HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Is ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ based on true story?

So for those wondering if the movie is based on a true story, here are all the details

PORTLAND, OREGON: 'How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story' is among the latest additions to the Lifetime lineup. Scheduled to air on the platform on Saturday, January 14, 2023, the film features Cybill Shepherd in the role of Nancy Crampton-Brophy, who seems to have a particular affinity for writing about murder.

The Portland-based romance-thriller author crafted stories about tumultuous relationships, utilizing seductive men on their covers to captivate her audience. Many of her works were centered around female protagonists who daydreamed of murdering their spouses or abandoning them and concocting an elaborate plan of faking their own death, a la ‘Gone Girl’. So for those wondering if the movie is based on a true story, here are all the details.

READ MORE

Oregon novelist charged with killing husband for $1.1M insurance seeks prison release over fear of coronavirus

Steamy romance writer allegedly shot and murdered her husband of 25 years, possibly inspired by her own works

Is ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ based on a true story?

‘How to Murder Your Husband’ is, in fact, based on a true story. While the real Nancy had at first only imagined committing the murder of her husband, Daniel Brophy, fiction soon turned into reality when she brutally shot Daniel in cold blood and killed him. What connected her to the murder was an essay she wrote in 2011. Nancy’s essay 'How To Murder Your Husband' presented a different perspective on the topic of ending a marriage. The author takes a unique approach, assuming the viewpoint of a woman contemplating killing her husband. She argues that divorce is expensive and that splitting possessions can be a hassle. Therefore, a woman must be both cunning and determined to carry out her plan successfully. Ultimately, Nancy suggests that everyone has the potential to become a murderer if they are pushed too far.

Nancy’s husband, Daniel, was a chef and respected teacher at the Oregon Culinary Institute. He was found shot twice in the kitchen of the Institute in June 2018. Nancy had even compiled a lengthy catalog of techniques to commit murder, such as using firearms, cutlery, toxins, and assassins. But according to BBC, prosecutors did not need the text to prove she murdered Daniel. According to reports, Nancy had the motive and the capability to kill her husband, demonstrating that the pair had encountered financial difficulty, and she would have $1.4M from the insurance company after his death. Nancy was found guilty and handed a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Watch ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ to catch the full story on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 8 pm ET/PT on Lifetime.