Where is Nancy Crampton-Brophy now? Details explored ahead of Dateline on Oxygen

Novelist Nancy Crampton-Brophy, known for her romantic thrillers, stunned the world when she was recently convicted of murdering her husband, a chef named Daniel Brophy, in 2018. Since Nancy wrote novels about women fantasizing about killing their husbands, her actions seemed like the plot of one of her novels.

She was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years for the second-degree murder conviction. She is serving her sentence at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. NBC Dateline has covered this case in an episode titled “Murder in Kitchen One,” which delves into the details of the investigation and trial. NBC Dateline re-airs on Oxygen on Sept 18, 5.00 AM.

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The murder of Daniel Brophy

Daniel Brophy was a highly respected chef and instructor at Portland's Oregon Culinary Institute who was shot dead in June 2018. The 63-year-old was shot twice, which deterred investigators from identifying his killer.

His wife, however, was an easy target as she had been with Daniel for nearly two decades when she was brought under the scanner because of her questionable alibi and potential evidence linking her with the crime. While Nancy Crampton-Brophy claimed she was at home writing novels, video footage shows her car next to the culinary school at the time of the murder.

Other suspicions included a purchase that Nancy Crampton-Brophy had made of gun parts before the killing. These matched the murder weapon. Although she told the investigators that she bought the parts for research for a novel, they believed that she used them to kill.

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Financial motive and evidence

The prosecutors highlighted the fact that the couple had faced severe financial setbacks in the months leading to the murder. In addition, Daniel had a life insurance policy of $1.4 million, for which Nancy tried to file a claim just a week after the killing.

Investigators found further evidence when they established that Nancy Crampton-Brophy had swapped the barrel of the Glock pistol in a bid not to attract suspicion and show the murder was premeditated.

But when the evidence mounted testimony from an ex-cellmate. The ex-cellmate claimed Nancy Crampton-Brophy confessed to the murder defense and was unable to shift the blame to a possible burglary on the part of another individual. The prosecution prevailed in winning her conviction for second-degree murder. In May of 2022, the sentencing for life in prison was upheld.

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Where is Nancy Crampton-Brophy today?

Seventy-three-year-old Nancy Crampton-Brophy is currently serving time at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Even though she could be paroled in 25 years, she continues to maintain that she didn't kill her husband. Her case continues to have intriguing appeal because of how very unusual her essay "How to Murder Your Husband" was when it came out in 2011.

Although the essay was not admitted into evidence in her trial, its chilling resemblance to the crime committed in actual life still played a major role in how the public responded to her final verdict.

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Nancy Crampton-Brophy's conviction and life sentence bring a tragic end to one once-loving marriage and two successful careers. As the case comes back on 'Dateline' and re-airs on Oxygen, viewers will see another look at the bizarre, almost novel-like crime that shocked a community and sent her to prison.

Though she denies the crime, the weight of evidence has little left to doubt her role in the murder of her husband.