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.

Novelist Nancy Crampton-Brophy – whose books include ‘The Wrong Husband’ and ‘How to Kill Your Husband’ has been charged with murdering her husband (Picture: Facebook)

Daniel Brophy was found shot dead at the Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland, where he had worked as a chef for the past ten years (Picture: Facebook)

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.’

Crampton-Brophy made this post on Facebook, the day after her husband’s murder (Picture: Facebook)

Crampton-Brophy’s books included ‘The Wrong Husband’ and ‘Hell on the Heart’ (Picture: Facebook)

Brophy was arrested on September 5 for the June murder, with her sister refusing to believe that she committed the crime (Picture: Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office)

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.