Betty Broderick's Cause of Death Confirmed: Accidental Death After Health Struggles

Convicted murderer Betty Broderick died in prison on May 8 while serving her life sentence for the 1989 murders of her ex-husband and his new wife.

Now, authorities have confirmed an official cause of death for Broderick, ruling that she died accidentally.

The breakdown on Broderick

After Broderick died last month, her son Daniel told TMZ his mother had been dealing with "a number of septic infections," including one from years earlier that resurfaced. She had also suffered broken ribs in a fall at the Californian Institute for Women and was in the ICU at a Chino hospital on life support for a couple of days before passing away.

Another son, Rhett, told The San Diego Union-Tribuneat the time that his mother died with her family at her side.

"She passed away from natural causes with three of her children at her bedside, and the other was FaceTiming," he said. "We were all able to come and be with her."

On Wednesday, TMZ reported that an autopsy from the San Bernardino County Coroner determined foul play was not involved in Broderick's death.

An infamous case

After he first trial ended in a hung jury, Broderick, 78, was convicted in 1991 of two counts of second-degree murder for the revenge killings of her ex-husband Dan and his new wife, Linda Kolkena, two years earlier.

Broderick did not deny committing the murders but her lawyers claimed she was driven to act by years of abuse at the hands of her husband. The mother of five was later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.

Broderick, whose crimes have been retold countless times in pop culture across a number of mediums, was first denied parole in 2010 and later again in 2017.

Had she lived, she would have been eligible to try again in January 2032 at the age of 84.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 10:36 PM.