'How To Murder Your Husband' author convicted of killing her 63-year-old husband
26 May 2022, 12:04
The author of 'How To Murder Your Husband' who once wrote detailed options for committing an untraceable killing has been found guilty of murdering her 63-year-old husband.
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Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday over the death of her chef husband Daniel Brophy, KOIN-TV reported.
The self-published romance novelist displayed no visible emotion as she was convicted of second-degree murder after two days of deliberations.
Her 63-year-old husband was killed on June 2 2018 as he prepared for work at the Oregon Culinary Institute in Southwest Portland.
Crampton Brophy has been in custody since she was arrested in September 2019.
Lisa Maxfield, one of Crampton Brophy's lawyers, said the defence team plans to appeal.
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The jury was told that Crampton Brophy was motivated by money problems and a life insurance policy.
Police never found the gun that killed Mr Brophy, however, his wife owned the same make and model of the gun used in his murder.
CCTV shown in court also captured her driving to and from her husband's workplace on the day he was killed.
Crampton Brophy claimed during the trial that her presence near the culinary school on the day of her husband's death was mere coincidence and that she had parked in the area to work on her writing.
Defence lawyers said the gun parts were inspiration for Crampton Brophy's writing and suggested someone else might have killed Mr Brophy during a robbery gone wrong.
Her novel, 'How To Murder Your Husband', featured options for committing a killing without getting caught.
Crampton Brophy said during the trial, however, that she had no reason to kill her husband and that their financial problems had largely been solved by cashing in a chunk of Mr Brophy's retirement savings plan.
Circuit Judge Christopher Ramras ultimately excluded the 2011 essay from the trial.
A prosecutor, however, alluded to the essay's themes without naming it after Crampton Brophy took to the witness box.
Her sentencing has been scheduled for June 13.
