Naman Shrestha
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Murder in Kitchen One’ chronicles the horrific killing of chef Daniel Brophy in Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 2018. As the detectives tried to get to the bottom of the case, they uncovered a strange connection between an online essay titled ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ and the murder of the 63-year-old man. The investigation and a series of evidence eventually led them to the perpetrator responsible for the crime. The documentary also features exclusive interviews with the chef’s family and friends, providing an emotional and detailed insight into the case.
Nancy Crampton-Brophy Killed Her Husband at His Workplace
Born on June 16, 1950, to two lawyers, Nancy Crampton-Brophy seemingly grew up in a privileged household in Wichita Falls, Texas. The University of Houston graduate relocated to Oregon in the early 1990s, after which she attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland. There, she crossed paths with Daniel Brophy, who was an instructor. Not long after they began dating, the two made their relationship official in the eyes of the law by tying the knot and starting a new life. Since she had a knack for writing, Nancy self-published several novels over the years, including ‘The Wrong Husband’ and an essay titled ‘How to Murder Your Husband.’ These write-ups were later highlighted and scrutinized as her husband, of more than two decades, was found dead.
On the morning of June 2, 2018, Daniel’s remains were discovered by one of his students in the kitchen of the Oregon Culinary Institute, where the 63-year-old man was employed as a teacher. Since he died from two gunshot wounds, the authorities launched a homicide investigation. The following day, Nancy broke the news on her social media, stating, “I have sad news to relate. My husband and best friend, Chef Dan Brophy was killed yesterday morning. For those of you who are close to me and feel this deserved a phone call, you are right, but I’m struggling to make sense of everything right now.” As the detectives delved deeper into the case and the evidence, they suspected that Nancy was involved in the killing of her husband.
During her interview, she claimed that she was nowhere near the Oregon Culinary Institute on the morning of the incident, as she had walked her dogs and taken a shower at her home. However, the truth was captured on surveillance footage, where she was seen driving to and from the crime scene at the time of the murder. When confronted by the authorities, she claimed she had likely driven to get coffee and had forgotten about it under the stress of the investigation. Although the murder weapon wasn’t found, the authorities were able to identify the make and the model of the gun used to shoot Daniel. The detectives zeroed in on Nancy as she had recently purchased a gun of the same make and model. In September 2018, the self-published novelist was arrested for killing Daniel Brophy.
Nancy Crampton-Brophy is Currently Incarcerated at an Oregon Prison Facility
After being indicted for Daniel Brophy’s killing, Nancy Crampton-Brophy was put on trial in April 2022. During the trial, the prosecution presented a series of circumstantial evidence against the defendant, focusing on her false statements about her whereabouts on the fateful morning. They told the jury that Nancy was the sole beneficiary of Daniel’s life insurance policies worth $1.4 million and the $300,000 house, alleging that she had killed him for these assets. Meanwhile, the defense argued that no physical or forensic evidence linked Nancy directly to the crime scene or the murder.
In the end, the jury of 12 deliberated for less than two days and reached a guilty verdict. On May 25, 2022, Nancy was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with Daniel Brophy’s murder. During her sentencing hearing on June 13, Daniel’s friends and family members took the stand and made victim impact statements. Daniel’s son from a previous marriage, Nathaniel Stillwater, addressed the killer and stated, “You opted to lie, cheat, steal, defraud and ultimately kill the man that was your biggest fan. You were – to borrow from your catalogue – the wrong wife.” Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years. As of today, 75-year-old Nancy Lee Crampton-Brophy is serving her sentence at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon.
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