RALEIGH — A Wake County jury has foundCarlette Parkerguilty of first degree kidnapping and first degree murder.

The jury heard a week's worth of testimony, but it only took a couple of hours to render a verdict.

In closing arguments Tuesday, prosecutors called Parker a planner, a schemer and a murderer.

They said Parker befriendedAlice Covingtonand swindled her out of thousands of dollars.

When Covington caught on to the scheme, prosecutors said Parker killed Covington to cover her seedy financial tracks, drowning Covington in a bathtub.

In her defense, Parker's attorneys said their client does not have a history of violence.

They said the state's case was based mostly on circumstantial evidence. They pointed to the testimony of two medical examiners, who could not say, without a shadow of a doubt, how Covington died.

Last May,Covington's body was foundin the front seat of her car parked in a wooded area in Morrisville.

The sentencing phase of the trial could start as early as Wednesday. Prosecutors could seek the death penalty.