A jury in Washington State has found a trans woman guilty of the murder of three prostitutes, nearly 30 years after the crimes were committed.

Donna Perry was convicted in conjunction with the deaths of Yolanda Sapp, Nickie Lowe and Kathleen Brisbois in Spokane in 1990. All three bodies were found dumped in the Spokane River with their genitals exposed.

Prosecutors maintained Perry was a serial killer, methodically choosing her victims and planning her attacks over a three-month period. But deputy prosecutor Sharon Hedlund also suggested Perry's transition, begun a decade after the murders, was a ploy to avoid suspicion.

"She gelded herself like you would a farm animal," Hedlund crudely claimed in closing arguments. During the trial, Hedlund also argued Perry killed the women because she was jealous of their ability to have children.

“We know it was a tough case, and we are obviously pleased with the verdict,” Hedlund said Wednesday. “We hope this gives the families some closure.”

Perry's DNA was found on or near all three women, and she was known to frequent the same strip of East Sprague Avenue as the victims. But defense attorneys maintained the evidence was merely circumstantial and criticized the constantly changing motive offered by prosecutors.

“It’s one of those things where the jury put a lot of weight on what was said while Donna was in jail,” he said, referencing a jailhouse informant who testified Perry confessed to committing other murders. "That’s what this boils down to, because the physical evidence wasn’t there."

Before adjourning, Superior Court Judge Michael Price thanked Perry, now 65, "for all the dignity you’ve shown."

She will be sentenced on July 24, and faces life in prison on each conviction.