Nancy Brophy Murder Trial: COVID-19 Forces Postponement

PORTLAND, OR — The murder trial of Nancy Crampton Brophy, the romance novelist accused of killing her chef husband, was scheduled to take a break until Wednesday, but that was extended Friday to May 2.

An unidentified person who had been in the courtroom during the trial tested positive Thursday for COVID-19, forcing the delay, according to Rachel McCarthy, a court spokeswoman.

McCarthy offered no further information about the person or whether the person was a lawyer, the defendant, a juror, an observer or someone else.

Prosecutors rested their case against Crampton Brophy in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Thursday, the 12th day of the trial. She is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of her husband, Daniel Brophy.

When the trial resumes, it was expected that the defense will begin presenting its case. It's not known if Crampton Brophy will take the stand to testify on her behalf.

Daniel Brophy, a chef and instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute, was shot twice and killed on June 2, 2018. Nancy was arrested and accused of pulling the trigger three months later.