Slain Lawyer Amended Will to Leave Out 1 Daughter

Slain malpractice lawyer Daniel T. Broderick III disinherited his second-oldest daughter and left his entire estate to his other three children, according to the terms of his will on file in Family Court.

The will, originally dated Feb. 18, 1986, was amended on Aug. 9, 1988, to include this phrase: “I specifically make no provision in this will for my daughter, Lee Gordon Broderick.”

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Lee Broderick, 18, said, “He had told me before that he was going to write me out, but I didn’t think he would. But he did.”

Daniel Broderick, 44, and his second wife, Linda Kolkena Broderick, 28, were found dead in the master bedroom of their Hillcrest home Nov. 5. That same day, Elisabeth Broderick, Daniel’s first wife, was booked on suspicion of murder. Elisabeth, 42, is scheduled to be arraigned today.

The original will, written after Daniel Broderick had filed for divorce from Elisabeth, was witnessed by Linda Kolkena. In it, he provided for Elisabeth to collect her interest in their community property “without probate administration or court order.” The rest of his belongings, however, were to be divided among all of his and Elisabeth’s children.

But two years later, after the divorce was official, he amended his will to exclude Lee Broderick, who now lives in Pacific Beach. The will contains no explanation for the change. The amendment, which listed Broderick as “unmarried,” also omitted all reference to Elisabeth.

According to a search warrant affidavit filed by police, Elisabeth Broderick went to Lee’s apartment the morning that Daniel and Linda were killed. She gave Lee her purse, in which police later found a .38-caliber revolver police believe was used in the shootings.

The will dictates that the Broderick estate be divided equally among the three other children, who will receive half of the principal of their trusts at age 25 and the remaining half at age 30. Larry Broderick, Daniel’s brother, is the executor of the estate.

A hearing to review the will has been scheduled for Nov. 27 in Family Court. Papers filed by Larry Broderick to request the hearing estimate the value of the estate at “over $60,000.”

Also on file in Family Court is a petition that names Larry Broderick of Englewood, Colo., guardian of the victim’s two sons, Daniel T. IV, 13, and Rhett, 10. The Brodericks’ oldest child, Kimberly Curtin Broderick, 19, is a college student in Arizona.