Kriti Mehrotra
When Teresa “Terri” Broudreaux was found dead along the shoreline of Malaga Cove Beach on the morning of March 4, 1980, the one person it affected most was arguably her daughter. This much has actually even been profiled in Netflix’s ‘Homicide: Los Angeles: Murder at the Beach,’ especially as it incorporates an exclusive interview with her as she opens up about grief, pain, and journey. Linda Broudreaux may have only been four at the time of her mother’s unfortunate demise, yet she knew from that day itself that her life would never be the same for reasons more than one.
Linda Broudreaux’s Dreams of an Idyllic Family Shattered With Her Mother’s Death
Since Linda’s biological father was never really in the picture, she was genuinely over the moon when her mother Teresa married Ronnie Fematt and then announced they were expecting too. After all, with the way her stepfather had been treating her as his own from the moment he became involved with the former when she was just 2, she believed they would make a great family. But alas, everything shattered apart on March 4, 1980, as she was told Teresa had drowned at the beach and was going to be with the angels — they didn’t tell her the truth owing to her age.
Nevertheless, Linda was heartbroken — “I just wanted my mom…,” she candidly conceded in the original episode. “It felt like the only person that ever loved and protected me was gone.” The fact she was subsequently whisked away by her father’s family, only for none of her questions regarding why her mother couldn’t come back to be left unanswered, did not help her either. And then, at the age of 8 or 9, she learned five months pregnant Teresa had actually been murdered — died of blunt force trauma — from finding her autopsy report in one of her aunt’s drawers.
Linda Broudreaux Was Always Told Ronnie Fematt Was Responsible
From the moment Linda uncovered the verity, her entire family told her that her stepfather, Ronnie Fematt, had killed her mother following an intense argument they had had the evening prior. The truth is she was well aware of this couple’s tumultuous relationship because she had witnessed their many, many fights from day one itself, so she truly believed the allegations right away. However, as she grew older, she began questioning everything — “There were so many questions I had that no one was willing to answer,” she said. “No one wanted to talk about [my mother].”
Linda admittedly grew used to not having parents after a while, especially as the separation as well as suspicions had also completely driven her away from Ronnie, so she never knew how to feel. In the end, while she did often wonder if he really could have gone as far as to kill her mother, it wasn’t until the officials finally arrested Robert Yniguez that she realized everyone else was wrong. Theresa’s real perpetrator was apprehended in 2017, two years before he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, and it was only then that she and her stepfather were able to reconnect.
Linda Broudreaux Now Has a Family of Her Own
According to Linda’s own account, she and Ronnie did try to go back to the relationship they once shared, but owing to their immense loss plus the nearly four decades to have passed, they couldn’t. Therefore, today, they seemingly just continue to be there and support one another from afar. There is still likely a lot of love between them, but they simply aren’t close despite their determination to keep Teresa alive in their hearts. As for Linda’s personal standing, while she prefers to keep her life well away from the limelight these days, it appears as if she’s still based in California alongside her own little family — a partner and children.
We should also mention that when Robert Yniguez was sentenced in October 2019, Linda gave an emotional victim impact statement expressing the grief and loss she has experienced for decades. While holding back tears, she said, in part: “[My mother] never got to see my first day of school. She didn’t get to see her first grandchild born. She wasn’t at my wedding, and my children will never get to meet their grandmother.” Then, following the court proceedings, she conceded that while she is glad the matter is close for good, and now she can finally focus on moving on, “no amount of time [he serves] is ever going to be enough, he got to live his life.”
Read More: Ronnie Fematt: Where is Teresa Broudreaux’s Husband Now?
