A Minnesota political candidate who unleashed what prosecutors described as a bizarre “Home Alone”-style trap on an Airbnb tenant has now been convicted after a jury found her guilty of harassment and assault.

Marisa Simonetti, 32, was found guilty Friday, March 13, of gross misdemeanor harassment, misdemeanor domestic assault and disorderly conduct following a strange and escalating dispute with a tenant renting the basement of her home.

The case — which drew national attention for its surreal details — centered on a live tarantula that Simonetti tossed down the stairs toward the woman staying in her basement unit.

According to reports from the Star Tribune, Eden Prairie Local News and KARE 11, the incident happened on June 21, 2024, when Jacklyn Vasquez was renting the basement space through Airbnb while studying for the bar exam.

Prosecutors said tensions between the two women quickly escalated after Vasquez asked about hiring pest control because she had seen large spiders in the unit.

What followed, according to court records, sounded less like a landlord dispute and more like something out of a slapstick booby-trap comedy.

On the day of the incident, Vasquez called 911 multiple times after Simonetti allegedly began banging pots and pans upstairs while the tenant was trying to study.

Police say Simonetti also shut off the internet service to the home.

The situation escalated further when Simonetti and a man reportedly entered the basement unit by taking apart a door.

Feeling frightened, Vasquez retreated to her room but left her laptop recording at the bottom of the staircase to capture what was happening.

The footage would later become key evidence.

In the video, sounds of clanging pots and pans can be heard while a woman upstairs shouts “Hallelujah!”

Moments later, a cascade of objects begins tumbling down the staircase.

Small toys, pins, nails and other items rain down toward the basement.

Then comes the moment that made the case infamous.

“Spider infestation!” a voice yells in the recording.

A plastic container is dumped down the stairs — releasing a live tarantula along with dirt and debris from a terrarium.

When officers arrived, they found the staircase littered with tacks, nails, toys and the still-moving spider.

According to the criminal complaint, the tarantula was crawling around among the scattered debris.

Simonetti later told NBC News she intentionally bought the tarantula from a pet store during the dispute.

And she said the idea came straight from childhood movie memories.

“I watched Home Alone growing up,” she said in a 2024 interview with NBC News.

“If I’m scared or hurt, I try and make jokes,” Simonetti said. “And I was so scared, I was just like, I didn’t know what to do, and so, yeah, I got the spider.”

Simonetti said she believed the tenant had barricaded herself in the basement and refused to leave after Simonetti canceled the Airbnb reservation.

Short-term rentals are not allowed in Edina, according to reports.

But Vasquez told NBC News she wanted to leave the property and felt trapped by the escalating behavior.

“I desperately wanted to [leave],” she said. “She created a hostile environment.”

“Only when she was arrested, I fled,” Vasquez added.

Simonetti represented herself during the trial after parting ways with her attorney.

After the verdict, she told the Star Tribune she believes the outcome came down to her lack of courtroom experience.

“I was just outplayed,” she said. “That’s all.”

Simonetti — who previously ran for a seat on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and is currently running for U.S. Senate as an independent — is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1.

For prosecutors, the case served as a reminder that real-life landlord disputes are not supposed to resemble a scene from a Hollywood prank movie.

Especially when a live tarantula is involved.