With Dirty John Season Two; The Betty Broderick Story coming out in a few days I wanted to look into the astrology of Dan and Betty Broderick. A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story was released on Lifetime back in 1992 and I have no doubt it is one of the most watched Lifetime movies of all time.
I would like to preface this post by stating while I do not condone or agree with the actions she ultimately took I firmly believe Betty Broderick was a victim of Narcissistic Abuse.
While we do not have a time of birth for Betty we still can gather quite a bit of information. Her Sun is placed in the intense sign of Scorpio and receives a number of harsh aspects from other planets. Her Sun is squared by Mars, Saturn, and Pluto and makes a conjunction to Chiron. The Sun itself in Scorpio can bring up life themes surrounding death, finances and control this is only enhanced by the square it receives from Pluto. Power and control struggles with men are VERY likely with this combination. Meaning she either gives her power away or struggles to maintain it while someone holds power over her. The Sun square Mars can suggest she is unaware of how to harness her anger and/or it can be misdirected. Sun/Chiron is a heavy placement to carry it can suggest a wound surrounding the Father figure or inherited through the paternal line; it suggests an inner emptiness and feeling like some how you are never enough. Lastly her Sun receives a square from Saturn suggesting she is hard on herself and likely attracted men that were colder, accomplished but not necessarily warm and affectionate. Her father was likely this way and this theme was repeated when she selected a partner. Sun square Saturn can suffer from an inner unworthiness and a lot of times gain a high level of success because they are continuously looking to outer achievements to prove they are truly worthy. As a side note her Venus conjoins Jupiter which can suggest affluence and benefiting financially from married life.
Dan Broderick was either a very late Scorpio Sun or was early Sagittarius; on the day of his birth the Sun changed signs and based on his biographical information it can go either way IMO. The Moon never changed signs on that day and was placed in Aquarius. The Moon in Aquarius certainly does not suggest warmth and the emotional template can run hot and cold. He has Venus opposite Saturn which is VERY common in the charts of those that are very successful. Often these men put their profession ahead of their personal life. This is the man that often marries out of practicality, a man that has fear surrounding intimacy; it can also suggest a 7 year age difference between himself and his mate and can indicate marrying someone he meets at work. Dan’s 2nd wife Linda was much younger and she was his secretary. Dan’s Venus is squared by Chiron which suggests he has some deep seated wounds regarding love and relationships. This aspect enhances his Saturn opposite Venus; perhaps believing that love is hard or that love is pain.
Dan and Bettys Synastry
It is quite likely that Dan’s Uranus squared Betty’s Moon-I wrote more about that aspect here.
This aspect is emotionally upsetting to the Moon person as the Uranus individual is often seen as erratic and emotionally unreliable. The Uranus person may do whatever they want to do without considering the needs of the Moon person or at least that is how it is viewed from the Moon person’s perspective. It ranks in my top 3 least favorite synastry aspects.
Betty’s Mars opposed Dan’s Moon; this aspect can have a sexual component to it but over time the Mars person can really stir up volatile emotions in the Moon person. I bet Betty could really press Dan’s bottoms so to speak.
They also have Mars square Mars this can suggest a clash of wills, they both want what they want. This aspect can have a lot of ego involvement if the two are not willing to compromise.
Betty’s Venus and Jupiter conjoined Dan’s Sun and Mars. When we read Betty built her life around Dan that is the truth. This suggests she supported him and saw the best in him. This is such a beautiful aspect; the Jupiter person is however in danger of taking on the role of over giving and wanting to do whatever it takes to please the Sun person. I can certainly see how overtime the Jupiter person can begin to resent this.
Betty Broderick put Dan though Medical and Law School
I believe these aspects are what did her in; years of giving that lead to a deep seated resentment combined with her Neptune squaring Dan’s Venus. This placement is notorious for self sacrifice and seeing the best in another even when it isn’t present.
I cannot say if I saw this synastry from a client I would tell them to run for their life. I would have told Phil and Brynn Hartman that. But I honestly do not feel that way looking at Dan and Betty’s. I do think Dan was a cold person and that Betty grew resentful for having built her world around him. It was her choice; she chooses to do this I am not denying that I am simply making an observation.
The Night of the Murder
Saturn conjunct Venus in Dan’s Chart
All of 1989 Saturn had been conjoining Dan’s natal Venus. We usually see prominent Venus transits during a marriage or divorce. Neptune was also conjunct his Venus and Uranus was in close proximity as well. This suggests a lot was going on regarding the women in his life. I have to say from an Astrological standpoint Saturn does rule Karma and when it transits Venus a debt is repaid in the relationship department.
Pluto conjunct Betty’s Sun
Pluto was exactly conjunct Betty’s Sun. I want to stress while Pluto is associated with death it does not always manifest in this manner. The thing is Betty already has a Scorpio Sun and in her natal chart & Pluto squares it; this is a very intense energy surrounding power and control issues throughout life. I do believe she suffered deeply from Dan’s lies, manipulation, gaslighting and ultimate discard. I am not negating that however when Pluto conjoined her Sun it enhanced those natal themes she had not worked through. This was her way of reclaiming her power. Pluto uproots things so this may have uprooted her entire life. With her entire identity being tied to Dan she likely felt life was not worth living. Betty is a person that has a fragile ego structure; we can see that with all the harsh aspects her Sun receives from Saturn, Pluto and Chiron. If we never learn to tend to our inner world when our outer life falls apart so do we.
