Suvechha Sarkar
Daniel Craig Brophy, lovingly known as Dan, was not just a well-respected chef but also an experienced Culinary Instructor. The 63-year-old arrived at his workplace in Portland, Oregon, as he did every day on June 2, 2018. However, his life was unexpectedly cut short when he was shot dead. What initially seemed like a robbery gone wrong soon turned out to be a calculated murder. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Murder in Kitchen One’ delves deeper into the heartbreaking case that revealed the killer to be one of the closest people of Dan. The episode also features interviews with his son, detectives, and prosecutors who helped uncover the truth.
Daniel Brophy Was Known For His Lifelong Passion For Cooking and Teaching
Daniel Craig Brophy, affectionately known as Dan, arrived as a beacon of light in the lives of his mother, Karen Brophy, and his father on June 27, 1954. He grew up in a loving household in Valley City, North Dakota, which was always filled with joy and laughter. Dan’s loved ones often said he had a dry sense of humor and sometimes came off as “crusty.” Since childhood, he had always wanted to pursue a career in the culinary world. After graduating from high school, Dan completed his higher education in 1976 at the University of Sioux Falls. He then took up his first job in Kansas City as a dishwasher. Around that time, Dan further earned a degree in Marine Biology. Eventually, he moved on to join a 24-hour restaurant, where he worked during the graveyard shift.
Shortly after, Dan attended culinary school, where he further honed his skills. His desire to impart knowledge to the next generation led him to become a Culinary Instructor at the cooking school, In Good Taste. In 2006, Dan finally joined the Oregon Culinary Institute (OCI) during its opening, both as a Chef and one of their Lead Chef Instructors. During his time there, he often organized field trips and student projects. By 2018, Dan was also working as a Chef at an assisted living home. Besides that, he was referred to as a “master gardener” and “enthusiastic composter.” He was notably skilled in foraging and cooking edible mushrooms. Moreover, Dan was a beekeeper who visited the beach whenever possible.
Daniel Brophy Was Found Dead From Gunshot Wounds at His Workplace
At some point in adulthood, Dan crossed paths with Pearla Gonzalez Stillwater, and they soon began dating. They finally tied the knot and, within the next few years, welcomed their son, Nathaniel Stillwater, into the world. Sadly, Dan and Pearla’s union didn’t work out, and they got a divorce. Reports state that Nathaniel initially lived with Pearla before Dan got involved in his son’s life, allegedly around the time Nathaniel was in high school. Dan thought he had found a second chance at love when he met Nancy Crampton. It wasn’t long before they got married, and she embraced Nathaniel just like her own son. Dan was further overjoyed when Nathaniel and his wife gave birth to their daughter. He immediately took up the role of an active grandparent. Unfortunately, Dan’s life came to a sudden halt on June 2, 2018.
On that day, authorities received a 911 call from one of Dan’s colleagues at OCI around 7:30 am. The colleague reported that Dan was lying on the floor unresponsive. When officials arrived, they found him dead from two gunshot wounds in front of a sink in Kitchen One. They observed an ice scooper nearby, indicating that he was working at the sink when he was shot. They reportedly recovered two 9 mm shell casings from the scene, but no gun was found. Additionally, detectives found that the roll-up door used to load supplies was open. Dan still had his wallet, car keys, and credit cards on him. Furthermore, there were no signs of forced entry, which eliminated the possibility of robbery. The autopsy reportedly revealed that he was shot twice in the back and chest. Dan’s cause of death was determined to be fatal gunshot wounds.
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CCTV Footage Placed the Killer Near the Crime Scene Around the Time of the Murder
During the initial investigation, when Nancy was questioned upon arrival at the scene, she reportedly told officials that Dan had no enemies. Records state that she recalled Dan leaving home around 7:10 am. According to reports, officials then checked the OCI alarm, which showed that Dan had disabled it after arriving around 7:22 am. As authorities checked the CCTV footage from a nearby shop, they discovered that about 10 minutes before Dan arrived at work, a vehicle similar to Nancy’s drove past the area. Court records state that, to confirm whether the car belonged to Nancy, they reviewed several other surveillance videos that captured the vehicle with a distinctive scratch below the gas cap. It was then reportedly confirmed that the van belonged to Nancy.
As per official reports, Nancy’s car was captured leaving the area around 7:29 am, around the time of Daniel’s murder. Investigators reportedly uncovered a blog written by Nancy in 2011, titled ‘How to murder your husband.’ In that blog, she reportedly stated the motives for killing one’s husband were financial and infidelity, among many others, with guns as the first option to commit the murder. According to investigative reports, a few days after Dan’s death, Nancy contacted the officials asking them to write a letter stating that she was no longer a suspect to allegedly collect a $40,000 insurance payout. Reports indicate that investigators later learned that she had taken several life insurance policies on Dan, amounting to around $800,000. Police records indicate that after searching Nancy’s laptop, they found she had purchased a ghost gun (which remains unregistered) in November 2017.
Investigative reports indicate that Nancy searched on Google for Glock revolvers, whether Glocks have a lot of kickback, and gun shops in Portland. In February 2018, she reportedly bought a 9 mm Glock 17, registered in her own name. According to court records, Nancy even went to eBay, where she bought an extra slide and barrel, which could be used to disguise the origin of a bullet or casing from a particular gun. The authorities reportedly believed that she swapped out the new slide and barrel with her gun’s. Nancy was ultimately arrested in September 2018 and charged with the murder of Dan. Her jury trial began on April 4, 2022, and she was convicted of second-degree murder in May 2022. By the following month, Nancy was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
