Unsealed Court Documents Build a Case Against the Wife of a Murdered Chef Instructor

Multnomah County Circuit Court has released new documents regarding Nancy Crampton-Brophy and the murder of her husband, Oregon Culinary Institute chef instructor Daniel Brophy.

On June 2, the locally beloved culinary instructor was found dead inside the Goose Hollow cooking school; in September, his wife was arrested for his murder. An affidavit written by county prosecutor Shawn Overstreet details evidence against the Portland-based author, including surveillance camera footage, a hefty life insurance policy, and a saved search relating to murder cover-ups.

As first reported by the Portland Mercury, surveillance cameras caught Crampton-Brophy driving in front of the culinary school at 7:08 a.m. June 2, then again at 7:28 a.m. Her husband set off the culinary school’s alarms entering the building at 7:21 a.m.; he was the only person in the building at that time, according to Overstreet’s affidavit. A coworker discovered his body at 8 a.m. that morning. Crampton-Brophy originally claimed she had stayed at home all morning.

Overstreet also says that the widow called lead detective Darren Posey approximately three days after her husband’s death, asking for them to send a letter confirming she wasn’t a suspect so she could receive the life insurance payout. She told detectives that she had a $40,000 policy for Brophy — according to detectives, Crampton-Brophy actually had several policies in which she was the beneficiary, valued closer to $350,000. Investigators also discovered an article called “10 ways to cover up a murder” bookmarked on the couple’s joint iTunes account.

This latest batch of evidence comes after The Oregonian revealed Crampton-Brophy’s writing career, which included a 2011 essay titled “How to Murder Your Husband.” Crampton-Brophy is currently awaiting trial.

• Overstreet affidavit [Official]
• Court Documents Reveal New Information on Romance Novelist Accused of Husband’s Murder [Merc]
• Oregon Culinary Institute Chef Instructor Fatally Shot This Weekend [EPDX]
• Wife Arrested for the Murder of Oregon Culinary Institute’s Daniel Brophy [EPDX]