Nancy Crampton-Brophy and husband Dan, who was shot dead in 2018. Photo / Brophy family
Nancy Crampton-Brophy and husband Dan, who was shot dead in 2018. Photo / Brophy family
An American romance novelist who once penned an essay titled How to Murder Your Husband is standing trial for allegedly shooting dead her spouse for a US$1.4 million ($2m) life insurance payout.
Nancy Crampton-Brophy, 71, has been in custody since her arrest in 2018 over the murder of her husbandof 25 years, Daniel Brophy.
She told police she was at the couple's home in Portland, Oregon when her chef husband was shot in the back and chest shortly after arriving for work at the Oregon Culinary Institute.
But she was arrested months later after detectives discovered her car had been near the crime scene at the time of the shooting.
In it, she wrote: "As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure.
"After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don't want to spend any time in jail."
It went on: "The thing I know about murder is that every one of us have it in him/her when pushed far enough."
Brophy's death had been a mystery, with investigators determining there were no signs of a struggle or a robbery.
Crampton-Brophy's 2011 essay sparked intense public interest in the case.
Witness Kathleen Dooley testifies at the murder trial of Nancy Crampton-Brophy on April 4. Photo / AP
But Judge Christopher Ramras ruled the essay would be excluded from evidence at the start of Crampton-Brophy's trial this week.
"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," the judge said.
Prosecutors have argued the murder was financially motivated, describing the romance writer as "on a path of financial ruin" at the time of her husband's death.
They argued that Crampton-Brophy would be the beneficiary of US$1.4m by cashing in on her husband's various life insurance policies.
They told jurors Crampton-Brophy had asked police for a letter to send to a life insurance company ruling her out as a suspect so she could collect US$40,000.
Prosecutors also detailed Crampton-Brophy's online searches on ghost guns, which they said was her first step in plotting her husband's murder.
Nancy Crampton-Brophy, 71, has been in custody since her arrest in 2018. Photo / AP
Among the prosecution's first witnesses were the staff and students who discovered Brophy lying dead in his classroom.
The defence argued the online searches and her later firearms purchases formed part of her research for a novel she was planning about a woman in an abusive relationship.
The defence also argued that, while the couple were facing financial difficulties, Crampton-Brophy's finances deteriorated further after her husband's death, disputing the prosecution's claim she sought to profit from it.
Crampton-Brophy broke the news of her husband's murder to loved ones on social media, telling them: "My husband and best friend, Chef Dan Brophy was killed yesterday morning."
She added: "For those of you who are close to me and feel this deserved a phone call, you are right, but I'm struggling to make sense of everything right now."
Witness Dorothy Sadie Damon testifies at the murder trial of Nancy Crampton-Brophy on April 4. Photo / AP
A neighbour remarked to local news outlets that Crampton-Brophy was taking her husband's death well and kept busy.
"I said maybe some people can handle things better than others," Don McConnell told KOIN-TV.
"Even after she said, 'I'm a suspect'," he said, "I just thought oh, yeah, well, they always suspect the opposite spouse."
