Stephen Broderick, 41, was arrested by authorities after a 19-hour manhunt early Monday over the fatal shooting of three people, including his wife and daughter in Austin, Texas.
Broderick is accused of shooting and killing his wife, 35-year-old Amanda Broderick, their 17-year-old step-daughter, Alyssa Broderick, and her daughter's boyfriend, 18-year-old Willie Simmons at an apartment complex on Sunday before fleeing the scene.
Stephen was Alyssa's adoptive father. Amanda and Stephen welcomed a second child, a son, into their family. The son was also present during the shooting but was later found unharmed away from the scene and taken care of by officers.
Stephen Sexually Assaulted Alyssa Last Year
While the motive behind the shooting has not yet been disclosed, Stephen, a former property crimes detective with the Travis County Sheriff's Office, was arrested for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old family member in June 2020 after his wife, Amanda, reported the incident to law enforcement, according to the Austin-American Statesman.
According to a Fox News report, Amanda said that her daughter, then 16, confronted her on June 3 and told her that Stephen "had been inappropriately touching her." Amanda said that she took the girl to a children's hospital where a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) was done and police were notified once the abuse was confirmed. She said her daughter had told her that Stephen abused her on more than one occasion.
After his arrest, Amanda filed for divorce and requested a protective order against Stephen saying they feared for their lives, according to court documents. Stephen was booked into jail on charges of sexually assaulting a child and spent 16 days behind bars before being released on bond. He resigned from the department following his arrest.
The judge ordered him not to contact or come within 200 feet of the child and to wear a GPS tracking device. However, five months after his release, with his case still pending, a Travis County judge ordered the removal of the GPS monitoring device on Nov. 5 after Stephen's lawyer argued that his client had worn the electronic monitor for 142 days with no substantial violations and that it should be removed.
Family Told Authorities They Were Afraid Stephen Would Take Revenge
Amanda told authorities they were afraid Stephen would take revenge because the allegations could affect his career. "Stephen has prior military experience and is SWAT-trained. If he wanted to hurt someone, he would know how," she said, according to the court records.
His daughter Alyssa also said that she felt unsafe at the time "I felt safe after my dad had been arrested and he was in jail, but now that he's out I don't feel safe," she wrote.
"I'm afraid that to him, a protective order will be just a piece of paper. I'm worried that he'll come after my family and try to take my brother. I'm afraid that he might hurt me or my mom for coming forward," the teen added.
