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A three-judge panel began hearing evidence on Wednesday to decide whether a group sex-obsessed woman should become the first female sentenced to death in Nebraska for her role in the killing and dismemberment of a woman she met on Tinder. 

Bailey Boswell was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder last year for the slaying of Sydney Loofe.

Boswell's boyfriend during the murder, 54-year-old Aubrey Trail, was sentenced to death last month for fatally strangling Loofe and dismembering her body.

Authorities say Boswell lured Loofe, a 24-year-old clerk at a Menards hardware store, to her death through the dating app Tinder. 

Bailey Boswell listens to defense attorney Todd Lancaster during her death penalty sentencing hearing at the Saline County Courthouse,  on Wednesday in Wilber, Nebraska

Bailey Boswell, 27, is awaiting sentencing for her role in the murder. She and Aubrey Trail recruited women over Tinder to take part in their sex cult where they'd call him 'daddy' and her a 'witch' 

The pair met Loofe using the dating app Tinder then wanted her to participate in their lifestyle of defrauding antiques dealers and having group sex. 

Loofe's body parts were found in garbage bags, cut into 14 pieces and left in ditches along country roads in southeastern Nebraska. 

Before going on the date, Loofe had posted an excited selfie on Snapchat. It is unclear if she knew she was entering into a potential 'throuple' arrangement with both Boswell and Trail. 

Bailey Boswell and defense attorney Jeff Pickens listen to opening statements in the first day of Boswell's death penalty hearing. Boswell was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder last year for the slaying of Sydney Loofe, a store clerk

The last time anyone heard from Sydney Loofe was on November 15 when she posted a picture of herself to Snapchat, captioning the image: 'Ready for my date'

Prosecutors on Wednesday presented graphic autopsy photos to bolster their case that Boswell, 27, deserves to die for the crime.

Parts of her dismembered body were shown to the three-judge panel. It included several photos of her arms, head, torso and thighs. 

Prosecutor Doug Warner of the Nebraska attorney general's office argued that Boswell set up three Tinder accounts to arrange dates with women and bought tools that could be used to dismember a body shortly before her last date with Loofe. 

Warner pointed to previous testimony from three other women Boswell and Trail recruited that painted them as fascinated with group sex and gaining powers by torturing and killing someone. 

He noted that Loofe's internal organs were missing when they found her remains, arguing that the murder was especially depraved and deserving of the death penalty.  

Warner said Loofe was singled out as a victim.

'That the murder, where there was apparent relishment of the murder by the defendant, needless mutilation of the victim, senselessness of the crime and helplessness of the victim,' he said.   

Boswell's court-appointed attorney, Todd Lancaster, urged the judge panel to view his client based on her actions, and not those of Trail.

'It's the state of mind and actions of Bailey Boswell' that are relevant, Lancaster said.

Lancaster said the discussions of murder and torture are irrelevant because it happened weeks before Loofe met Boswell in person.

He also said that the dismemberment of the body occurred after Loofe had been killed, and that some courts have ruled that postmortem mutilation - particularly if used only to dispose of a body - should not be used to justify a death sentence.

'Mutilation cases be limited to cases where the mutilation is not simply an effort to hide the crime. The evidence you're going to see today is basically an effort to hide the crime,' said Lancaster. 

Lancaster went on to claim sentencing Boswell to death would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. He said that as the only woman on Nebraska's death row, she would likely be in solitary confinement for the rest of her life.

Prosecutors say Boswell could be part of the general prison population, and have many of their facilities available to her until she is executed.  

The three-judge panel is expected to hear evidence through Friday and impose a sentence several weeks later. 

Boswell, a former high school athlete from Leon, Iowa, could get the death penalty or life in prison.

Aubrey Trail, 54, was sentenced to death last month for the 2017 murder of Sydney Loofe, a young woman he lured on Tinder 

During Trail's sentencing last month, he revealed out Loofe 'freaked out' and worried she would go to the authorities so he killed her with an electrical cord. 

'I had no doubt she would tell people if I let her go,' said Trail, who was handcuffed, clad in orange jail garb and in a wheelchair throughout his sentencing.  

Trail tried to kill himself in custody by slitting his own throat but was unsuccessful. 

He was sentenced to death after telling the court that he 'couldn't care less' what kind of punishment he received. 

He did not apologize to the victim's family, saying it would be an 'insult' to do so. He also repeated earlier claims that Boswell is innocent and didn't take part in the killing. 

Loofe was found dead in December 2017 near Edgar, south-west of Omaha, about a month after she disappeared when she failed to return from a Tinder date with Trail's girlfriend, Bailey Boswell

During his 2019 trial, three women testified about how Trail would lure women into his sex cult via the dating app , then convince them he was a vampire who could fly and read minds.   

The women said they were all recruited via Boswell's Tinder account between July and November 2017. 

They described how Trail made them call him 'daddy' and how they engaged in group sex with him, Boswell and other women.

The women said Trail also referred to Boswell as the 'queen witch'.

One woman testified that Trail had a group of witches and that for her to become one of them she had to kill someone and 'take their last breath', the Omaha Herald reports.

She would gain more 'powers' if the person killed was tortured for hours beforehand, the woman testified.  

The woman described going to a Walmart with Trail and Boswell to grocery shop. She said they asked her if she was ready for her first 'kill'.

A potential Tinder date showed up but they ended up leaving her at the grocery store and Trail later said they would 'save her for another time'.

'It all sounded like it was real, very convincing,' she told the court.

Trail, shown testifying at trial, tried to kill himself in custody by slashing his own throat

The woman said she left the group before Loofe was killed, and said Trail and Boswell threatened to kill her family if she told anyone about what had happened.

Another woman testified that Trail and Boswell made her follow strict rules, including making contact every three hours to let them know where she was.

She also wasn't allowed to wear clothes in Trail's home.

The woman told the court she was punished if she broke the rules, including once where he choked her with a belt and another time where he slapped her in the head more than 10 times.

She testified that Trail and Boswell would often speak about killing and torturing other victims because they needed to strengthen their powers.

They allegedly spoke of cutting out people's eyelids, scalping them, cutting holes in people during sex, pouring acid on them and setting them on fire.

Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Doug Warner gives opening remarks at the sentencing hearing for Bailey Boswell at the Saline County Courthouse on Wednesday

She said Trail and Boswell had a killing bag - which they called 'Bailey's killing bag' - that included a sauna suit, hammer and pliers.

The woman said she initially agreed to take part in a killing. She also left the group before Loofe was killed.

Another part of being involved in Trail's sex cult helping the couple swindle others by buying and selling antiques.

The third woman testified that she was only interested in the antiques side of it and was never wanted to have sex with the couple.

She said she never believed Trail when he spoke about vampires and witches but testified that they regularly spoke about killing and torture. 

Trail slashed his neck and fell from his wheelchair in the middle of a hearing.

He was caught on camera yelling 'Bailey is innocent, and I curse you all' just seconds before swiping something across his neck.

He ended up needing stitches but was later released from a hospital. 

Authorities said he'd had a stroke and two heart attacks since his arrest.

The last time anyone heard from Loofe was November 15 when she posted a picture of herself to Snapchat, captioning the image: 'Ready for my date'.

She was reported missing by her mother the following day when she failed to show up for her cashier job at home improvement store Menards in Lincoln.

Her dismembered body was found a month later stuffed into garbage bags dumped in a field.

Bailey Boswell, right, listens during a hearing in August 2018 Saline County Court in Nebraska