TUCSON, Ariz. — A once-prominent socialite has been found guilty in the 1996 Tucson car bomb killing of her ex-husband.
Lawyers for Pamela Phillips had argued their client had nothing to gain from the death of businessman Gary Triano, and that she was a successful real estate broker with her own assets.
But prosecutors described Phillips as a gold digger who hired a former boyfriend to kill Triano to collect on a $2 million life insurance policy.
The trial began in February. Jurors began deliberating last week before finding Phillips guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The ex-boyfriend was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to two life terms.
Triano, a Tucson developer, died when his car exploded outside a country club.
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