In a grimly ironic turn of events, author Nancy Crampton Brophy, 68, from Oregon, is facing murder charges for the killing of her husband, chef Daniel Brophy, 63.
What makes the situation unusual is that Brophy had previously published a piece titled How to Murder Your Husband, coupled with an explanation of how she was continually thinking about murder and police investigations.
Unfortunately for her, it does not seem like she understood the investigative process that well in the end, as detectives were able to narrow down their suspect list pretty fast and arrested her for the crime.
So far, no motive has been given, and prosecutors seem to be making slow progress on the case, although this is not far from the ordinary in situations like this one.
As can be expected, some have turned their attention to her previously published essays, hoping to find some clues about what could have pushed her off the edge.
She once wrote, “As a romantic suspense writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about murder and, consequently, about police procedure. After all, if the murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don’t want to spend any time in jail.”
So far, possible motives that have been inferred include cheating, abuse, and envy, although nothing specific has been narrowed down yet.
It does look like Brophy has an extensive collection of written works detailing various ways to dispatch of someone, so investigators likely have a lot of work ahead of them in trying to figure out what happened and what could have led to the incident.
Needless to say, a lot of attention is focused on the case at the moment, partially due to its ironic nature.
Indeed, it is already a viral title on social media and will likely keep circulating for a while.
Monday, she pleaded not guilty and is expected to head back to court on October 26.