A man who masterminded the 1985 murder of his wife in a plot that inspired two books and a television miniseries has died in a central California prison.
A spokesman for California State Prison, Corcoran, said David Brown died of natural causes in a prison hospital on Thursday. He was 61.
Anthony Bear said Brown was in a protective housing unit because of his notoriety for the killing of Linda Brown in the couple's Orange County home.
He was accused of persuading two teenagers - one his daughter, the other his sister-in-law and secret lover - to kill his wife. The computer businessman went on to collect $US835,000 from the victim's insurance, including several policies started just months before her death.
The plot inspired the American 1991 miniseries, Love, Lies and Murder.
