Betty Broderick also a victim

I'm by the way....with question.....Have you ever had a bad day(S)? If so, how would you handle it?

Yes, this women was pushed beyond what her mind could accept any longer, this mans hateful treatment of her. He was a full blown sociopath. He knew he was married. He had children, he knew that. What was the problem, her? Please, this women was pushed to an extreme crulity beyond what she could enture. It was torture. He did mental turtore for a very long period of time. He acted with vicousness to her.

I agree that Dan abused Betty to the point that she was unable to think clearly. Is he a sociopath? I don't know. I don't think that Dan ever felt obligated to his children - other than financially. Obviously, he felt no obligations (financially or emotionally) to the mother of his four children
If not a sociopath, he was a very selfish man. If he and Linda had lived long enough to have children of their own, I feel that the 'passion' would have soon left their marriage. I doubt that Dan would have felt obligated to Linda or their kids...I think Linda would have been treated pretty much the way he treated Betty.

It is not uncommon for parents - usually the father, but often the mother, to put their needs before their children's.

Regarding the emotional torture: It became amusing to both Dan and Linda to see how Betty reacted to Dan's maneuvering an extremely unfair divorce settlement...how Betty dealt with Dan's bullying. ...etc., etc., etc.)

Why didn't he just leave? Why didn't he leave that house, before he destroyed her?

There are several reasons why Dan didn't "just leave"...#1 - He didn't "just" leave, because he did not want to lose the financial reward for "his" (not "theirs") home. #2 - He was hoping that Betty's mental problems would escalate to the point that she would take her own life. IMO, that would have been Dan's #1 wish. Then, he would have everything - the home, the money, and the young trophy wife.

Yes, this women was pushed beyond what her mind could accept any longer, this mans hateful treatment of her. He was a full blown sociopath. He knew he was married. He had children, he knew that. What was the problem, her? Please, this women was pushed to an extreme crulity beyond what she could enture. It was torture. He did mental turtore for a very long period of time. He acted with vicousness to her. Why didn't he just leave? Why didn't he leave that house, before he destroyed her? Now he's dead. Yes, she must pay for her actions. I say let her out in 10. He called for his death, as in death wish. He just didn't think she would do it. He was a very evil man. He turned her into an evil women. No one wins. Now, what happens to the kids? He didn't care. She was mentally gone,becasue he chased her to insanity.Evil is what he did. I don't care if he was a christain, he was an evil one. He made her a murderer. Isn't that how serial killers are made?

She was all of thee above. She need to go and get help. I do not feel sorry for her.

I have to agree with this I am myself a survivor of Domestic Abuse as well as Rape. SO yes Betty is a victim herself. She should not have been done the way she was. This was no t fair to her.

It seems that many of us who have experienced physical or emotional abuse feel more compassionate toward Betty.

You have experienced abuse first hand; I - second hand (I counsel abused women.).

Betty was treated very unfairly (financially) and tortured emotionally by Dan, the tyrant.

--
Edited by Anjie at 10/14/2006 3:25 PM

I think what is interesting in the world is that each person has a different perception of the events that lead up to the murder of a person or persons.. which of course is the right of all of us..

If the made for tv movie is even half right it is very evident that she was a narcissist who always felt that she could say or do what ever she wanted because Dan had all of the power.. which he didn't is absurd.. Here is a man who was unhappy in his marriage and chose a horrible way to break up with his wife. He had an affair and then came home and said he wanted out. But from what I could tell Betty was very demanding and braisin and cruel to a fault. In every relationship all of us know you have to work on making it work by listening to each other and trying to work it out and they lost sight of that like most people in an unhappy marriage do.
Even with all of the things that went on throughout the divorce with her leaving messages and vandalism he still tried to work it out with her because of the fact that she was there when they started out with nothing and also because she was the mother of his children.
He did have an affair and left her for a younger woman and that had to be very hurtful and humiliating but it doesn't give her the right to bombard them with vulgar phone messages and letters!! and also to make threats against Dan and Linda to anyone who would listen including her children. She was blinded by hatred of what he did that he destroyed everyone she claimed to love.
I know there are two sides to every story but here is what still gets to me the scene where one of her sons talks about how Betty told him she was going to kill Dan when he got there and the little boy ran out of the house to get in his car to make sure he could prevent her from doing so. And the worst part is when he looked back she was standing there watching and smiling. So even her children knew that it was only a matter of time before Betty would kill Dan and Linda because she couldn't stop herself from talking about it..Also another thing that in my mind proves that she has no remorse for what she did is the recording of the conversation they have between her and her son once he picked up the phone while she was leaving a voice message where he asks her to stop talking the way she was because it made him feel funny and embarrassed her.. HER words to him was there are worse things to be embarrassed about daddy left your mommy for a child. That is a woman who doesn't care enough about her child to try and chance her behavior. She didn't care about their welfare or the fact that they would be crushed by the death of their dad. Also with all of the bragging of her actions and her attempts to everyone to see her as a victim. She was no victim she was a bully who would lash out if you didn't do what she expected of you. She reminds me of the girl who walks around telling the other girls when they can be friends with people!!
Saying she is the victim only holds up to a certain point.. Yes she was humiliated and hurt by the betrayal of the affair but this is not a green light to kill your spouse or his new wife.. And she said she was going to go there and make Dan listen and if he didn't kill herself! I think that if that were true why didn't she even talk to them before the shooting started. She claims the letter that his lawyer sent pushed her over the edge!! well she had been calling and sending letters with horrible things and he wanted to give her time to stop.. Which of course she thought was taking away her power.. A mature adult wouldn't keep things going by acting like a child.
And it is very important to remember that she had all of the luxuries that any woman would want in facing a divorce and even after the divorce. She was given more than what most of us would get in this situation and it was never going to be enough. She wanted to hurt him and in the process she hurt her children which she couldn't care less.
Also through out the time of going through the divorce and the new marriage she had an opportunity to get therapy to help her deal with the anger and frustration she had in regards to the ultimate betrayal. Betty needs to take responsibility for her actions before, during and after the demise of her marriage as does Dan and Linda. But they can't do so since they are no longer living. Don't get me wrong I don't think they are saints, but what they did happens every day and she had no right to play God and take their lives. She had choices she could of made to prevent this from happening and she chose to cause problems from day one by claiming she was a victim of the strong lawyer. She knew what was going to happen that night.. she was very calculating by stealing her daughters keys and letting herself into the house.. She chose to do what she did and just expected the world to say oh you poor thing who can blame you for what you did. And a lot of women did say that but it not ok to lash out like that when we get hurt.. it destroys lives no matter what the situation is and Dan showed lack of judgement by having an affair and leaving Betty.. But he wanted to do right by Betty even after her had the affair and left her. I would of been able to understand if she had picked herself up and dust herself off and he kept gunning for her.. but that isn't what was going on according to her children. She should of just moved on and given her children better coping skills in life instead of going out and killing their father and expecting them to be loyal and not be hurt and betrayed by her. Her children were destroyed by the loss of Dan but Betty thought they should just understand that she had to do it and stand by her no matter what. She doesn't even want to talk to her oldest daughter because she told the truth about life with mom and dad. So if they can't believe that she was a victim who had to kill Dan and Linda to gain freedom than why would you?
I don't deny he probably had an advantage because of his law degree and law practice.. But it appears that he was more than generous with financial support even after she started her campaign of assaults against him. Here is a man that gave her a $650,000 house, more that one car and lots of money to shop on line and in the mall she didn't want for anything it seems. I think it is important to look at the fact that all Betty cared about the money and being seen as the victim and winning the big fight. When she wasn't able to gain the upper hand she took out the competition.
What about her conduct in the jail.. she was so proud of the fact that people were cheering for her on and sending letters in support of her that she got unruly and arrogant and started breaking the rules that all inmates are expected to follow.
She probably still feels to this day that she was justified in going into the house and shooting them and I believe that she would do it again if she was crossed by someone. She has no concept of right when it comes to people not doing exactly what she wants.
And to say that there is always a reason for a murder.. you must not be thinking about serial killers whose main reason is because they get a jolt or a high off of it. And there is never a good reason to kill someone and it would take a person who isn't rational or is so self absorbed that they can't see that there thoughts are skewed to see that they are wrong. Self entitlement is not a good reason to murder someone. She is a cold blooded killer who would do it again. I would ask you to remember that there isn't always a redeeming quality in someone.. but again you have a right to feel the way you want.

i do not think she was a victim. she needs severe mental help. the fact that she couldnt accept the fact that her husband didn't love her anymore is not a reason for murder. also she says she was going to commit suicide that is bullcrap. she just wanted attention and to get away with murder.