S.D. woman guilty in dismemberment case

A woman accused of killing and dismembering her former lover's friend was convicted Thursday of premeditated murder and could become the state's first female defendant to face the death penalty.

Daphne Wright, 43, cried as the verdict was read.

The same jury that found her guilty after about seven hours of deliberations will consider whether to sentence her to death by lethal injection. Witnesses will begin testifying in that phase of the trial Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Wright was jealous of Darlene VanderGiesen, 42, because of her friendship with Wright's former lover. The jealousy turned to rage that drove Wright to kidnap VanderGiesen, kill her, cut apart the body with a chain saw and burn it in February 2006, according to the prosecution.

Remains were found in a Minnesota ditch and a Sioux Falls landfill. Wright, her former lover and VanderGiesen were deaf and knew each other through the deaf community.

After court was adjourned, prosecutors hugged members of the VanderGiesen family and friends. Prosecutor Dave Nelson met with VanderGiesen's immediate family in private for a few minutes.

"I am pleased about it," Laura Linton, one of VanderGiesen's friends who is deaf, said in a handwritten note.

Neither VanderGiesen's parents nor Wright's mother wanted to comment after the verdict. VanderGiesen's mother said she would wait until after the penalty phase; Wright's mother said she would talk when she was ready.

Traci Smith, one of Wright's lawyers, said prosecutors provided no evidence from the day VanderGiesen disappeared to prove kidnapping or murder, and instead focused on the dismemberment.

"Take yourself outside the emotions of the chain saw. This is a sad case. Darlene VanderGiesen died, and no verdict you bring is going to bring Darlene back," she said. "The state wants you to be distracted from the important aspects of this case: What happened on February 1st, 2006?"

Wright was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping.