As evidenced by the last entry, and by basically any review of popular media, murder makes for popular entertainment. Whether it’s in the realm of fiction, like a good pulpy beach thriller straight off the rack at Hudson News, or a questionably opportunistic true-crime podcast, people remain undeniably interested. A couple years ago, the worlds of fiction and true crime met in a thoroughly unpleasant way as the case of Dan Brophy’s murder was investigated.
Dan was married to Nancy Crampton Brophy, who was a writer who focused on romance and suspense. The more investigation they did, though, the less this seemed like unfortunate irony. One work of Nancy’s that particularly raised eyebrows was a blog post she’d written entitled “How to Murder Your Husband.” Though still hypothetical, this and other bits from Nancy’s past writings referenced a confidence in forensic knowledge, one she might have finally talked herself into putting to the test with a $1.5 million life insurance policy on the line. She knew enough to avoid cameras, and even to doctor the murder weapon so that the bullet casings wouldn’t match. But in the end, it probably would have been better if she’d kept her thoughts on the act unpublished. She was convicted of second-degree murder in 2022 and sentenced to life in prison.