Episode 2: You could look at the story of the Brodericks as one beginning and ending in two marital beds. In 1969, it was Betty and Dan’s honeymoon bed. In 1989, it was Dan’s bed with Linda Kolkena, his new wife of not quite seven months. Betty — displaced, dispossessed Betty and her five-shot nickel-plated Smith & Wesson — saw to it that they would never live to share that bed again. In the second episode of our podcast, we chart the saga of betrayal, separation, divorce and murder.

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These were murders that would turn any town on its head, but La Jolla, Calif? That rich jewel by the sea? Thirty years ago, a man and his new wife were murdered in their bed. That’s a long time for a double homicide to stay in the public eye and imagination, but these were no ordinary murders. The killer was the man’s first wife, Betty Broderick. Betty and Dan Broderick had looked like the perfect couple, right up until they weren’t. After four children and nearly 15 years of marriage, after the riches they both worked for were finally within reach, he walked out and began having an affair with his assistant. But divorce ended the Brodericks’ marriage only on paper. “Till death do you part” turned out to be the way it would ultimately end: bitter, savage and fatal. It took two criminal trials to send Betty Broderick to prison, and we’ll hear not only from her divorce attorney, but also from the criminal defense attorney who argued for her in two murder trials, plus the foreman of the jury that convicted her. So many things burned this case into memory: The principals were rich. The jealous killer was, for a change, the woman, not the man. It’s been the subject of TV movies and books. It’s resonated with two generations of Americans -- deserted wives, unhappy husbands. And it’s raised some questions about how divorce laws may contribute to what’s called the feminization of poverty. All of these issues remain critical and controversial in contemporary America today. Thirty years after five bullets, two coffins and one California prison inmate No. W42477, why can’t we look away from Betty Broderick?

TV & Film

History

Society & Culture

True crime

Reporting dire news out of America and at home, Russian news anchor Viktor Antonov attempts to guide his audience through what may be the beginning of the end. Everywhere is a battlefield.

‘SIGN OFF’ is a branded podcast from LA Times Studios paid for by Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment in support of the film ‘I.S.S.’ only in theaters January 19th.

Moscow

Following a wave of cyber attacks against the U.S., news anchor Maria Mason finds herself at the center of an escalating crisis where the International Space Station emerges as a strategic foothold.

‘SIGN OFF’ is a scripted, branded podcast from LA Times Studios paid for by Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment in support of the film ‘I.S.S.’ only in theaters January 19th.

Minot

"Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing a preview of the first episode with you here today. 

In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she had grown up in an insular Romani community in California, where she was raised to be a wife, mother and fortuneteller — until she decided to break away. That first call unraveled a story spanning multiple continents, hundreds of years, and complex metaphysical realities. 

 Follow "Foretold" to hear new episodes every Tuesday.

Introducing 'Foretold'

Border City is a new L.A. Times Presents podcast from the San Diego Union-Tribune. It's a story about beauty, violence and belonging in Tijuana. Enjoy this sneak peek, and be sure to listen and follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

Introducing Border City

Season 1 of “Binge Sesh” pulls back the curtain on HBO’s “Winning Time” series about the L.A. Lakers of the 1980s, one of the sports’ most unforgettable dynasties. Enjoy this sneak peek, and be sure to listen and follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bed, Wed and Dead | 2

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