(CNN) --
Nancy Crampton-Brophy, author of the essay "How to Murder Your Husband," was sentenced Monday to life in prison for her husband's murder.
Crampton-Brophy, 71, was convicted in May of second-degree murder in the death of her husband, chef Daniel Brophy, who was shot to death at the culinary school where he taught cooking classes.
In court documents, prosecutors said the 63-year-old man had been shot twice, once in the back as he stood by a sink filling ice buckets and water for students, and then in the chest at close range.
The couple was in debt — Crampton-Brophy's self-published novels didn't sell well — and he was insured for more than $1 million, prosecutors argued.
Crampton-Brophy stated that she was better off financially with her husband alive, and that the fact that her minivan was seen near the school was just a coincidence.
Novelist who wrote 'How to Murder Your Husband' accused of killing her husband
Prosecutors said in court that the author followed her husband to work and shot him with a Glock pistol.
Investigators found two 9mm shell casings at the scene.
She had also purchased a "ghost gun" mounting kit that investigators later found in a warehouse.
"Ghost guns" are unregistered and untraceable firearms.
Crampton-Brophy bought a pistol and a ghost gun kit as part of research for a new book, he told the jury.
"What I can say is that it was for writing," he said.
News of the murder and the resulting criminal charges made headlines everywhere, in part due to an essay Crampton-Brophy wrote seven years before her husband's death.
In 2011, he posted it on a notorious blog titled "How to Murder Your Husband."
"As a romantic thriller writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about the murder and consequently the police procedure," the 700-word post began.
She posted to a blog called "See Jane Publish" which has since been made private.
The essay was divided into sections detailing the pros and cons of killing a villainous husband.
"If murder is supposed to set me free, I certainly don't want to spend any time in jail," Crampton-Brophy wrote.
"And let me state plainly for the record, I don't like monkeys and orange is not my color."
The trial judge ruled that the essay would not be allowed in evidence because it was written years ago as part of a writing seminar and could unfairly prejudice the jury.
It turns out that the jurors did not need to read it to reach their verdict.
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