A romance novelist who wrote an essay called “How To Murder Your Husband” has been sentenced to life in prison – for murdering her husband.
Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, was convicted of second-degree murder following a seven-week trial in Portland, Oregon.
She was told she would only become eligible for parole after serving 25 years in custody, according to KGW-TV.
Prosecutors said the self-published author shot 63-year-old chef Daniel Brophy at the now-closed Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland because she stood to gain financially from his life insurance payout.
The case drew national attention because of the online essay Crampton Brophy had written years earlier, but the piece was not permitted as evidence at trial.
The prosecution told jurors the couple had been facing financial difficulties at the time of the murder in 2018, and said Crampton Brophy had researched and purchased a “ghost gun” kit online and then later bought a Glock 17 handgun at a gun show.
Crampton Brophy’s lawyer argued the state’s evidence was circumstantial, disputed the claims of financial trouble and brought in witnesses who gave evidence about the couple’s strong and loving relationship.
Crampton Brophy also gave evidence and said she and her husband had both bought life insurance policies as part of their retirement planning and had a plan to reduce their debt.
She also said her research into ghost guns was in preparation for a novel.
Mr Brophy was found dead with a gunshot wound in his back and one in his chest on 2 June 2018 inside the Oregon Culinary Institute where he worked.
Crampton Brophy was arrested three months later and charged with his murder.
While police never found the gun that killed Mr Brophy, prosecutors alleged the novelist had swapped out the barrel of the gun used in the shooting and then discarded it.
Crampton Brophy was once a prolific novelist who published books such as The Wrong Lover and The Wrong Husband, and in 2011 wrote the “How to Murder Your Husband” essay for the See Jane Publish blog.
“As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure,” she wrote at that time.
“After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don’t want to spend any time in jail. And let me say clearly for the record, I don’t like jumpsuits and orange isn’t my color.”
Prosecutor Shawn Overstreet presents his opening statement at the murder trial
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Brophy during her trial in Portland, Oregon
