True crime and the TV movie were familiar companions, and the rise of sensationalized trials (and access to their footage) made for a string of ripped-from-the-headlines adaptations during the early 1990s. While attending Saint Mary's in the mid-1960s, Betty Bisceglia (Meredith Baxter) met her future husband, Dan Broderick (Stephen Collins), who was studying to become a medical doctor at Notre Dame. Eventually the two married and relocated to San Diego, where Dan became a high-profile attorney. As their marriage deteriorated, a bitter divorce and escalating threats of violence led to a murder that fascinated the nation.