Murder writer convicted in fatal shooting of husband
The romance novelist who wrote a popular 2011 essay, “How to Murder Your Husband,” has been convicted of killing her husband four years ago by a jury in Portland.
The jury of seven women and five men found 71-year-old Nancy Crampton Brophy guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder in chef Daniel Brophy’s death, according to local news outlets present at the trial. The charge carries a punishment of life in prison.
Crampton Brophy, present at the Multnomah County courtroom, displayed little reaction when the verdict was announced. Attorney Lisa Maxfield said the defense team plans to appeal. Sentencing is scheduled for June 13.
Daniel Brophy, 63, was killed on June 2, 2018, as he prepared for work at the Oregon Culinary Institute in southwest Portland. Crampton Brophy owned the same make and model of the gun used to kill her husband and was seen on surveillance camera footage driving to and from the culinary institute, according to court exhibits. Police never found the gun used to kill Brophy.
Circuit Judge Christopher Ramras ultimately excluded the “How to Murder Your Husband” essay from the trial, noting it was published in 2011. Prosecutors alluded to the essay’s themes without naming it after Crampton Brophy took the stand.
Prosecutors told jurors that Crampton Brophy, who has remained in custody since her arrest in September 2018, was motivated by money problems and a life insurance policy. Crampton Brophy said that she had no reason to kill her husband and that their financial problems had largely been solved by cashing in a chunk of Brophy’s retirement savings plan.