Amanda and Alyssa Broderick — the mother-daughter duo who were shot to death on April 18 — were honored during their double funeral on April 26 at the OakCrest Funeral Home in Waco, Tex.

Amanda & Alyssa obituaries

Amanda Denise, 35, of Cypress, was called home on April 18, 2021, according to her obituary.

“Amanda was born July 17, 1985, to Charlene and Edward Ramirez, in Nampa, Idaho. She was a great mother to Alyssa and Cayden Broderick. She loved helping others and working in the healthcare industry. She found new passions in dancing, running, hiking, traveling, but really loved her personal time with her kids. You could always find Amanda in the bleachers at any of her kid’s games. If you met her, she greeted you with a warm smile and a comforting hug. She was also always willing to be the
shoulder someone needed.”

Alyssa was born December 16, 2003 in Waco, Tex., according to her obituary.

“She was known for being full of energy, playful, and a smile that could light up the room. Alyssa loved sports, hiking, dancing (TikToks) and as ironic as it is, absolutely hated running. If she came across a cat she was loving on it.

Any obstacles she faced head on and never backed down. She was absolutely strong mentally, physically and emotionally. Alyssa was very detail oriented, driven, smart, caring, and a loving sister to her bother Cayden and mother Amanda. She loved randomly hugging people for absolutely no known reason and was always caught cuddling with family members.

If she didn’t have her phone in her hand, she was coloring or taking selfies with other people’s phone. When people thought of Alyssa it was directly related to the respect she showed and thoughtful acts of kindness for others.”

Suspect faces capitol murder charges in the shootings of a mom, daughter, boyfriend

Staff Reports

Former Travis County Sheriff’s detective Stephen Broderick is facing capital murder charges in the triple homicide of his ex-wife, his adopted daughter and her boyfriend, a promising football player, that occurred Sunday morning near the Arboretum shopping area. 

The victims have been identified as 35-year-old Amanda Broderick, her 17-year-old daughter Alyssa Broderick and her 18-year-old boyfriend Willie Simmons. Alyssa and Willie had attended Elgin High School together and Willie, a senior, had been recruited to play football at the University of North Texas.

Austin Police responded to the call around 11:42 a.m. on April 18 near Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway. Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department personnel responded and attempted life-saving measures, but all three people were pronounced dead on the scene. 

APD said the couple’s son, who was present during the shooting, but physically unharmed, was later located away from the scene where he was turned over to APD officers.

“Amanda  was a beloved colleague who worked at Manor for three years and Centralized Triage for the last year,” according to Monica Simmons, who organized the Amanda Broderick Memorial at GoFundMe.

A licensed practical nurse, “her friends and coworkers at Manor and Centralized Triage will be grieving Amanda’s death and celebrating her life. She will be greatly missed by all of her many friends in the ARC/CMS family,” the GoFundMe 

“I was Amanda’s supervisor for the past year and I know she was an amazing nurse, mother, and person,” Simmons posted.

Dr. Jodi Duron, Elgin ISD Superintendent, shared “The Elgin ISD community grieves the loss of these two young, promising souls.”

Alyssa withdrew from Elgin ISD back in the fall, she was an Elgin ISD student from 2009 to October 2020. 

“She was an excellent student and athlete, enrolled in our Early College High School program and played on our girls’ basketball team,” Duron stated.

Willie was a senior at Elgin High School.  

“He was an exceptional young man and leader among his peers. Strong, both academically and athletically, he represented the very best of Elgin ISD,” Duron stated. “He was the Captain of our football team; a friend to everyone he met; and most recently, recruited to play football for the University of North Texas.”

According to the Austin Police Department, Amanda Broderick had filed for divorce following June 2020 charges that Stephen Broderick allegedly sexually assaulted a child.

Amanda was meeting him for a scheduled visit with their son when Stephen rammed her car before opening fire on her and the two teens in the vehicle, the report alleges. He then fled the scene.

Broderick then became the subject of a massive manhunt. Residents in the area around the shooting were required to shelter in place and Loop 360 was temporarily shut down in both directions from Spicewood Springs to U.S. 183.

The manhunt ended just after 7 a.m. on Monday when he was taken into custody without incident near a Manor suburb. He was found after two calls to police reporting a man walking along the 12300 block of Kimbro Road. 

Manor police report he was found with a loaded pistol in his waistband. 

On Monday after his arrest, Broderick was transported to Travis County Jail where he is facing charges for Capital Murder. A Travis County judge granted prosecutors’ request to hold Broderick in jail without bail.

The case is still under investigation

“I am incredibly grateful for all of the assistance provided by our law enforcement partners that came to our aid yesterday. This is a tragic incident that has deeply impacted our community, and I’m glad to report that the suspect has been taken into custody without incident, and with no additional loss of life. A special thank you to Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs with the FBI for their strong support, as well as the citizen who spotted the suspect that led to his capture.” APD Interim Chief Chacon said.

Broderick was previously booked in the same jail for the unrelated the June 2020 charges but eventually posted the $50,000 bail with the condition that he surrender his weapon and not obtain any more firearms. His bail was revoked Sunday.

A Nov. 5, 2020, order by a Travis County judge allowed Broderick to remove the tracking device he was wearing from his pending case. 

The shooting victim Amanda had filed for divorce and sought a protective order, which had been agreed upon by both parties, prohibiting Broderick from going within 200 yards of their daughter.