Being married to a police detective should have made Amanda Broderick feel safe and protected but her family had to watch the devoted mum slowly lose her confidence over 15 years.
Amanda, 35, had a daughter from a previous relationship when she met Stephen Broderick. He adopted Alyssa and he and Amanda went on to have a son together.
Broderick was a Travis County Sheriff’s detective and they lived in Elgin, Texas. But he was controlling and ruled their home.
While Amanda was unhappy, she couldn’t see a way out of her marriage, so she focused on her work as a nurse and gave everything to being a mum. She was always the shoulder for others and was a familiar face on the sideline at school sport events, cheering on her kids.
In 2020, Alyssa was 16 and excelling at school. She was a standout star on the basketball team and had dreams of going pro in the WNBA. She was dating a student who was also showing huge potential. Willie Simmons III was captain of the Elgin High School football team and had been recruited to play at the University of North Texas. The couple had an exciting future.
But on 3 June, Amanda’s world came crashing down when Alyssa came to her with the shocking allegation that her adoptive stepfather had sexually assaulted her that day.
Amanda rushed her daughter to hospital, where she had a sexual assault examination. It revealed Alyssa had suffered physical trauma – and there was DNA evidence. Amanda and her daughter filed a police report.
Broderick had committed the ultimate betrayal of trust and Amanda filed for divorce. She took the children and moved house – and Alyssa had to leave the school where she’d been flourishing.
Broderick was arrested and indicted on 12 counts of physical and sexual abuse. He was put on administrative leave and eventually lost his job.
Amanda told the authorities that she was worried her estranged husband was a risk to her and her daughter. Broderick spent 16 days in jail before posting $50,000 bail.
It was Alyssa’s worst nightmare and she pleaded to a judge to keep him in prison.
“I’m afraid that to him, a protective order will be just a piece of paper,” she said. “I’m worried that he’ll come after my family and try to take my brother. I’m afraid he might hurt me or my mum for coming forward.”
She said the abuse had been going on a long time.
A protective order was put in place and Broderick was told not to go within 200ft of Alyssa. He was also ordered to wear a GPS tracking device.
But Broderick continued to harass Amanda. He accused her of attempting a “cash grab” and sent her sexually explicit images. Amanda pointed out that Broderick had military experience and was SWAT-trained. “If he wanted to hurt someone, he would know how,” she said.
Broderick was ordered not to contact her and to surrender all firearms, and his bail was raised to $75,000. Still, he remained free.
Then, after five months wearing a tracker, despite the case still pending, a judge agreed it could be removed because Broderick had not committed any “substantial violations”.
Although Amanda was still dealing with the fallout of her marriage, her loved ones could see positive changes. She was happier and was taking holidays with her kids. She was learning new skills and was proud she’d changed a tyre and even learned how to take selfies – she was having fun.
But although Amanda was trying to move on, a court agreement required her to maintain contact between Broderick and their son. There had to be a meet-up once a month.
On 18 April 2021, Amanda’s son was two days off his 10th birthday. It was a Sunday morning and Broderick had a supervised visit scheduled.
The protocol was that Amanda would meet a court-appointed supervisor at a venue, who would take the boy inside. Broderick would arrive 15 minutes afterwards and have his scheduled visit.
Amanda put her son in the car. He had a tres leches cake for his dad – a type of cake made with milk. Alyssa, then 17, and her boyfriend Willie, 18, got in the car too and they drove to a Northwest Austin apartment complex car park.
When a supervisor pulled in, she heard an almighty crash and then gunshots. She could see that a car had deliberately rammed into Amanda’s vehicle and she watched as Broderick walked away from the scene.
The terrified woman saw that he had pulled out a handgun and had shot Amanda, Alyssa and Willie dead. Amanda’s son had fled, unharmed.
After watching his dad kill his family, he had raced to a nearby road, flagged down a car and jumped inside. He begged the driver to call 911 and said his dad had been angry with his mum over their divorce.
Paramedics raced to the scene but Amanda, Alyssa and Willie couldn’t be saved. They were pronounced dead.
A huge manhunt began that involved the FBI, helicopters and SWAT teams. Areas were shut down and alerts were put out. The police knew that Broderick was a trained marksman and warned the public he was a danger.
For the next 19 days, Broderick was on the run. Finally, witnesses reported that he was walking down a local road – 14 miles from the crime scene. Broderick, then 41, was arrested. He had a pistol tucked into his waistband.
The community mourned the tragic loss of three lives. Amanda and Alyssa had an emotional joint funeral and tributes flooded in for Willie. Their loved ones felt let down. Broderick had been a threat and he’d been allowed to walk free and take three lives.
In September this year, Broderick pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder. As part of the deal, the 12 counts of physical and sexual abuse regarding Alyssa were dropped.
The prosecutors said that without Alyssa’s testimony, it would be difficult to convict him. Her family and support groups were outraged.
They said Alyssa had been silenced, despite physical evidence, and promised they’d campaign for change.
Alyssa’s cousin, Jayanna Ramirez, wore a T-shirt with a statement that Alyssa had given to an organisation that supports sexual assault survivors. It said, “It’s not like I could call the police. My dad is the police.”
Family members gave impact statements. Amanda’s mum, Charlene Ramirez, refused to tell Broderick how she felt but shared what his son, now 11, feels.
“He will never forgive you for what you’ve done,” she said. “You’ve robbed him. You stole what he loved so much.”
Willie’s family said the teenager had been killed by a person who had sworn to protect and serve but in reality had been a “child predator and a coward”.
They urged everyone to remember Amanda, Alyssa and Willie, and forget their killer.
As part of the deal, Broderick was sentenced to life in prison. He isn’t eligible for parole and can’t appeal.
In Broderick’s mugshot, a tattoo is visible on his chest that reads, “Expect no mercy”. And he certainly showed his family none.
