Novelist who wrote about ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ charged with murdering her husband

A novelist who wrote an essay about how she plots her books titled How To Murder Your Husband has been charged with murdering her husband. Nancy Crampton-Brophy – whose tomes include ‘The Wrong Husband’ and ‘Hell on the Heart’ – allegedly shot spouse Daniel, 63, dead in June. 

The romance-suspense writer was arrested on suspicion of murder on September 5, with cops in her home city of Portland, Ore., yet to reveal how they identified her as a suspect in her partner’s death.

Brophy worked as a chef at the city’s Oregon Culinary Institute – the same place where his body was found earlier this year. After the discovery, Crampton-Brophy led a candlelight vigil for her husband of 27 years, telling local journalists: ‘Dan was one of the very few people I’ve known that knew exactly what he wanted in life and loved doing it.’ 

In her 2011 essay about killing a spouse uncovered by The Oregonian, she opined: ‘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.’ 

The site has since been set to private. She also shared a Facebook post shortly after the killing, calling Brophy her ‘best friend’ and adding: ‘I’m struggling to make sense of everything right now… ‘While I appreciate all your loving responses, I am overwhelmed.’

The alleged killer’s sister Holly Crampton refuses to accept the allegations, telling ABC News: ‘None of us believe it. ‘It’s craziness and it’s just not true.’ And Heidi Hutchinson told People that Crampton-Brophy had been struggling to cope with life in the couple’s marital home in the wake of her husband’s murder.

Hutchinson said: ‘She said that his side of the bedroom was haunting her.’ Crampton-Brophy remains in jail in lieu of bond, and has also been charged with unlawful use of a weapon.