Minnesota woman running for U.S. Senate found guilty in tarantula-throwing incident

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A Minnesota woman running for U.S. Senate, accused of throwing a live tarantula onto a staircase leading to where her then-tenant was staying, has been convicted in the 2024 incident, according to court records.

A jury on Friday found Marisa Simonetti, 32, guilty of one count each of domestic assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.

According to the criminal complaint, an individual had been renting out the basement of Simonetti's Edina, Minnesota, home through Airbnb in June 2024. They reported to police that "everything had been fine" until she requested that pest control be hired due to "a lot of large spiders in the basement."

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Police later reviewed a video the individual recorded of Simonetti and the man, which showed the pair talking through a closed door while music was playing loudly, according to the complaint. The video later showed the door was breached, and Simonetti throwing a live tarantula onto stairs leading to the basement and spraying an "unknown substance" in the stairwell.

Court documents said tacks, blocks and toys were also thrown down the stairs during the video.

The individual told police Simonetti had "created so much fear" in them that they could only imagine the reason she and the man would force entry into her living space would be to harm her, according to the complaint.

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