Nancy Crampton-Brophy. Image: Portland Police Bureau
In what can be considered a “Gone Girl”-esque plot twist, a 68-year-old writer suspected of killing her husband was found to have written an essay titled “How to Kill Your Husband” years before the crime happened.
Nancy Crampton-Brophy was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 5 by the Portland Police Bureau for her alleged first-hand participation in the gunning of her chef husband, Daniel Brophy.
Apparently, the romance novelist whose works include “The Wrong Husband” and “The Wrong Cop”, wrote a 700-word essay titled “How to Murder Your Husband” published on the website “See Jane Publish” on Nov. 4, 2011. The said essay is no longer public but an archived version of the post is available online.
“As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure,” she wrote in the essay. “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.”
She then listed down the possible motives for why a wife would decide to end her husband’s life: financial reasons, deception, extra-marital affair and abuse. Another motive for mariticide could be that of a wife being in the contract killing business.
Taking her essay into a whole new level, she went as far as to jot down the options wives may resort to in doing the crime. These options include using guns, knives, garrote, random heavy piece of equipment and poison. She also thought about the idea of hiring a hitman and hiring a lover to perform the murder.
“I find it is easier to wish people dead than to actually kill them. I don’t want to worry about blood and brains splattered on my walls,” she wrote. “And really, I’m not good at remembering lies.”
“But the thing I know about murder is that every one of us have it in him/her when pushed far enough,” she stated.
Her husband, Daniel, was shot at the Oregon Culinary Institute in the morning of June 2. Medical personnel tried to revive him but were unable to. Her arrest was made based on the information gathered by the police during their investigation.
“For my Facebook friends and family, I have sad news to relate. My husband and best friend, Chef Dan Brophy was killed yesterday morning,” she wrote on the platform a day after her husband’s murder. “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.”
“While I appreciate all of your loving responses, I am overwhelmed,” she said. “Please save phone calls for a few days until I can function.” JB
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