Romance Novelist Murdered by Husband

One of the forgotten victims of domestic violence is Nancy Richards-Akers, a romance novelist who lived in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, June 5, 1999, her husband, Jeremy Akers, shot and killed her. Hours later, Akers killed himself near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.

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Estrangement and Warning Signs

As so often happens, Nancy knew she was in danger. She didn’t want her three children to see her murdered in front of them. He had already hit her in front of her children. So she decided to leave him, find another place, and ask for a divorce, no doubt knowing that would enrage her husband even more. Like many victims of domestic violence, she probably knew that many abusers become more violent when their partners leave.

Yet Nancy saw no other alternative. Months before her murder, she told a friend, “He threatened to kill me, broke my nose, and I was basically a hostage in my own house…” This was just one of many similar emails she sent to concerned friends. She had a hard time finding a place to live because some friends were also afraid of her husband.

Despite those obstacles, Nancy met another guy. Somebody who was finally the right guy for her. They planned to make a future together.

That future was shattered when her husband shot her in the back of her head. Twice. As she sat in a Jeep outside the home they once shared. Because she had refused to return to a marriage that made her fearful. Her 11-year-old child made the heartrending 911 call reporting the murder. Some reports say that two of her children witnessed the shooting, although that has been disputed.

When Nancy was murdered, she was writing another book, with the working title Lady of the Tower. No one else completed it, and it was never published.

Before the Dark Cloud

Before becoming a romance writer, Nancy worked in politics, first as a speechwriter and later as a congressional staffer. She later left her political jobs and forged ahead with a new career: romance writer. She told fans that a career in politics was “a tragic waste for a chronic daydreamer.” She started with traditional…