticipated her to get a reduce down sentence.
Nevertheless at sentencing in February 2002 Choose Whelan gave Betty the utmost penalty allowed below the legislation – 15 years to life, twice, plus two years for utilizing a gun. She’s been in jail because the day of the murders.
Why so harsh?
On the first trial there was a hung jury – two jurors needed the decision to be manslaughter and couldn’t attain a conclusion. On the second trial nonetheless, the jury managed to choose a verdict of responsible of second diploma homicide.
Sufferer impression statements from Linda’s household and Dan’s brother have been made on the sentencing and all ears have been on what sentence Choose Whelan would give and whether or not he would order Betty to serve them consecutively, or concurrently.
