Deaf African-American Woman Found Guilty of Murder and Dismemberment with Chainsaw

The South Dakota Chainsaw Massacre

For the first time ever, a woman in South Dakota faces the death penalty. On Thursday, a woman accused of killing and dismembering her previous lesbian lover and partner's could become the first woman to be sentenced to death in the state of South Dakota.

The deaf African-American woman, Daphne Wright, age 43, was found guilty after prosecutors said that Wright was extremely jealous of another woman, Iowa resident Darlene VanderGiesen (who was also deaf), age 42, simply because of her mutual friendship with Wright's former partner. This jealousy turned into hate and rage, and then Wright kidnapped VanderGiesen. It was not a simple murder, nor a quick and painless one for VanderGiesen.

On February 1, 2006 VanderGiesen met Wright at a local Pizza Hut for what she thought would be a friendly get-together on a neutral basis. She ended up getting into Wright's car, which went along with Wright's plan to murder her. Later that day Wright killed VanderGiesen with blows to the head and suffocating her with a plastic bag. Wright waited two days to receive a check in order to buy a chainsaw. During this time, VanderGiesen's body was kept in her basement. After the purchase of the chainsaw, Wright cut the body into four separate pieces. Her remains were found in a ditch and in a landfill in Sioux Falls.

Wright's lawyers argued that there was a lack of evidence, especially with the time frame between the death of VanderGiesen and the later dismemberment of her body.

After 8 hours of deliberation, a jury of 11 women and one man found Wright guilty on one count of premeditated murder and kidnapping in the first degree. The same jury now decides Wright's fate, which will most likely be death by lethal injection.

Daphne Wright wept and covered her eyes as her guilty verdict was read to her in the South Dakota court room. VanderGiesen's family hugged and thanked the prosecuting lawyers who had succeeded in finding Wright guilty and bringing her to justice.