Nancy Brophy, “How to Murder Your Husband” writer, sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband

A self-published romance novelist — who as soon as wrote an essay titled “How to Murder Your Husband” — has been sentenced to life in prison in the deadly capturing of her husband 4 years in the past. Nancy Crampton Brophy was convicted final month in the 2018 killing of her chef husband, Daniel Brophy.

Judge Christopher Ramras, who presided over the trial, mentioned Crampton Brophy can be thought-about for parole after 25 years, KOIN-TV reported.

The sentencing included impression statements from Daniel Brophy’s relations, together with his son, Nathaniel Stillwater, the station reported.

“You are a monster and I’m ashamed that I have to admit to my children that people like you walk among us undetected,” Stillwater mentioned. “You lived in the shadow of a great human being.”  

Brophy, 63, was killed June 2, 2018 as he prepped for work on the Oregon Culinary Institute in Southwest Portland. He had worked at the school since 2006.

Prosecutors instructed jurors that Crampton Brophy was motivated by cash issues and a life insurance coverage coverage.

Crampton Brophy mentioned in the course of the trial, nevertheless, that she had no motive to kill her husband and that their monetary issues had largely been solved by cashing in a piece of Brophy’s retirement financial savings plan.

She owned the identical make and mannequin of gun used to kill her husband and was seen on surveillance digital camera footage driving to and from the culinary institute, court docket displays and court docket testimony confirmed.

Police by no means discovered the gun that killed Brophy. Prosecutors alleged Crampton Brophy swapped out the barrel of the gun used in the capturing after which discarded the barrel.

Defense attorneys mentioned the gun components had been inspiration for Crampton Brophy’s writing and instructed another person might need killed Brophy throughout a theft gone improper. Crampton Brophy testified in the course of the trial that her presence close to the culinary faculty on the day of her husband’s loss of life was mere coincidence and that she had parked in the world to work on her writing.

Crampton Brophy’s how-two treatise detailed numerous choices for committing an untraceable killing and professed a need to keep away from getting caught. Circuit Ramras in the end excluded the essay from the trial, noting it was revealed in 2011.

“Any minimal probative value of an article written that long ago is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice and confusion of the issues,” Ramras mentioned.

A prosecutor, nevertheless, alluded to the essay’s themes with out naming it after Crampton Brophy took the stand in her personal protection.

Crampton Brophy has remained in custody since her arrest in September 2018, a number of months after her husband was shot. Her sentencing has been scheduled for June 13.

In an online biography that includes her work, Crampton Brophy writes that she is “married to a chef whose mantra is: life is a science project.”

“As a result there are chickens and turkeys in my backyard, a fabulous vegetable garden which also grows tobacco for an insecticide and a hot meal on the table every night,” she wrote. “For those of you who have longed for this, let me caution you. The old adage is true. Be careful what you wish for, when the gods are truly angry, they grant us our wishes.”

Neighbor Don McConnell instructed KOIN-TV in 2018 that Brophy did not seem to be upset in the wake of Brophy’s loss of life. “She’s taking it well, and that’s what I said, you know, I said maybe some people can handle things better than others,” McConnell mentioned.

Crampton Brophy saved busy making ready to transfer, McConnell mentioned. “Even after she said, ‘I’m a suspect,'” he mentioned, “I just thought oh, yeah, well, they always suspect the opposite spouse.”