Daniel Brophy case on Killer Grannies: Who was behind the chef’s murder?

Daniel Brophy, a chef and instructor, was found shot dead in a teaching kitchen at the Oregon Culinary Institute on June 2, 2018, in Portland, Oregon. The 63-year-old, known for his passion for food and gentle demeanor, had been gunned down with two 9mm bullets to the back and chest in what seemed like a directed attack.

No valuables were missing, indicating a personal motive rather than robbery. Attention in the investigation soon turned to his wife of 27 years, Nancy Crampton Brophy, a 68-year-old self-published romance novelist whose 2011 essay "How to Murder Your Husband" raised some eyebrows for its detailed musings on spousal killings.

After a trial built on circumstantial evidence like surveillance footage of her van near the scene and her recent gun purchases, a jury convicted Nancy of second-degree murder in May 2022, sentencing her to life in prison with parole possible after 25 years.

This case was explored in Oxygen's Killer Grannies, hosted by actress June Squibb. The episode aired on November 9, 2025, on Oxygen. Viewers can stream it on Peacock or the Oxygen website.

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Killer Grannies: The murder of chef Daniel Brophy

Daniel Brophy was a chef (Image via Unsplash/ @ Dan Rooney)

Nancy Crampton Brophy was found guilty of killing her husband, Daniel Brophy. The prosecution contended that her actions were motivated by financial strains, as the couple was in debt due to her unsuccessful writing career and exhausted retirement funds.

Nancy would receive more than $1 million in life insurance and home equity upon Daniel's passing, giving her a route to stability that she claimed was absent from their marriage. A partial license plate match verified the key evidence, which included surveillance footage from a nearby brewery showing her blue minivan driving to and from the institute during the 8:30 a.m. killing window, as per Oxygen.

Nancy had bought a 9mm Glock pistol at a gun show four months prior and parts for an untraceable ghost gun online the year before, which she claimed were for book research, even though the murder weapon was never found.

Although ballistics did not establish a direct connection between her firearm and the two 9mm shell casings found at the scene, experts speculated that she might have altered or thrown away the weapon. Nancy quickly sought confirmation that she was not a suspect to claim insurance benefits, changing her alibi during police interviews from staying at home to a forgotten coffee run.

The jury, after two days of deliberation in an eight-week trial, found the circumstantial case compelling enough for a second-degree murder conviction, rejecting her denials of involvement, according to Oxygen.

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The life and marriage of Daniel and Nancy Brophy

Nancy Crampton shot Daniel Brophy (Image via Unsplash/ @ Max Kleinen)

The son of a preacher, Daniel Brophy grew up in North Dakota and fell in love with cooking and the American West, which lasted a lifetime. He became a loving grandfather figure after a difficult first marriage and a period of separation from his son, Nathaniel.

The 63-year-old was praised by his peers as an encyclopedia of food for his extensive knowledge and patient teaching style while he was employed as a culinary instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute. He and Nancy Crampton connected over their love of food and adventure when they met while she was enrolled in Portland's culinary school, as Oxygen reported.

Before turning to writing sultry romance novels like The Wrong Husband, Nancy, who was born in Texas to lawyers, had established a catering company. Despite modest sales, she followed her passion as president of the local Rose City Romance Writers group.

The couple, who had been married for more than 20 years, enjoyed romantic vacations and family outings with Nathaniel's kids, whom Nancy referred to as her grandbabies, in their modest suburban home worth $300,000. She presented Daniel Brophy as her perfect partner, who understood exactly what he wanted out of life, and said that their relationship was stable, with "more good times than bad."

Despite surface harmony, underlying money worries emerged, including drained savings and Nancy's aspirations for a more glamorous existence through her books. Friends and associates saw them as a typical older couple, unaware of the tensions that would surface after Daniel Brophy's death, as per Oxygen.

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The investigation unravels

Killer Grannies: episode 1 (Image via Unsplash/ @ Markus Winkler)

Daniel Brophy's body was found by students entering the kitchen at around 9 a.m. on June 2, 2018, and the murder investigation got underway right away. Upon closer examination, emergency personnel verified gunshot wounds after noting what appeared to be a heart attack.

After interviewing witnesses who said Daniel Brophy was by himself and the door was unlocked, police secured the urban Portland location, indicating the shooter may have entered undetected. The focus shifted to a personal attack after initial theories suggested robbery, but his wallet, containing cash and cards, was found intact, according to Oxygen.

Soon after, Nancy showed up, cooperative and crying. She complained about missing security cameras and raised the possibility of Daniel Brophy's ex-wife seeking revenge, which the lead detectives promptly ruled out. Financial documents over time exposed the couple's difficulties, including Nancy's insistence on completing insurance paperwork as soon as possible.

Brewery footage that showed a minivan similar to hers leaving the area at 8:32 a.m. and returning by 8:42 a.m., which coincided with the estimated shooting time, provided a breakthrough. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had bought ghost gun parts on eBay in 2017 and a Glock in early 2018, both of which she claimed were novel inspirations.

By November 2018, she was arrested on charges of murder and possession of weapons due to sufficient circumstantial evidence. Detectives stressed that the murder was vengeful and that the shots were fired in an area Daniel Brophy was familiar with, execution-style, as per Oxygen. Over the course of five months, this methodical unraveling, which relied more on records and video than DNA, built the case.

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The trial and sentencing

Nancy Crampton was sentenced to life in prison (Image via Unsplash/ @ Tim Photoguy)

The trial, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, began in April 2022 and ran eight weeks in Multnomah County Circuit Court with testimony from witnesses and debates over evidence. Led by Shawn Overstreet, prosecutors introduced van footage, gun purchases, and insurance motives unrelated to direct forensic links, while painting a picture of Nancy's character needing to escape hardship, as per Oxygen.

The prosecution said she followed Daniel Brophy to work in under fifteen minutes and shot him and drove away. Nancy testified she loved her husband, that it was better if he was alive for her, that the shock was why she couldn't remember that morning, and that the weapons were actually props from writing sessions. Her defense team, led by Lisa Maxfield, highlighted the lack of eyewitnesses and ballistics matches, characterizing the case as a web of coincidences with a random attacker.

The 2011 essay was cited but not accepted because of concerns about bias. After eight hours of deliberation and contrasting her "tongue-in-cheek" writing to her real actions in the closing arguments, the jury convicted her of second-degree murder on May 25, 2022. On June 13, Judge Christopher Ramras sentenced Nancy to life in prison with eligibility for parole in 25 years, according to Oxygen.

During the hearing, Daniel Brophy's son, Nathaniel, called Nancy a "monster," as she maintained that she was innocent. Since her arrest in 2018, she has been incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility; no successful appeals have been documented, as Oxygen reported.

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Watch Killer Grannies, available on Oxygen.

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