San Diego
The prosecution rested its murder case Tuesday against Elisabeth Anne (Betty) Broderick as jurors were allowed to examine the murder weapon.
After nine court days over three weeks, the prosecution’s last witness was a criminalist who discussed gun residue, weather conditions the day of the homicides, blood and a bullet hole through the sheets in the bed where Daniel and Linda Broderick were shot to death on Nov. 5, 1989.
Jurors were given the murder weapon to examine briefly and San Diego Superior Court Judge Thomas Whelan told them they could dry-fire the empty gun if they wished.
A stipulation between the prosecution and defense was read into the record that Elisabeth Broderick had purchased the gun sometime before the slayings.
Broderick’s attorney, Jack Earley, presented as his first defense witness a neighbor of Daniel Broderick, a prominent medical malpractice attorney. William McCauley testified that he heard “five gunshots” in succession about 5:30 a.m.
Earley asked him to describe the shooting sounds. McCauley said they happened “one after another.”
Whelan told the jury that the defense was unable to get enough witnesses subpoenaed for Wednesday, so the jury was told to return to court Thursday for further defense testimony.
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