A romance mystery novelist charged with murdering her chef husband in Portland is suspected of swapping the parts of different guns to carry out — and later cover up — the alleged crime, a source with knowledge of the evidence gathered by authorities told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The new details follow a trail of elliptical clues parceled out in charging documents and court hearings in a case shrouded in mystery after a judge sealed most of the records since Nancy Crampton Brophy’s arrest last fall.

The latest revelations, if proved to be true, would add a remarkable twist to an alleged murder where even a possible motive has not been made public in court.

Police had revealed during their initial investigation that they obtained a gun from Crampton Brophy, 68, a self-published author who also penned a 2011 essay titled “How To Murder Your Husband.” Her spouse of 27 years was killed in what had been a baffling early-morning shooting last June at the Oregon Culinary Institute.

Then last month, a prosecutor said during a court hearing that the gun police found was the exact make and caliber of the 9mm pistol used to kill Daniel Brophy, 63. But he said ballistics testing couldn’t tie that weapon to the murder.

He added, though, that the novelist had also purchased additional gun parts online sometime before her husband was shot. He offered no other details and has declined to elaborate.

But someone else familiar with the evidence said investigators believe Crampton Brophy took the slide and barrel from another gun and put those pieces in the 9mm she owned.

Brophy is suspected of removing the pieces after the shooting, ditching them and reinstalling the original slide and barrel, the source said.

Here’s how the information of the gun parts trickled out.

Crampton Brophy’s public defender, Kathleen Dunn, asked a judge during a March 22 hearing to close an upcoming bail hearing to the public and press and also moved to exclude certain evidence from being presented by the prosecution.

The hearing wasn’t scheduled and didn’t appear on the case docket in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained an audio recording of the hearing through a public records request.

Arguing against the defense’s motions, which are under seal, Deputy District Attorney Shawn Overstreet said:

“We know not only that a gun was used, we know the make of the gun that was used, based on the impressions it leaves on a shell. We know the caliber because of the shells left at the scene. We found that same caliber and same make of gun, which Ms. Brophy gave to the police.”

He added: “Yes, it was test fired. Yes, it’s not the gun. At least it’s not the slide and barrel.”

Overstreet then began speaking about other gun parts authorities say Crampton Brophy bought online.

Before he could continue, Judge Kenneth Walker cut off the prosecutor. The judge later ruled against the motions to close the bail hearing, scheduled for April 19, or to exclude evidence at it, citing that he had neither the statutory nor constitutional authority to do so.

Overstreet declined to comment on the hearing or how the slide and barrel factored into the case against Crampton Brophy.

Daniel Brophy, a beloved instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute, was found gunned down in a kitchen at the school June 2, 2017.

The early morning killing yielded no immediate suspects, though investigators eventually zeroed in on his author wife, whose novels include “The Wrong Husband” and “Hell on the Heart.”

Police arrested Crampton Brophy in September, and a grand jury later indicted her on one count of murder.

The case garnered national and international headlines after The Oregonian/OregonLive found a copy of Crampton Brophy’s “How To Murder Your Husband” archived online.

The widespread publicity is why Crampton Brophy’s lawyers say they’re determined to keep details surrounding her case confidential until trial.

“From the moment of Ms. Brophy’s arrest, this matter has generated intense media attention. Court proceeding in this case will trigger worldwide media coverage, with stories on television and the internet as well as in newspapers and magazines,” Dunn wrote in court filings this week.

“This case cannot proceed without the world and the likely jury pool absorbing the coverage.”

Dunn did not respond to a request for comment.

Crampton Brophy’s next hearing is scheduled for Friday. Her lawyers will seek to waive the bail hearing altogether and move to keep under seal records that likely lay out the case against her, arguing that any such disclosure will jeopardize their client’s right to a fair trial, court records show.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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