Renee Bishop-McKean, Wash. woman, convicted in electric saw attack on sleeping husband

(CBS/AP) EVERETT, Wash. - Renne Bishop-McKean, a Washington state woman accused of trying to decapitate her sleeping husband with an electric saw,  was convicted Thursday of attempted murder.

Jurors took about three hours to convict 44-year-old Bishop-McKean guilty of attempted murder and also first-degree assault for hitting the man in the head with a hatchet and mallet.

The jury was told the noise of the saw woke the victim on Oct. 14 and he fought his wife off. He was treated for cuts and scrapes.

Bishop-McKean told police an attacker must have entered the home through an open window, found the saw and attacked her husband. Deputy Prosecutor Paul Stern said the window was locked and would only open a few inches.

Bishop-McKean faces at least 15 years in prison at sentencing set for Oct. 4.

The couple was living apart, but the woman invited the husband over and told him to sleep on a mattress that she wrapped in plastic and covered with normal sheets.

Police found evidence that Bishop-McKean purchased the saw, hatchet and mallet shortly before the attack and stockpiled bleach and a supply of large garbage bags.

"You don't need to be concerned about the `why,' " Stern said in closing arguments Thursday. "You care about the `who.' "

Defense lawyer Ken Lee argued that prosecutors couldn't explain what happened or prove that his client was responsible. He offered three theories, including the mysterious intruder scenario suggested by Bishop-McKean.

Lee also suggested the victim might have hurt himself and blamed his wife. The defense lawyer acknowledged that option was "right out of Alfred Hitchcock." Another possibility was that Bishop-McKean was responsible for the attack, but if so, evidence suggests it was "a very half-hearted attempt" to kill.

The Daily Herald of Everett reports that tests on the tools showed DNA from both Bishop-McKean and her husband, with trace amounts from someone else -- which most likely came from someone who handled the saw at the store before its purchase.