Daniel Craig Brophy (June 27, 1954 – June 2, 2018)[1] was an American chef and culinary instructor who was found murdered at the Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. On May 25, 2022, his wife, Nancy Crampton-Brophy, was found guilty of second-degree murder for his death. She was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Daniel Brophy | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 27, 1954 |
| Died | June 2, 2018 (aged 63) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Occupations |
|
Murder
editOn the morning of June 2, 2018, Daniel Brophy left for work at the Oregon Culinary Institute, where he was a teacher. Students arrived later and found his body in a kitchen, dead from two gunshots. The death was investigated as a homicide.[2][3]
Investigation
editNancy Crampton-Brophy | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 16, 1950[4] Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Convicted murderer |
| Motive | Acquisition of life insurance policy |
| Criminal charge | Second-degree murder |
Nancy Crampton-Brophy
editSuspicion later fell on his wife Nancy Crampton-Brophy (born June 16, 1950).[4] Crampton-Brophy, the daughter of two lawyers, was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a graduate of the University of Houston.[4] She met Daniel Brophy after moving to Oregon in the early-1990s and attending the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, where he worked as an instructor.[4]
Crampton-Brophy had told investigators during the initial investigation that she had walked the dogs and had a shower on the morning of the incident. In 2020, investigators found traffic camera footage that showed her driving to and then departing from the culinary school during a 13-minute window when the homicide happened. Crampton-Brophy amended her story and said she had no memory of such a drive, and that she was likely on a coffee run that she forgot about due to the stress of the day's events.[4]
Trial and conviction of Crampton-Brophy
editNancy Crampton-Brophy was indicted for her husband's murder and was put on trial in April 2022 before the Multnomah County Circuit Court.[5][6][7] Crampton-Brophy was the author of several self-published novels including The Wrong Husband and an online essay titled "How to Murder Your Husband", which increased public and media interest in her husband's murder.
At trial, the prosecution assembled a case built on circumstantial evidence that they said indicated Crampton-Brophy was the murderer. They argued that her false account of her whereabouts on the morning of the murder indicated her account was untrustworthy. For motive, prosecutors alleged that Crampton-Brophy was in financial distress and killed her husband for several life insurance policies totaling around $1.4 million as well as sole ownership of the $300,000 house.[8][9] Forensic evidence indicated that Daniel Brophy had been shot by two bullets from a Glock pistol. The prosecution entered evidence that Ms. Crampton-Brophy had purchased a receiver blank kit of parts from the Internet.[3] She conceded that she had bought a slide and a barrel for a Glock pistol via eBay.[10] She contended that the purchase had been made with her husband's support, that she had given the gun to her husband to protect himself while looking for mushrooms, and that the gun components were for research on a new novel involving a woman who carefully acquired gun parts.[11][3]
Nancy Crampton-Brophy was convicted of second degree murder on May 25, 2022.[3] She received a sentence of life imprisonment on June 14, 2022.[12]
Media depictions
editIn 2023, Lifetime filmed an adaptation of the murder of Daniel Brophy called How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story. The film stars Cybill Shepherd as Nancy Brophy and Steve Guttenberg as Daniel Brophy.[13]
In January 2023, the case was covered by the A&E series Taking the Stand.
In May 2024, Wondery started a 6-episode podcast called Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Daniel Craig Brophy". Neptune Society Obituaries. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022.
- ^ Corlyn Voorhees (June 3, 2018). "Former students, friends mourn loss of Oregon Culinary Institute chef killed in shooting". The Oregonian. Portland.
- ^ a b c d Baker, Mike (May 25, 2022). "'How to Murder Your Husband' Writer Convicted of Murdering Husband". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Sparling, Zane (May 23, 2022). "Spotlight shines on Oregon romance novelist accused of killing chef husband: Who is Nancy Crampton Brophy?". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022.
- ^ "Romance novelist goes on trial in fatal shooting of spouse". AP News. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ Clémence Michallon (April 6, 2022). "She wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband'. A murder trial followed". The Independent. London.
- ^ "Romance novelist who wrote "How to Murder Your Husband" goes on trial 4 years after chef spouse found dead in culinary school kitchen". CBS News. April 5, 2022.
- ^ Christine Pelisek (April 29, 2020), "Oregon Romance Novelist Allegedly Killed Husband for $1M Insurance Policy: Prosecutors", People
- ^ "'How to murder your husband' writer sentenced for murdering husband". BBC News. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- ^ "OR V. CRAMPTON-BROPHY: ROMANCE NOVELIST MURDER TRIAL". Court TV. May 19, 2022.
- ^ ""Wie man seinen Ehemann ermordet": US-Autorin vor Gericht". ORF.at. 2022-05-19. (German)
- ^ Paúl, María Luisa (14 June 2022). "'How to Murder Your Husband' writer sentenced to life for killing husband". The Washington Post.
- ^ Lambe, Stacy (December 16, 2022). "'How to Murder Your Husband': Watch Cybill Shepherd and Steve Guttenberg in the Trailer (Exclusive)". ET Online. Retrieved January 15, 2023.