Double murderer Betty Broderick dies at Chino hospital

[haele]

3. He was an abusive gaslighter. No excuse, but there was a lot of cruelty and she snapped.

I knew people who knew him and both Betty and Linda. Betty was "beneath him'; he married her when they were at University and she quit her classes and worked while he got his Law Degree and started in practice, then quit everything to be his hostess wife. She was always nervous and anxious being his "hostess", but she managed to pull off the events and make a presentable family picture for his political ambitions.
One thing my friend mentioned is that Dan used to talk down about and at her in public often complain she was too clingy and crazy.
He took up with the much younger Linda, his paralegal, when Betty got "too fat" and started looking dumpy after the kids were pretty much grown. When they got divorced he kicked her out of the.family house with basically nothing but the clothes on her back; Linda later was seen wearing some the jewelry Betty had worn. Since Dan was a well known lawyer with political aspirations, Betty couldn't get a decent family lawyer and ended up with basically enough money to live in a cheap apartment for a year and no alimony.
My friend felt sorry for her, and, while shocked it happened, basically shrugged when she shot them.
Betty had some serious mental issues - but Dan, and Linda, were also rather ambitious people who had no time to be gracious if it wasn't worth their while.