Court Records Say Broderick Planned Suicide : Crime: According to an affidavit, lawyer’s former wife was one bullet short after shooting ex-husband, bride to death in their Hillcrest home.

Elisabeth Broderick had planned to kill herself but was one bullet short after she emptied a five-shot revolver in her ex-husband’s bedroom, according to a court affidavit filed in the double slaying of lawyer-doctor Daniel T. Broderick III and his new wife, Linda.

San Diego police investigators’ reports also show that a Broderick family friend said Elisabeth was so obsessed about losing custody of her children after the divorce that she had “felt like killing Dan” as long as five years ago.

Elisabeth Broderick was booked Sunday on suspicion of two counts of murder after allegedly entering her ex-husband’s Hillcrest home earlier that morning and shooting him and his bride while they were sleeping.

Authorities said the killings came after a long, bitter divorce between Elisabeth and Daniel Broderick in which Elisabeth hated her ex-husband, tormented him and was obsessed over losing custody of their two boys and two girls.

The records, indicating that Elisabeth Broderick also had planned to take her own life, were submitted in Municipal Court on behalf of a warrant to search her La Jolla condominium in the 3100 block of Morning Way.

According to the affidavit, she telephoned friends Sunday shortly after the 5:30 a.m. killings.

“Betty was at a phone booth in Clairemont and said she had just shot Dan and Linda in bed at their home and that she intended to commit suicide,” the affidavit said. “She said she thought she had a bullet left but didn’t.”

The court records also indicated that Elisabeth Broderick said she had left a suicide note at her home on Calle del Cielo in La Jolla, but apparently no note was ever found.

However, police did recover an empty, five-shot revolver in her purse. They also found records relating to her protracted divorce from Daniel Broderick, a former San Diego County Bar Assn. president, in her kitchen and dining room. In her basement they found a family photo album and a book titled, “What’s a Nice Girl to Do?”

Helen Picard, told police that her close friend, Elisabeth Broderick, had a key to her ex-husband’s home on Cypress Avenue, the affidavit said.

Police also interviewed Kathy Broderick, one of the couple’s daughters.

“She said her mother was very distraught and told her that she had shot at her father inside his house,” the affidavit said. “She said that her mother didn’t know if she hit him or not.”

Police have said five shots were fired in the upstairs master bedroom of the large, Colonial-style home where Daniel and Linda Broderick, married in April, lived. Two bullets struck Linda, one hit Daniel and the remaining two struck a bedside table and the wall.

Authorities noted that Daniel and Elisabeth Broderick had been going to court for years over legal custody of their two pre-teen sons and two college-age daughters.

“When the girls reached 18, they left the household of Mr. Broderick, and apparently he had refused to pay for their college educations,” the court records said.

The divorce eventually resulted in Daniel Broderick paying his ex-wife $16,000 a month in spousal support, and Elisabeth was planning recently to go back to court to obtain custody of the children, the records showed.

“I think that is what did it,” Brian Forbes, a family friend, told police. “She wanted to have the kids but knew she couldn’t. When the kids were with her, she would buy them everything they wanted, just so they would want to live with her. I know the kids told Dan they wanted to live with their mom.”

But the investigative reports show that Robert Vaage, a business associate of Daniel Broderick’s, told police a different story, saying that Broderick was considering relinquishing custody of the younger children.

“Several days ago, he told me Betty was going to court and trying to get custody of the boys,” Vaage told police. “Dan wasn’t sure if he should fight her on that. The boys had told Dan they wanted to live with their mom.

“Dan stated if there was a doctor who would tell him the kids would be safe with Betty, he would not fight her.”

Vaage, in his interview with police, added:

“It was common knowledge Dan and Linda (the new wife) were thinking of starting a family of their own. This made Betty real upset because she figured Linda was getting everything.”

However, Forbes told police that the animosity ran much deeper than that.

“Even before the divorce, they had a lot of difficulties,” he said. “About five years ago, she told me she felt like killing Dan.

“I knew she bought a gun, a .357 magnum, about two years ago. I also knew she often went to the pistol range, there next to I-5, and practiced her shooting.”

“I knew this could happen,” he added about the double homicide. “But I just didn’t want to believe it.”

Elisabeth Broderick remains in County Jail at Las Colinas without bail.

A memorial service for Daniel and Linda Broderick is scheduled for 9 a.m. today at St. Joseph’s Cathedral downtown.