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Further reading for Betty Broderick/ Heaven’s Gate

Hell Hath No Fury: A True Story of Wealth and Passion, Love and Envy, and a Woman Driven to the Ultimate Revenge

Within Heaven’s Gates (Originally Entitled Intra Muros)

Betty Broderick was born and grew up in Bronxville, New York, the third of six children born to super Roman Catholic parents. Her parents were strict and old school in their belief systems in a way that Betty recalls being trained to be a house wife from an early age and it was expected that she go to a Catholic school, find herself a good Catholic man, get married support him while he works and raise good Catholic children.

I was in 1965 that Betty met her future husband Dan, he was the eldest son of a large Irish Catholic family, they married in 1969 and Betty came back from the honeymoon pregnant with their first (of four) child.

After this babies birth, Dan complete his M.D. degree and announced that he wanted to combine his medical knowledge with his law degree and enrolled in Harvard. At this time Betty was the main provider and full time mother for the family while Dan was a full time student, and when Dan was hired full time by a law firm Betty continued to work part time, often selling Avon or Tupperware while she was a full time stay at home mom.

Thing changed in Oct of 1983, Betty began to suspect that Dan was having and affair with his boss Linda Kolkena. Although Dan denied it, they still separated Dan taking custody of the kids and a long and extremely messy divorce ensued. By this time Dan had become a big time, big deal lawyer and Betty claimed he made it difficult for her to find a lawyer as he had them all in his back pocket and as the divorce became finalized and Betty was losing everything she had worked for she became more violent and unhinged.

Dan then married Linda Kolkena. About 8 months after, Betty drove to their house used a key she had stolen from her daughter, entered their house and while the couple slept she shot and killed them both.

Betty’s story was so sensationalized and popular that it led to made for tv movies and at least four books. Her story was also told through and episode of Law and Order as well as Dirty John.

One of the best cult stories ever,

Heaven’s Gate was a UFO based religious cult based in an area near California. Founded in 1974 and led by Marshall Applewhite the group committed mass suicide in order to reach what they believed was an Alien spacecraft that was following the comet Hale-Bopp. They believed that the end of the earth was coming and they would be taken up into this spacecraft and brought to a different level of life.

Episode 103

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