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Caretaker Guilty Of Murdering Disabled Pleasant Hill Woman

MARTINEZ (AP) -- A former live-in caretaker faced 16 years to life in prison after a jury found her guilty of murdering a 70-year-old disabled Pleasant Hill woman.

Jurors convicted 57-year-old Diane Warrick of second-degree murder on Monday in the death of Mary Jane Scanlon.

Warrick was accused of fatally stabbing Scanlon, the woman she was caring for, on June 23 at Scanlon's home.

Prosecutors said Warrick was angry she had to clean up after Scanlon's pets and wasn't allowed to park her RV in front of the home. They had sought a first-degree murder conviction.

Warrick testified that she was hallucinating that she was fighting her abusive father when she attacked Scanlon. Her attorney called on jurors to convict Warrick of manslaughter.

Warrick is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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