Cop lay in wait then gunned down his family

Amanda Broderick had been trying to protect her kids from a man who showed no mercy

- GAIL SHORTLAND

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 first met Stephen Broderick. He adopted Alyssa and they went on to have a son together. Broderick was a Travis County Sheriff's detective, and they lived in Elgin, Texas. But Broderick 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 other people, and was a familiar face on the side line 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 with WNBA dreams. 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 football at the University of North Texas. The young couple had an exciting future ahead.

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.