1 00:00:13,162 --> 00:00:16,393 [music playing] 2 00:00:22,509 --> 00:00:23,969 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 3 00:00:24,073 --> 00:00:27,896 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson lies dead in a hotel room. 4 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,136 Baffled detectives can't figure out who would want her dead. 5 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,916 This was unlike any other investigation that I had. 6 00:00:35,020 --> 00:00:37,418 Her body was found in the bathroom, 7 00:00:37,523 --> 00:00:40,373 she had been covered up with some sort of blanket or cloth, 8 00:00:40,476 --> 00:00:41,519 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 9 00:00:41,623 --> 00:00:44,610 On the run, 56-year-old Lois Riess, 10 00:00:44,716 --> 00:00:47,217 wife, mother, grandmother. 11 00:00:47,322 --> 00:00:49,511 Unfortunately, there are some very dangerous people 12 00:00:49,616 --> 00:00:52,987 out there, people who you would not expect by looking at them 13 00:00:53,091 --> 00:00:54,376 that they were dangerous. 14 00:00:59,137 --> 00:01:01,084 We have to get her before she commits another murder. 15 00:01:01,188 --> 00:01:02,682 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 16 00:01:02,787 --> 00:01:07,060 Could this smiling grandmother really be a double murderer? 17 00:01:07,164 --> 00:01:08,695 We're about to find out. 18 00:01:08,799 --> 00:01:14,844 I've had some wild cases that I have covered over the years, 19 00:01:14,950 --> 00:01:17,417 but I've never seen one like this before. 20 00:01:17,521 --> 00:01:20,858 Are you sure the person lying next to you in bed 21 00:01:20,962 --> 00:01:22,178 would never hurt you? 22 00:01:22,282 --> 00:01:27,251 If not, you might have to pay more attention. 23 00:01:27,355 --> 00:01:30,901 I'm Michelle Trachtenberg, and it's time for another tale 24 00:01:31,005 --> 00:01:33,089 of "Meet, Marry, Murder." 25 00:01:33,194 --> 00:01:36,912 [music playing] 26 00:01:49,075 --> 00:01:50,119 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 27 00:01:50,222 --> 00:01:52,412 Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, just 28 00:01:52,516 --> 00:01:54,739 your average Midwestern backwater. 29 00:01:54,843 --> 00:01:58,249 Blooming Prairie is a small, small town. 30 00:01:58,353 --> 00:02:03,323 It's less than 2,000 people live there in Blooming Prairie. 31 00:02:03,428 --> 00:02:08,328 But it's a very tight-knit community where the people-- 32 00:02:08,433 --> 00:02:10,204 they're-- they're really, really great people. 33 00:02:10,309 --> 00:02:11,629 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 34 00:02:11,733 --> 00:02:15,000 To the outside world, Lois and David Riess appear 35 00:02:15,104 --> 00:02:16,806 to be the perfect couple. 36 00:02:16,910 --> 00:02:20,074 They met as teenagers, fell in love, got married, 37 00:02:20,178 --> 00:02:22,750 started a family, and I don't think 38 00:02:22,854 --> 00:02:25,530 anybody would suspect Lois of doing 39 00:02:25,634 --> 00:02:28,171 anything untoward with anyone. 40 00:02:28,275 --> 00:02:31,924 She looks like a matronly, lovely person 41 00:02:32,028 --> 00:02:34,600 who might bake you cookies or take care of your children 42 00:02:34,704 --> 00:02:36,164 when you're gone. 43 00:02:36,268 --> 00:02:39,917 Lois and David Riess were both from Rochester, Minnesota. 44 00:02:40,021 --> 00:02:42,800 They both were born in the 1960s, 45 00:02:42,905 --> 00:02:45,477 and then, about 20 years later, they married. 46 00:02:45,581 --> 00:02:49,438 So it was like, local boy meets and marries local girl. 47 00:02:49,543 --> 00:02:51,837 It's that kind of wholesome story. 48 00:02:51,941 --> 00:02:53,435 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): In the 1980s 49 00:02:53,539 --> 00:02:56,910 Lois and David moved out to the country to start a family. 50 00:02:57,014 --> 00:02:58,925 CAROLYN CANVILLE: David serves in the Navy, 51 00:02:59,030 --> 00:03:02,227 and when he gets out, he opens up a bait shop. 52 00:03:02,332 --> 00:03:06,225 He eventually sells it, and then he opens up his-- 53 00:03:06,328 --> 00:03:09,177 his own worm farm business. 54 00:03:09,281 --> 00:03:11,367 They have this-- what looks like this really 55 00:03:11,471 --> 00:03:13,139 nice storybook life together. 56 00:03:13,243 --> 00:03:17,935 Just a happy couple, really well-liked in the community. 57 00:03:18,039 --> 00:03:20,715 And what people don't know is that it's 58 00:03:20,820 --> 00:03:23,946 not such a pretty picture behind closed doors. 59 00:03:24,051 --> 00:03:27,179 [music playing] 60 00:03:28,465 --> 00:03:29,959 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): As a newspaper 61 00:03:30,063 --> 00:03:33,190 editor for the "Owatonna Peoples Press," Jeffrey Jackson got 62 00:03:33,295 --> 00:03:36,284 to know all about Lois Riess. 63 00:03:36,388 --> 00:03:38,543 There was a history of-- 64 00:03:38,647 --> 00:03:40,836 of depression in her family. 65 00:03:40,940 --> 00:03:41,982 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 66 00:03:42,086 --> 00:03:43,998 But it wasn't just depression. 67 00:03:44,102 --> 00:03:48,343 Lois was taking a cocktail of antipsychotic medication, 68 00:03:48,447 --> 00:03:53,243 or was supposed to, much to her husband David's frustration. 69 00:03:53,347 --> 00:03:55,674 So she has a troubled history here 70 00:03:55,779 --> 00:03:59,497 that most people in the community had-- had no idea. 71 00:03:59,602 --> 00:04:02,730 Nobody ever suspected that there was any huge conflict, 72 00:04:02,834 --> 00:04:04,744 and they just kind of blended right into the neighborhood. 73 00:04:04,849 --> 00:04:05,961 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 74 00:04:06,066 --> 00:04:07,803 As they started raising their family, 75 00:04:07,907 --> 00:04:11,347 Lois and David were fixtures in the local community, 76 00:04:11,451 --> 00:04:15,448 and often seen regulars at the local servicemen's club. 77 00:04:15,553 --> 00:04:18,402 While Lois cared for her disabled sister, 78 00:04:18,507 --> 00:04:21,321 David could usually be found out on the lake fishing 79 00:04:21,424 --> 00:04:22,608 with his grandkids. 80 00:04:22,712 --> 00:04:26,846 Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. 81 00:04:26,950 --> 00:04:29,731 And there's a lot of fishing that goes on in this state. 82 00:04:29,835 --> 00:04:31,330 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 83 00:04:31,434 --> 00:04:34,492 Journalist Carolyn Canville spent time researching the life 84 00:04:34,596 --> 00:04:36,230 of David and Lois Riess. 85 00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:40,956 He's a real outdoorsy guy he loves fishing, hunting, 86 00:04:41,061 --> 00:04:43,424 and boating, and especially loves sharing 87 00:04:43,528 --> 00:04:45,786 that with his grandchildren. 88 00:04:45,891 --> 00:04:47,455 He was a good man. 89 00:04:47,559 --> 00:04:50,339 He loved his family, loved his grandchildren. 90 00:04:50,442 --> 00:04:51,971 It's a big, expanded family. 91 00:04:52,075 --> 00:04:53,814 You can imagine the types of nice 92 00:04:53,918 --> 00:04:55,273 get togethers they might have. 93 00:04:55,378 --> 00:04:57,498 And it seemed like the family was very close-knit. 94 00:04:57,602 --> 00:05:01,668 Everybody knew grandma Lois, and they enjoyed visiting her. 95 00:05:01,772 --> 00:05:02,919 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 96 00:05:03,023 --> 00:05:04,378 While they appear to be just a couple 97 00:05:04,482 --> 00:05:06,706 of regular Midwestern grandparents, 98 00:05:06,811 --> 00:05:10,146 behind closed doors, Lois's mental health 99 00:05:10,251 --> 00:05:13,205 issues were getting worse. 100 00:05:13,310 --> 00:05:16,090 On top of that, she was starting to develop 101 00:05:16,194 --> 00:05:18,209 an unhealthy addiction. 102 00:05:18,313 --> 00:05:20,816 The hidden part of Lois his personality was that she 103 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,839 actually was a thrill-seeker and she did this through gambling. 104 00:05:23,943 --> 00:05:25,020 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 105 00:05:25,125 --> 00:05:27,800 Soon, Lois's gambling habit began 106 00:05:27,906 --> 00:05:29,399 leading her down a dark path. 107 00:05:29,503 --> 00:05:31,519 Once the gambling addiction took hold, 108 00:05:31,623 --> 00:05:33,291 there was nothing that could stop her. 109 00:05:33,396 --> 00:05:37,114 And if she didn't have the funds to bankroll her gambling, 110 00:05:37,219 --> 00:05:39,477 she would stop at nothing to steal. 111 00:05:39,581 --> 00:05:41,076 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 112 00:05:41,181 --> 00:05:44,654 Conveniently, as her disabled sister's primary caretaker, 113 00:05:44,759 --> 00:05:47,922 Lois had easy access to sister's accounts, 114 00:05:48,027 --> 00:05:54,837 eventually siphoning off more than $100,000. 115 00:05:54,941 --> 00:05:57,305 Lois was appointed as her guardian, 116 00:05:57,410 --> 00:06:01,128 and she stole $100,000 before they said, 117 00:06:01,232 --> 00:06:02,552 something's wrong here. 118 00:06:02,657 --> 00:06:04,985 I think Lois knew that she had an opportunity, that 119 00:06:05,089 --> 00:06:07,800 are cognitively disabled sister relied on her for everything, 120 00:06:07,905 --> 00:06:09,780 and possibly wouldn't even understand 121 00:06:09,884 --> 00:06:11,934 that she had stolen from her. 122 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:15,132 And so she did so very easily right under her nose. 123 00:06:15,237 --> 00:06:16,627 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): Lois 124 00:06:16,731 --> 00:06:19,163 almost got away with it, too. 125 00:06:19,267 --> 00:06:22,499 She was not charged criminally in that, 126 00:06:22,604 --> 00:06:25,384 but she was removed as guardian. 127 00:06:25,488 --> 00:06:27,781 And in the papers and the legal documents 128 00:06:27,885 --> 00:06:29,588 that were filed removing her from that, 129 00:06:29,692 --> 00:06:34,418 it did indicate that she had spent thousands and thousands 130 00:06:34,522 --> 00:06:35,983 and thousands of dollars gambling, 131 00:06:36,088 --> 00:06:38,346 particularly at this one Casino, the Diamond 132 00:06:38,451 --> 00:06:41,891 Jo Casino, which isn't far from their home in Blooming Prairie. 133 00:06:41,995 --> 00:06:43,212 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 134 00:06:43,316 --> 00:06:45,366 After spending years covering up for Lois, 135 00:06:45,470 --> 00:06:48,216 her issues were starting to put a strain on her marriage 136 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,779 with David. 137 00:06:49,883 --> 00:06:53,499 Everything was saying that the source of their trouble 138 00:06:53,603 --> 00:06:57,355 was money, and particularly, the money she 139 00:06:57,459 --> 00:06:59,405 was using for gambling. 140 00:06:59,509 --> 00:07:01,074 She had an addiction problem. 141 00:07:01,179 --> 00:07:03,610 She had a mental illness that she 142 00:07:03,715 --> 00:07:04,930 wasn't properly treating because she had 143 00:07:05,035 --> 00:07:06,877 discontinued her medication. 144 00:07:06,981 --> 00:07:08,233 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 145 00:07:08,337 --> 00:07:10,909 Whatever Lois was after, one thing's for sure, 146 00:07:11,013 --> 00:07:14,766 her demons were about to put her husband's life in danger. 147 00:07:14,870 --> 00:07:16,954 I believe that she had planned that she was going to have 148 00:07:17,059 --> 00:07:19,005 to continue along this path of crime 149 00:07:19,109 --> 00:07:21,229 so that she could amass enough wealth for herself 150 00:07:21,333 --> 00:07:22,967 to do everything that she wanted. 151 00:07:23,071 --> 00:07:27,206 It seemed as if it just kind of came to a one day. 152 00:07:27,310 --> 00:07:28,944 Seemed like she just snapped. 153 00:07:32,523 --> 00:07:34,400 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: After 35 years of marriage, 154 00:07:34,504 --> 00:07:36,241 you would think David Riess would 155 00:07:36,346 --> 00:07:39,857 have realized that his wife was a ticking time bomb. 156 00:07:39,961 --> 00:07:43,505 Or maybe he just thought that when she exploded, 157 00:07:43,609 --> 00:07:46,354 it wouldn't be on him. 158 00:07:46,458 --> 00:07:50,838 Either way, she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. 159 00:07:50,942 --> 00:07:54,764 In fact, she was just starting to speed up. 160 00:07:54,868 --> 00:07:58,136 [music playing] 161 00:08:11,931 --> 00:08:16,762 In March of 2018, Lois Riess's declining mental health 162 00:08:16,865 --> 00:08:21,349 and addiction to gambling was about to reach a boiling point. 163 00:08:21,453 --> 00:08:24,893 So here's this woman, you know, she's in her 60s. 164 00:08:24,998 --> 00:08:29,272 She and her husband have been married for over three decades. 165 00:08:29,376 --> 00:08:32,712 They have three children, five grandchildren, 166 00:08:32,817 --> 00:08:37,474 and then, suddenly, one night, she decides to kill him. 167 00:08:37,579 --> 00:08:41,226 He and Lois had apparently gone to see 168 00:08:41,331 --> 00:08:44,459 grandkids in sporting events. 169 00:08:44,562 --> 00:08:50,297 On the way back to their home, they started arguing. 170 00:08:50,401 --> 00:08:54,884 My guess is that they had been arguing about money, 171 00:08:54,989 --> 00:09:00,167 and, particularly, about money being used by Lois 172 00:09:00,270 --> 00:09:02,077 to feed her gambling habit. 173 00:09:02,182 --> 00:09:05,067 When you look at how she decided to cross that line 174 00:09:05,171 --> 00:09:09,793 into killing, it was really motivated, first and foremost, 175 00:09:09,897 --> 00:09:11,114 by finances and money. 176 00:09:11,217 --> 00:09:12,573 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 177 00:09:12,677 --> 00:09:15,214 Lois's gambling may have caused her and her husband's 178 00:09:15,318 --> 00:09:18,481 financial situation, but David was 179 00:09:18,585 --> 00:09:20,497 the one about to pay the price. 180 00:09:23,033 --> 00:09:28,037 He handed her a loaded pistol and told her, basically, 181 00:09:28,141 --> 00:09:31,860 to shoot and kill herself. 182 00:09:31,964 --> 00:09:36,307 She had attempted suicide before, 183 00:09:36,412 --> 00:09:39,679 and now, he was basically telling her, do it right 184 00:09:39,783 --> 00:09:40,652 this time. 185 00:09:40,756 --> 00:09:41,868 Get it right. 186 00:09:41,972 --> 00:09:43,433 Shoot yourself. 187 00:09:43,537 --> 00:09:47,568 And instead, she took the gun, pointed it at him, 188 00:09:47,671 --> 00:09:49,652 and shot him three times. 189 00:09:53,198 --> 00:09:54,726 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 190 00:09:54,831 --> 00:09:58,029 After murdering the man she'd spent the last 35 years with, 191 00:09:58,132 --> 00:10:00,704 Lois Riess begins plotting her escape. 192 00:10:00,808 --> 00:10:03,865 But to pull it off, she'd need a head start. 193 00:10:03,969 --> 00:10:07,515 After she had killed him, she covered him with a blanket 194 00:10:07,619 --> 00:10:09,774 and then lay down beside him. 195 00:10:09,879 --> 00:10:12,520 It's like an old Gothic William Faulkner 196 00:10:12,623 --> 00:10:17,140 tale or something, just quite-- 197 00:10:17,245 --> 00:10:18,357 quite gruesome. 198 00:10:18,462 --> 00:10:20,720 Then she takes some bath towels and she-- 199 00:10:20,825 --> 00:10:22,771 she closes the door and she stuffs 200 00:10:22,876 --> 00:10:26,349 the towels under the door to seal out 201 00:10:26,454 --> 00:10:27,914 any odors that might escape. 202 00:10:28,019 --> 00:10:29,199 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 203 00:10:29,304 --> 00:10:31,458 With David's body stashed in the bathroom, 204 00:10:31,562 --> 00:10:34,517 Lois but the second part of her plan into action. 205 00:10:34,621 --> 00:10:38,027 Former Homicide Detective Rod Demery. 206 00:10:38,131 --> 00:10:44,073 She then manufactured text messages to his family 207 00:10:44,177 --> 00:10:47,374 and friends to say that he had gone on a fishing trip 208 00:10:47,479 --> 00:10:49,007 and that he wasn't going to be around 209 00:10:49,113 --> 00:10:51,197 and they shouldn't come out looking for him. 210 00:10:51,301 --> 00:10:54,464 She eventually sends another text that says he's sick 211 00:10:54,568 --> 00:10:55,889 and he doesn't want to be bothered. 212 00:10:55,994 --> 00:10:58,287 All of these text messages, obviously, 213 00:10:58,391 --> 00:11:00,789 to keep people from looking for him 214 00:11:00,894 --> 00:11:02,665 and throw them off the trail. 215 00:11:02,770 --> 00:11:04,298 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 216 00:11:04,403 --> 00:11:06,280 Funding her gambling habit had turn Lois into a practiced con 217 00:11:06,384 --> 00:11:09,894 artist, a skill she put to immediate use 218 00:11:09,998 --> 00:11:12,361 cleaning out David's checking account. 219 00:11:12,465 --> 00:11:16,705 She writes three personal checks to herself 220 00:11:16,809 --> 00:11:22,717 and forges the signature, all totaling $11,000. 221 00:11:22,821 --> 00:11:24,281 And then, she hits the road. 222 00:11:24,385 --> 00:11:26,539 I think, at that point, the world was open for Lois, 223 00:11:26,644 --> 00:11:28,069 and she was not going to turn back. 224 00:11:28,173 --> 00:11:29,772 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 225 00:11:29,876 --> 00:11:33,455 As Lois skips town, David is still mysteriously nowhere 226 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:34,741 to be found. 227 00:11:34,845 --> 00:11:36,269 People began to get a little suspicious. 228 00:11:36,374 --> 00:11:37,556 They wondered, where is he? 229 00:11:37,660 --> 00:11:39,363 They couldn't-- they would call, they 230 00:11:39,466 --> 00:11:42,595 couldn't-- they couldn't reach him, they couldn't contact him. 231 00:11:42,699 --> 00:11:44,436 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): Lois's fake texts 232 00:11:44,541 --> 00:11:47,286 from David could only fool people for so long 233 00:11:47,390 --> 00:11:49,440 before someone sounded the alarm. 234 00:11:49,545 --> 00:11:52,430 They realized, this is really not something 235 00:11:52,534 --> 00:11:53,888 that he would have typed. 236 00:11:53,992 --> 00:11:57,086 He wasn't known for using punctuation, 237 00:11:57,190 --> 00:12:00,179 so it was pretty clear that someone else had typed it. 238 00:12:00,284 --> 00:12:03,064 Finally, they called the Blooming Prairie Police 239 00:12:03,167 --> 00:12:05,705 Department and asked for a welfare check, 240 00:12:05,809 --> 00:12:08,832 and that's when police discovered his body. 241 00:12:08,936 --> 00:12:11,820 They see the towels stuffed into the door and then walk in, 242 00:12:11,924 --> 00:12:15,366 and they see David's rotting body 243 00:12:15,470 --> 00:12:18,076 underneath a pile of blankets. 244 00:12:18,180 --> 00:12:20,508 The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds 245 00:12:20,613 --> 00:12:21,447 to the chest. 246 00:12:21,550 --> 00:12:24,644 [gun firing] 247 00:12:25,826 --> 00:12:27,354 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 248 00:12:27,458 --> 00:12:29,752 Police identify Lois as a prime suspect right from the start. 249 00:12:29,857 --> 00:12:33,783 His car is missing, and so is his wife. 250 00:12:33,887 --> 00:12:36,633 When we first heard about the case, 251 00:12:36,737 --> 00:12:41,776 and Lois was named as a person of interest, which, of course, 252 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,904 is just a way of saying a suspect, 253 00:12:45,008 --> 00:12:47,997 in the shooting death of her husband, 254 00:12:48,101 --> 00:12:49,177 we didn't have a lot to go on. 255 00:12:49,282 --> 00:12:50,361 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 256 00:12:50,464 --> 00:12:53,140 A warrant is issued for her arrest, 257 00:12:53,244 --> 00:12:56,789 but by then, she's long gone. 258 00:12:56,894 --> 00:12:58,457 I think there was probably a part 259 00:12:58,561 --> 00:13:01,410 of Lois that always felt disdain for a conventional life. 260 00:13:01,515 --> 00:13:03,253 And once she murdered her husband, 261 00:13:03,358 --> 00:13:04,469 then the floodgates were open. 262 00:13:04,573 --> 00:13:05,686 She can be whoever she wanted to be. 263 00:13:05,790 --> 00:13:06,832 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 264 00:13:06,936 --> 00:13:08,326 Before that could happen, though, 265 00:13:08,432 --> 00:13:10,933 Lois would first need to finish her 2,000 266 00:13:11,038 --> 00:13:13,643 mile run to escape justice. 267 00:13:13,748 --> 00:13:16,528 Lois Riess is on the run. 268 00:13:16,632 --> 00:13:19,308 The first sign of her is at a convenience store. 269 00:13:19,411 --> 00:13:23,513 She's seen on a video camera asking for directions. 270 00:13:32,132 --> 00:13:36,683 CCTV video will capture her asking for directions 271 00:13:36,788 --> 00:13:38,733 at a gas station, which just happens 272 00:13:38,838 --> 00:13:43,113 to be next door to her favorite casino, the Diamond Jo. 273 00:13:43,217 --> 00:13:46,239 Diamond Jo's Casino, that-- that Lois 274 00:13:46,344 --> 00:13:48,464 apparently frequented a lot. 275 00:13:48,568 --> 00:13:52,009 She spent the day there gambling, 276 00:13:52,113 --> 00:13:54,163 then she hits the road and she starts 277 00:13:54,267 --> 00:13:55,971 traveling south to Florida. 278 00:13:56,074 --> 00:13:57,396 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 279 00:13:57,500 --> 00:14:00,384 Lois drives David's Cadillac first through Iowa 280 00:14:00,488 --> 00:14:03,686 before turning south, leaving a trail of security footage 281 00:14:03,790 --> 00:14:07,021 behind for investigators to piece together later. 282 00:14:07,126 --> 00:14:10,324 Even on her way down to Florida to try 283 00:14:10,428 --> 00:14:16,196 to-- to-- to hide out, she was stopping at casinos 284 00:14:16,300 --> 00:14:24,397 and spending money that she had taken from her husband after 285 00:14:24,501 --> 00:14:26,308 she had shot and killed him. 286 00:14:26,412 --> 00:14:29,540 [music playing] 287 00:14:30,548 --> 00:14:31,938 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 288 00:14:32,042 --> 00:14:34,197 In Florida, Lois thinks about looking up an old friend 289 00:14:34,302 --> 00:14:35,691 who had a place down there. 290 00:14:35,795 --> 00:14:39,757 Homicide Detective David Foraker worked on the case. 291 00:14:39,861 --> 00:14:43,892 It just so happened that our suspect showed up to her house 292 00:14:43,997 --> 00:14:47,438 on Fort Myers beach and appeared to be scoping the place out. 293 00:14:47,541 --> 00:14:50,182 When she was confronted by our witness, she, 294 00:14:50,287 --> 00:14:52,754 you know, put her head down and just said, oh, I'm 295 00:14:52,858 --> 00:14:54,770 sorry, wrong house, and then-- 296 00:14:54,875 --> 00:14:55,848 then left. 297 00:15:00,018 --> 00:15:02,623 We believe she came to southwest Florida, and Fort 298 00:15:02,729 --> 00:15:05,335 Myers beach, in particular, perhaps because she knew 299 00:15:05,439 --> 00:15:09,087 her friend lived down here. 300 00:15:09,192 --> 00:15:11,623 We believe that's why she went to the house 301 00:15:11,728 --> 00:15:13,986 to-- to see the friend, although she got 302 00:15:14,091 --> 00:15:15,552 spooked when the friend recognized 303 00:15:15,656 --> 00:15:16,836 her and she left immediately. 304 00:15:16,941 --> 00:15:18,401 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 305 00:15:18,506 --> 00:15:20,278 But apparently, Lois isn't spooked enough to leave town. 306 00:15:20,382 --> 00:15:23,336 In fact, she ends up sticking around Fort Myers 307 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,108 long enough to make a new friend. 308 00:15:28,548 --> 00:15:30,460 We have no evidence to suggest that they 309 00:15:30,564 --> 00:15:34,039 knew each other prior. 310 00:15:34,143 --> 00:15:39,217 Lois is the one who initiated the contact 311 00:15:39,321 --> 00:15:41,579 because she had an agenda. 312 00:15:41,684 --> 00:15:43,283 She had a plan. 313 00:15:43,388 --> 00:15:48,183 On April 3, Lois Riess is hanging out with her new buddy. 314 00:15:48,287 --> 00:15:51,762 She's met a woman named Pamela Hutchinson, who 315 00:15:51,867 --> 00:15:54,855 actually looks similar to Lois. 316 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,670 And the two of them are having a grand time. 317 00:15:57,774 --> 00:15:59,998 They're out having dinner and drinks. 318 00:16:00,102 --> 00:16:02,362 It looks like they've been friends forever. 319 00:16:02,465 --> 00:16:06,705 She looks like a nonthreatening individual 320 00:16:06,810 --> 00:16:09,311 who just wants to have fun. 321 00:16:09,415 --> 00:16:11,153 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): Carmine Marceno, 322 00:16:11,258 --> 00:16:14,177 Lee County Sheriff. 323 00:16:14,281 --> 00:16:16,018 She could be your family member. 324 00:16:16,122 --> 00:16:17,478 She wants to have a drink. 325 00:16:17,582 --> 00:16:18,972 She befriends our victim. 326 00:16:19,077 --> 00:16:21,265 Unfortunately, there are some very dangerous people 327 00:16:21,370 --> 00:16:24,742 out there, people who you would not expect by looking at them 328 00:16:24,845 --> 00:16:25,923 that they were dangerous. 329 00:16:26,027 --> 00:16:27,486 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 330 00:16:27,591 --> 00:16:30,024 The next part of Lois's plan is ready to fall into place. 331 00:16:30,128 --> 00:16:32,492 So Lois Riess has figured this out. 332 00:16:32,596 --> 00:16:35,479 She can just find someone who looks like her so she 333 00:16:35,583 --> 00:16:37,148 can steal their identity. 334 00:16:37,252 --> 00:16:39,579 There's a very general resemblance 335 00:16:39,685 --> 00:16:45,489 as far as age and race and color of hair, maybe build somewhat. 336 00:16:45,593 --> 00:16:46,913 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 337 00:16:47,017 --> 00:16:50,353 For Lois, stealing Pamela Hutchinson's identity 338 00:16:50,457 --> 00:16:51,778 isn't enough. 339 00:16:51,882 --> 00:16:56,608 She believes she actually needs to become Pamela Hutchinson. 340 00:16:56,712 --> 00:16:59,944 And she isn't going to let a little thing like murder 341 00:17:00,049 --> 00:17:02,307 get in her way of that happening. 342 00:17:02,412 --> 00:17:05,679 Lois Riess took advantage of a very kind, 343 00:17:05,783 --> 00:17:07,764 good-natured, lovely person. 344 00:17:10,196 --> 00:17:14,853 ROD DEMERY: A call comes from Hutchinson's rented condo 345 00:17:14,957 --> 00:17:18,919 to reception asking to stay for a couple more days 346 00:17:19,023 --> 00:17:21,803 and giving her credit card number, 347 00:17:21,907 --> 00:17:22,984 and it's extended for three days. 348 00:17:23,089 --> 00:17:24,166 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 349 00:17:24,270 --> 00:17:26,077 It's another one of Lois's gambles, 350 00:17:26,181 --> 00:17:30,734 but just how far is she willing to go to stay out of jail? 351 00:17:30,838 --> 00:17:34,174 Pamela Hutchinson is about to find out. 352 00:17:34,279 --> 00:17:35,739 JEFFREY JACKSON: They had drinks together. 353 00:17:35,843 --> 00:17:37,580 They-- they had fun together. 354 00:17:37,684 --> 00:17:46,615 They talked and they-- they laughed, until Lois killed her. 355 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,013 With her husband's blood on her hands 356 00:17:49,117 --> 00:17:52,037 and the police on her trail, Lois Riess 357 00:17:52,141 --> 00:17:53,878 is running on borrowed time. 358 00:17:53,982 --> 00:17:55,929 As the clock runs down, the question 359 00:17:56,033 --> 00:18:00,760 is, will she began her new life as Pamela Hutchinson? 360 00:18:00,864 --> 00:18:04,165 [music playing] 361 00:18:25,225 --> 00:18:30,924 April 5, 2018, after murdering her husband of 35 years, 362 00:18:31,028 --> 00:18:33,530 Lois Riess is on the run, gambling 363 00:18:33,634 --> 00:18:36,379 that her plan to steal another woman's identity 364 00:18:36,483 --> 00:18:39,646 will keep her from having to face justice. 365 00:18:39,750 --> 00:18:45,901 At 7:46 PM that night, CCTV video 366 00:18:46,005 --> 00:18:51,183 will capture Pamela and Lois laughing and walking 367 00:18:51,287 --> 00:18:53,095 and talking together. 368 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,110 We see them entering the condominium together. 369 00:18:55,215 --> 00:18:57,161 We see them leaving, we see them entering, 370 00:18:57,265 --> 00:19:00,044 and then, all of a sudden, we don't see our victim leaving 371 00:19:00,150 --> 00:19:01,227 the condominium anymore. 372 00:19:01,330 --> 00:19:02,651 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 373 00:19:02,756 --> 00:19:04,633 When Pamela doesn't check out of Village Marina 374 00:19:04,737 --> 00:19:07,968 as originally scheduled and goes dark on social media, 375 00:19:08,073 --> 00:19:11,860 her family tries to get in contact with her to no avail. 376 00:19:11,964 --> 00:19:14,954 Pamela's family has started get a little worried 377 00:19:15,058 --> 00:19:17,942 because she should have been home by now, 378 00:19:18,047 --> 00:19:20,897 and she had been posting on Facebook, 379 00:19:21,001 --> 00:19:23,051 but suddenly, she's not posting anymore, 380 00:19:23,155 --> 00:19:27,429 and she's not responding to any of their posts, 381 00:19:27,535 --> 00:19:28,611 so they're getting concerned. 382 00:19:28,715 --> 00:19:29,758 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 383 00:19:29,862 --> 00:19:31,495 But it's not just Pamela's family 384 00:19:31,598 --> 00:19:33,545 that senses something is off. 385 00:19:33,650 --> 00:19:35,319 The people in the condo below her 386 00:19:35,423 --> 00:19:38,514 has called reception to complain about a nasty smell 387 00:19:38,618 --> 00:19:40,253 seeping in through the walls. 388 00:19:40,358 --> 00:19:45,466 The hotel personnel go to room 404 to check. 389 00:19:45,570 --> 00:19:47,203 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 390 00:19:47,308 --> 00:19:49,670 Housekeeping finds the bathroom door blocked by something. 391 00:19:49,775 --> 00:19:52,937 When she tried to open the door, she couldn't. 392 00:19:53,042 --> 00:19:53,979 She couldn't. 393 00:19:54,083 --> 00:19:55,856 It kept running into something. 394 00:19:55,959 --> 00:19:59,226 And she finally managed to shove the door open. 395 00:19:59,331 --> 00:20:04,752 They open the door, and they find Pamela's body covered 396 00:20:04,856 --> 00:20:09,444 in towels, and she's been shot. 397 00:20:09,549 --> 00:20:11,703 A couple of things that I first noticed when we got there 398 00:20:11,807 --> 00:20:14,692 and was briefed by the others already on scene were 399 00:20:14,796 --> 00:20:17,193 the spare bedroom and the spare bathroom 400 00:20:17,298 --> 00:20:18,896 looked like they had been used. 401 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,129 I don't know, typically, if there's only one person 402 00:20:22,233 --> 00:20:25,430 in a room, you would think they would only use one bathroom, 403 00:20:25,534 --> 00:20:26,820 maybe use both. 404 00:20:26,923 --> 00:20:28,522 But then again, the bedroom, the second guest 405 00:20:28,626 --> 00:20:31,824 bedroom was also-- looked like someone had slept in the bed. 406 00:20:31,928 --> 00:20:33,596 I knew that there was only one person 407 00:20:33,700 --> 00:20:35,264 that checked into the room. 408 00:20:35,368 --> 00:20:38,218 So knowing what I saw from the video, I thought, 409 00:20:38,323 --> 00:20:40,998 OK, maybe this female stayed the night, slept over. 410 00:20:41,103 --> 00:20:46,731 This incident, this murder investigation, it rocked us. 411 00:20:46,836 --> 00:20:50,312 This was certainly unlike any other investigation that I had. 412 00:20:50,417 --> 00:20:53,335 It wasn't just your normal run of the mill, if there 413 00:20:53,438 --> 00:20:54,760 is such a thing, homicide. 414 00:20:54,864 --> 00:20:58,096 Fort Myers beach is a smaller town in Wake County, 415 00:20:58,201 --> 00:21:01,223 and it's-- it's a quiet town, but not 416 00:21:01,327 --> 00:21:04,421 by the norm to find a murdered person 417 00:21:04,525 --> 00:21:06,540 in a rented condominium there. 418 00:21:06,644 --> 00:21:09,147 All sorts of things were crossing my mind, 419 00:21:09,251 --> 00:21:10,641 but it never would have dawned on me 420 00:21:10,746 --> 00:21:14,185 that another elderly white female would be my killer. 421 00:21:14,290 --> 00:21:16,167 At that point, she would stop at nothing, not only 422 00:21:16,271 --> 00:21:19,121 murdering her husband, but taking the life of a stranger, 423 00:21:19,225 --> 00:21:20,302 and then, therefore, her identity. 424 00:21:20,406 --> 00:21:21,622 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 425 00:21:21,726 --> 00:21:23,361 Lois went with the same escape plan 426 00:21:23,464 --> 00:21:25,689 she used after murdering her husband, 427 00:21:25,793 --> 00:21:27,913 delay and get ready to run. 428 00:21:28,017 --> 00:21:30,936 She starts to do her own cover up of the crime scene, 429 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,898 puts the the towel by the door so there's no odor coming out. 430 00:21:35,002 --> 00:21:38,581 Over the next couple of days, CCTV video 431 00:21:38,685 --> 00:21:44,697 will capture Lois going in and out of Pamela's room 432 00:21:44,802 --> 00:21:47,060 carrying garbage bags. 433 00:21:47,165 --> 00:21:52,204 We see this white female get in an Escalade 434 00:21:52,309 --> 00:21:56,547 with Minnesota license plates, leave the property, 435 00:21:56,652 --> 00:21:58,841 and then walk back to the property about one hour later. 436 00:21:58,945 --> 00:22:00,614 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 437 00:22:00,718 --> 00:22:03,741 Lois has dumped David's Cadillac at a beachfront parking lot. 438 00:22:03,846 --> 00:22:06,833 You got a woman who comes to Florida, 439 00:22:06,937 --> 00:22:08,884 looks like she's looking for somebody who 440 00:22:08,989 --> 00:22:11,769 looks at least somewhat like her to kill 441 00:22:11,873 --> 00:22:12,951 and assume their identity. 442 00:22:13,055 --> 00:22:14,131 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 443 00:22:14,236 --> 00:22:15,870 As far as Lois Riess is concerned, 444 00:22:15,974 --> 00:22:18,962 she's now Pamela Hutchinson, so she's 445 00:22:19,066 --> 00:22:20,665 safe to get back on the road. 446 00:22:20,770 --> 00:22:23,724 We see her walking back and forth in the hallway 447 00:22:23,828 --> 00:22:27,024 before she takes off in the victim's car, an Acura, 448 00:22:27,128 --> 00:22:29,144 and starts to make her trek out of Florida. 449 00:22:29,248 --> 00:22:30,638 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 450 00:22:30,744 --> 00:22:32,898 Local police quickly put the pieces together. 451 00:22:33,002 --> 00:22:34,948 Detective David Foraker. 452 00:22:35,052 --> 00:22:37,832 Once I entered the bathroom, I noticed 453 00:22:37,937 --> 00:22:39,466 that there was a pillow. 454 00:22:39,571 --> 00:22:42,662 It appeared to be from the bed itself that had a defect in it 455 00:22:42,767 --> 00:22:46,520 consistent with being a gunshot and being in close contact 456 00:22:46,624 --> 00:22:49,718 with a-- a firearm as it was fired. 457 00:22:49,822 --> 00:22:51,489 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): At this point, 458 00:22:51,594 --> 00:22:53,714 Florida investigators already know 459 00:22:53,818 --> 00:22:56,042 there's a manhunt underway for a suspect 460 00:22:56,146 --> 00:22:58,162 in the murder of David Riess. 461 00:22:58,266 --> 00:23:01,638 We have an investigation, a death investigation, 462 00:23:01,742 --> 00:23:05,946 maybe a murder investigation going on in Minnesota. 463 00:23:06,050 --> 00:23:08,899 At the same exact time, now, we have 464 00:23:09,004 --> 00:23:13,973 a murder investigation going on in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. 465 00:23:14,078 --> 00:23:19,186 That creates a very unique set of circumstances. 466 00:23:19,291 --> 00:23:22,279 We then got into direct communication 467 00:23:22,383 --> 00:23:24,852 with the detectives up in Dodge County, 468 00:23:24,956 --> 00:23:26,380 and they were very helpful. 469 00:23:26,485 --> 00:23:30,307 We developed a rapport, started communicating, basically, 470 00:23:30,412 --> 00:23:33,227 non-stop over the next couple of weeks, 471 00:23:33,330 --> 00:23:35,381 just going over things providing them 472 00:23:35,486 --> 00:23:36,979 information and vice versa. 473 00:23:37,084 --> 00:23:41,219 We actually received photos of their crime scene up there 474 00:23:41,323 --> 00:23:44,207 and compared it to with what we had down here. 475 00:23:44,312 --> 00:23:46,883 And, again, they were very similar with what happened 476 00:23:46,987 --> 00:23:48,656 up there and down here. 477 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,610 So, again, that solidified for us 478 00:23:51,714 --> 00:23:53,833 that, OK, the person who was responsible 479 00:23:53,937 --> 00:23:58,317 up there was also responsible for the homicide down here. 480 00:23:58,421 --> 00:23:59,950 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 481 00:24:00,054 --> 00:24:03,424 Both teams of investigators are now getting a clearer picture 482 00:24:03,530 --> 00:24:05,475 of Lois Riess and her MO. 483 00:24:05,580 --> 00:24:07,561 The way she had befriended the victim, who 484 00:24:07,665 --> 00:24:10,931 was a loving, wonderful person, and obviously, a very trusting 485 00:24:11,035 --> 00:24:13,085 person, the way she had befriended her 486 00:24:13,191 --> 00:24:17,151 and then killed her was highly disturbing, and we thought 487 00:24:17,256 --> 00:24:19,551 had the marks of a really evil killer. 488 00:24:19,654 --> 00:24:24,832 After committing two murders, she's got the victim's vehicle, 489 00:24:24,935 --> 00:24:27,161 she's calculated. 490 00:24:27,265 --> 00:24:29,593 We have to get her before she commits another murder. 491 00:24:29,698 --> 00:24:31,018 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 492 00:24:31,122 --> 00:24:34,806 But now, with two crime scenes 1,500 miles apart, 493 00:24:34,910 --> 00:24:37,829 and a murderer walking around with a new identity, 494 00:24:37,934 --> 00:24:40,748 police have to find a new way to track her down. 495 00:24:40,851 --> 00:24:43,736 Lead prosecutor Rich Montecalvo. 496 00:24:43,841 --> 00:24:48,809 So many places have video, whether it's a private 497 00:24:48,914 --> 00:24:53,190 business, government office, a highway, 498 00:24:53,294 --> 00:24:58,436 that it's almost the first place law enforcement looks now, 499 00:24:58,541 --> 00:25:01,981 especially when they have a-- a suspect on the run. 500 00:25:02,085 --> 00:25:07,055 Remarkably, the video is perfect, perfect clarity. 501 00:25:07,159 --> 00:25:09,870 Perfect-- the dates align and everything. 502 00:25:09,974 --> 00:25:12,024 And what we find through the video 503 00:25:12,129 --> 00:25:18,037 is our victim and another white middle-aged female going back 504 00:25:18,141 --> 00:25:20,850 and forth from the victim's condominium 505 00:25:20,956 --> 00:25:24,222 room on a number of occasions over a course of a few days. 506 00:25:24,326 --> 00:25:25,890 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 507 00:25:25,994 --> 00:25:29,539 The other woman is Lois Riess, or, as the media starts 508 00:25:29,643 --> 00:25:32,771 referring to her, as the fugitive grandma. 509 00:25:32,875 --> 00:25:35,378 She takes the victim's driver's license, credit 510 00:25:35,482 --> 00:25:37,706 cards, her identity, her vehicle, 511 00:25:37,810 --> 00:25:39,617 and what does that do for her? 512 00:25:39,722 --> 00:25:41,147 It gives her more time. 513 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:46,671 It's clear where she's going. 514 00:25:46,776 --> 00:25:48,652 She wants out of the country. 515 00:25:48,757 --> 00:25:51,988 In my belief, she knows we're on her tail. 516 00:25:52,093 --> 00:25:57,271 Everybody presumed, because of-- of the way they were 517 00:25:57,375 --> 00:26:01,545 following her path, that she was headed to Texas, 518 00:26:01,649 --> 00:26:03,179 and then, probably, to Mexico. 519 00:26:03,282 --> 00:26:04,465 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 520 00:26:04,569 --> 00:26:06,862 As Lois races toward the southern border, 521 00:26:06,966 --> 00:26:09,017 she unwittingly leaves behind a trail 522 00:26:09,121 --> 00:26:12,978 of clues giving investigators her exact location. 523 00:26:13,083 --> 00:26:16,835 She goes to an ATM or to a bank on Fort Myers Beach, where 524 00:26:16,939 --> 00:26:21,701 Lois Riess withdraws $5,000 from the victim's bank account, 525 00:26:21,806 --> 00:26:26,531 and off she goes, in the victim's car, the Acura, 526 00:26:26,636 --> 00:26:28,859 not to be seen until many, many hours 527 00:26:28,964 --> 00:26:31,953 later farther up north in the state of Florida. 528 00:26:32,057 --> 00:26:36,435 Police launch a nationwide manhunt for what they're 529 00:26:36,539 --> 00:26:38,973 calling the fugitive grandma. 530 00:26:39,076 --> 00:26:41,475 Let's get this information out. 531 00:26:41,579 --> 00:26:42,726 Let's be on the lookout. 532 00:26:42,830 --> 00:26:45,193 Let's put her face on the billboards everywhere. 533 00:26:45,297 --> 00:26:46,235 Because where is she going? 534 00:26:46,339 --> 00:26:47,452 We don't know. 535 00:26:47,556 --> 00:26:48,598 But we need to all work and stop her 536 00:26:48,702 --> 00:26:50,267 before she commits another murder. 537 00:26:50,371 --> 00:26:52,560 I don't know if she knows she's wanted, 538 00:26:52,664 --> 00:26:56,000 but she knows that she's trying to get as far away from Fort 539 00:26:56,104 --> 00:26:57,807 Myers Beach as she can. 540 00:26:57,913 --> 00:27:00,900 The trail continues, the journey continues. 541 00:27:01,004 --> 00:27:04,167 She ends up in a hotel in north Florida. 542 00:27:04,271 --> 00:27:06,287 She walks up to the front desk, once again, 543 00:27:06,391 --> 00:27:11,221 her MO, smiling, calculated, cool, 544 00:27:11,326 --> 00:27:13,933 the appearance of anyone's grandmother. 545 00:27:14,037 --> 00:27:16,260 She checks into a Hilton in Ocala, 546 00:27:16,364 --> 00:27:19,944 and she uses the victim's-- 547 00:27:20,048 --> 00:27:21,126 it's the first time now. 548 00:27:21,230 --> 00:27:23,038 She's taken on this new persona, and she's now 549 00:27:23,142 --> 00:27:26,061 using the victim's identification and credit 550 00:27:26,165 --> 00:27:29,048 card to check into a hotel. 551 00:27:29,153 --> 00:27:32,003 DAVID FORAKER: She did the best she could to conceal herself. 552 00:27:32,107 --> 00:27:33,045 She was wearing a hat. 553 00:27:33,150 --> 00:27:34,366 We have her on video doing that. 554 00:27:34,470 --> 00:27:36,555 She pulled in with the victim's vehicle 555 00:27:36,660 --> 00:27:38,884 and she actually rented a room there for the night 556 00:27:38,988 --> 00:27:40,205 and got room service. 557 00:27:40,309 --> 00:27:41,804 To then check into a hotel using 558 00:27:41,908 --> 00:27:45,348 the actual identification, the picture identification, 559 00:27:45,452 --> 00:27:49,379 that's unusual, and that is a great trail for law enforcement 560 00:27:49,483 --> 00:27:50,804 to follow up on. 561 00:27:50,908 --> 00:27:52,333 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 562 00:27:52,438 --> 00:27:54,139 But hotel and credit card bills are not the only clues 563 00:27:54,244 --> 00:27:55,738 Lois is leaving behind. 564 00:27:55,842 --> 00:28:01,298 She also stops to indulge in her favorite pastime, gambling. 565 00:28:01,402 --> 00:28:03,176 And here she is now fleeing, now 566 00:28:03,278 --> 00:28:05,816 having committed two murders, and still feels 567 00:28:05,919 --> 00:28:09,082 the need to stop gamble in broad daylight. 568 00:28:09,187 --> 00:28:13,462 As she leaves Florida, she stops in a casino 569 00:28:13,566 --> 00:28:16,519 and she wins $1,500. 570 00:28:16,623 --> 00:28:18,500 And at the time she wins, she uses 571 00:28:18,605 --> 00:28:21,940 her own identification and social security 572 00:28:22,045 --> 00:28:24,269 number to claim the winnings. 573 00:28:24,373 --> 00:28:27,814 If she wouldn't have stopped at-- at this casino 574 00:28:27,919 --> 00:28:31,810 to spend money, to gamble some more, she 575 00:28:31,914 --> 00:28:33,826 might have made it to Mexico. 576 00:28:33,930 --> 00:28:38,656 She very, very possibly could've-- could've escaped, 577 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,054 and then just not been heard of again. 578 00:28:41,159 --> 00:28:42,687 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 579 00:28:42,791 --> 00:28:46,301 Lois's little gambling detour amazes even the state attorney. 580 00:28:46,406 --> 00:28:48,144 Unfortunately, when we're dealing with people 581 00:28:48,247 --> 00:28:51,966 who are evil and who are willing to kill, and kill 582 00:28:52,070 --> 00:28:57,527 two times quickly, back to back of each other, nothing 583 00:28:57,631 --> 00:28:59,368 they do surprises me. 584 00:28:59,473 --> 00:29:01,383 However, in this particular case, 585 00:29:01,487 --> 00:29:04,720 it is surprising to see somebody and-- and unusual 586 00:29:04,825 --> 00:29:07,848 immediately go off on a gambling jaunt 587 00:29:07,952 --> 00:29:09,307 after they've killed two people. 588 00:29:09,411 --> 00:29:10,766 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 589 00:29:10,870 --> 00:29:12,539 Lois then drives on through Louisiana toward Texas. 590 00:29:12,644 --> 00:29:17,752 She knows, as time passes, the investigation keeps moving, 591 00:29:17,856 --> 00:29:20,913 and we're going to be hot on her trail at some point in time. 592 00:29:21,017 --> 00:29:24,007 I imagine there was a bit of a thrill, 593 00:29:24,111 --> 00:29:28,108 a bit of an adrenaline rush, which that, 594 00:29:28,211 --> 00:29:32,695 you know, that's part and parcel of-- of gambling 595 00:29:32,799 --> 00:29:35,509 addiction as well. 596 00:29:35,614 --> 00:29:40,132 But I'm-- I'm certain that her main objective was, 597 00:29:40,236 --> 00:29:41,800 I gotta get out of here. 598 00:29:41,904 --> 00:29:43,571 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 599 00:29:43,676 --> 00:29:46,386 Eventually, Lois crosses the state line into Texas, one step 600 00:29:46,491 --> 00:29:48,784 closer to the Mexican border. 601 00:29:48,889 --> 00:29:51,703 She makes her way along the Gulf Coast 602 00:29:51,808 --> 00:29:54,136 to Corpus Christi, Texas. 603 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,750 She has with her directions to get to South Padre Island, 604 00:29:57,855 --> 00:30:02,303 and she checks into a Motel 6 on South Padre Island in Texas. 605 00:30:02,407 --> 00:30:04,770 We know she has a gambling habit. 606 00:30:04,874 --> 00:30:06,299 OK, she's got resources. 607 00:30:06,403 --> 00:30:08,766 She's in the casinos. 608 00:30:08,870 --> 00:30:11,720 Is she looking for another person to befriend? 609 00:30:11,826 --> 00:30:13,354 Is she looking for the next vehicle 610 00:30:13,457 --> 00:30:18,081 to take, the next victim, the next driver's license? 611 00:30:18,184 --> 00:30:21,416 We have to stop her and put an end to it immediately. 612 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,084 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 613 00:30:23,187 --> 00:30:26,247 Lois Riess murdered her husband, killed an innocent woman 614 00:30:26,351 --> 00:30:30,833 to steal her identity, and now, in South Padre Island, 615 00:30:30,937 --> 00:30:34,414 she targets her next victim, another look alike whose 616 00:30:34,517 --> 00:30:36,985 identity she wanted to steal. 617 00:30:37,090 --> 00:30:40,634 Remarkably, she looks somewhat like Lois, 618 00:30:40,738 --> 00:30:43,032 about the same height, about the same age, 619 00:30:43,137 --> 00:30:44,561 the head full of white hair. 620 00:30:44,665 --> 00:30:45,777 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 621 00:30:45,881 --> 00:30:48,141 In her frantic attempt to avoid justice 622 00:30:48,244 --> 00:30:50,920 for her two previous murders, is Lois 623 00:30:51,024 --> 00:30:52,519 about to try for her third? 624 00:30:52,624 --> 00:30:55,161 There's a trail of evidence that she's building but her 625 00:30:55,265 --> 00:30:59,017 plan is that she's-- she's going to make it across the country 626 00:30:59,122 --> 00:31:00,547 and leave the country. 627 00:31:00,651 --> 00:31:02,284 I don't think anybody would have thought that this was 628 00:31:02,388 --> 00:31:04,855 actually be-- going to be headed in the direction 629 00:31:04,959 --> 00:31:07,949 of multiple murders. 630 00:31:08,053 --> 00:31:11,458 We already know Lois Riess wasn't the best wife. 631 00:31:11,562 --> 00:31:16,463 I mean, kind of obvious when you murder her husband. 632 00:31:16,566 --> 00:31:21,119 But she's about to prove she's even more lethal as a friend. 633 00:31:21,223 --> 00:31:24,489 [music playing] 634 00:31:42,283 --> 00:31:46,036 After murdering two people, her husband of 35 years, 635 00:31:46,140 --> 00:31:50,311 David, and Pamela Hutchinson, the woman whose identity she 636 00:31:50,415 --> 00:31:55,210 has now assumed, Lois Riess is getting ready to continue 637 00:31:55,314 --> 00:31:56,704 her killing spree. 638 00:31:56,809 --> 00:32:00,250 Let's look at our suspect, Lois Riess. 639 00:32:00,354 --> 00:32:02,196 You know why she's able to fly under the radar? 640 00:32:02,300 --> 00:32:06,851 Because she looks like anyone's family member, grandmother. 641 00:32:06,956 --> 00:32:09,737 It's always disturbing to me, as a prosecutor, 642 00:32:09,841 --> 00:32:11,544 and as a member of the community, 643 00:32:11,648 --> 00:32:15,123 to see when people do evil things 644 00:32:15,228 --> 00:32:19,120 and just don't seem to have any care about what they did. 645 00:32:19,224 --> 00:32:21,621 She's a wolf in sheep's clothing. 646 00:32:21,725 --> 00:32:25,444 She walks up, she smiles, she's calm, 647 00:32:25,548 --> 00:32:27,807 she has the appearance of a grandmother, 648 00:32:27,911 --> 00:32:31,560 she's collective, but make no mistake, she's calculated. 649 00:32:31,664 --> 00:32:33,193 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 650 00:32:33,297 --> 00:32:36,911 On South Padre Island, Lois's new friend, Bernadette Mathis, 651 00:32:37,015 --> 00:32:38,684 takes her to dinner before inviting 652 00:32:38,788 --> 00:32:40,526 her home to spend the night. 653 00:32:40,631 --> 00:32:44,628 They spend time having drinks and hanging out in her hot tub. 654 00:32:44,731 --> 00:32:47,095 It amazed me that that Lois would yet 655 00:32:47,199 --> 00:32:52,099 befriend another person and somehow get invited 656 00:32:52,203 --> 00:32:54,913 to stay in her guest room. 657 00:32:55,018 --> 00:33:00,473 Those people should think their lucky stars that-- that-- 658 00:33:00,578 --> 00:33:03,218 that-- because she had the gun. 659 00:33:03,322 --> 00:33:05,583 She had the gun. 660 00:33:05,686 --> 00:33:06,763 She could have done it again. 661 00:33:06,868 --> 00:33:08,361 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 662 00:33:08,465 --> 00:33:12,393 By now, the nationwide manhunt for Lois was in full swing. 663 00:33:12,497 --> 00:33:14,965 At this time, law enforcement has figured out 664 00:33:15,069 --> 00:33:17,467 through video surveillance what she 665 00:33:17,570 --> 00:33:22,193 was up to in the days leading up to the murder and a little bit 666 00:33:22,297 --> 00:33:23,479 afterward. 667 00:33:23,583 --> 00:33:24,834 They figured out that she switched cars, 668 00:33:24,939 --> 00:33:26,780 put out the license plate reader, 669 00:33:26,884 --> 00:33:31,333 and now, law enforcement has out a full-fledged media campaign 670 00:33:31,437 --> 00:33:32,863 to try to catch her. 671 00:33:32,967 --> 00:33:36,719 There's a BOLO, which means be on the lookout for her, 672 00:33:36,823 --> 00:33:39,430 and her picture is everywhere. 673 00:33:39,534 --> 00:33:41,584 We were behind the eight ball a little bit, 674 00:33:41,689 --> 00:33:46,067 but with the investigation going forward and all hands on deck, 675 00:33:46,171 --> 00:33:50,481 we were able to, you know, make great progress on it 676 00:33:50,584 --> 00:33:51,940 very quickly. 677 00:33:52,044 --> 00:33:54,441 And so that way, we were able to get that information 678 00:33:54,546 --> 00:33:57,327 and the suspect information out so that way, hopefully, 679 00:33:57,431 --> 00:34:00,072 someone could come into contact with her and catch her. 680 00:34:00,177 --> 00:34:01,218 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 681 00:34:01,323 --> 00:34:03,234 Police start offering a reward. 682 00:34:03,338 --> 00:34:07,405 The reward posted was $6,000 for any information leading 683 00:34:07,509 --> 00:34:10,184 to the capture of Lois Riess. 684 00:34:10,289 --> 00:34:11,610 We knew what happened in Minnesota. 685 00:34:11,714 --> 00:34:14,250 We knew what happened here, and we did not want 686 00:34:14,354 --> 00:34:15,640 there to be a third victim. 687 00:34:15,744 --> 00:34:16,927 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 688 00:34:17,031 --> 00:34:20,333 The police didn't, but Lois did, and she 689 00:34:20,437 --> 00:34:23,911 would have if not for the eagle eyes of a good Samaritan 690 00:34:24,015 --> 00:34:28,081 on April 19, 2018. 691 00:34:28,185 --> 00:34:32,392 She's sitting in a bar in South Padre, 692 00:34:32,496 --> 00:34:35,622 and the bartender looks at her and says, 693 00:34:35,726 --> 00:34:40,765 oh, that's the woman who's wanted who I just saw on TV. 694 00:34:40,869 --> 00:34:43,476 And he reported her, and probably 695 00:34:43,581 --> 00:34:45,459 saved Bernadette Mathis's life. 696 00:34:45,562 --> 00:34:47,716 It is certainly something that has crossed my mind, 697 00:34:47,821 --> 00:34:50,739 that had she not been captured when she was, 698 00:34:50,843 --> 00:34:52,477 perhaps she would have done the same thing. 699 00:34:52,582 --> 00:34:54,076 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): Officers 700 00:34:54,180 --> 00:34:55,813 move quickly to apprehend Lois. 701 00:34:55,917 --> 00:34:59,950 She got a tap on the shoulder, and it was a US marshal, 702 00:35:00,054 --> 00:35:03,597 and he asked her to step outside, and she did. 703 00:35:03,702 --> 00:35:06,969 And she was asked to produce identification, 704 00:35:07,073 --> 00:35:09,400 and she did, and she was arrested. 705 00:35:09,505 --> 00:35:12,529 [music playing] 706 00:35:14,996 --> 00:35:16,420 Law enforcement officers commented 707 00:35:16,524 --> 00:35:19,862 that she didn't appear to be too startled or even worried 708 00:35:19,966 --> 00:35:21,390 about being arrested. 709 00:35:21,494 --> 00:35:24,170 And the thought was maybe she was just tired and tired 710 00:35:24,274 --> 00:35:26,117 of playing this game. 711 00:35:26,221 --> 00:35:27,681 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 712 00:35:27,784 --> 00:35:29,313 Lois's Thelma without Louise interstate chase is finally 713 00:35:29,417 --> 00:35:33,483 over, but even now that she's in custody, the hunt for evidence 714 00:35:33,587 --> 00:35:35,222 continues. 715 00:35:35,326 --> 00:35:38,940 The marshals go to Lois's room there at the resort, 716 00:35:39,044 --> 00:35:41,546 and they find a .22 caliber pistol. 717 00:35:41,651 --> 00:35:45,890 Lo and behold, they discovered that that the gun that had been 718 00:35:45,994 --> 00:35:49,992 used on Pamela Hutchinson was the same gun that 719 00:35:50,096 --> 00:35:51,451 had been used on David Riess. 720 00:35:51,554 --> 00:35:52,668 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 721 00:35:52,771 --> 00:35:55,065 With Lois facing charges in two states 722 00:35:55,169 --> 00:35:58,121 for murdering her husband and Pamela Hutchinson, 723 00:35:58,226 --> 00:36:01,250 prosecutors have to decide in which state 724 00:36:01,354 --> 00:36:02,710 she should stand trial. 725 00:36:02,815 --> 00:36:06,845 It was ultimately agreed that Florida would take her first 726 00:36:06,949 --> 00:36:11,292 and do what we needed to do through the judicial system 727 00:36:11,397 --> 00:36:12,649 to go forward. 728 00:36:12,753 --> 00:36:15,637 As the sheriff, it's a personal thing for me. 729 00:36:15,741 --> 00:36:21,198 You committed that murder on a tourist in my county. 730 00:36:21,302 --> 00:36:22,379 You can run. 731 00:36:22,483 --> 00:36:23,978 You're not going to hide. 732 00:36:24,082 --> 00:36:25,299 And we are going to get you. 733 00:36:25,403 --> 00:36:27,800 And in the end, I wanted her to specifically 734 00:36:27,906 --> 00:36:29,156 face the music here. 735 00:36:32,387 --> 00:36:35,203 CAROLYN CANVILLE: June 6, 2018 Lois Riess 736 00:36:35,307 --> 00:36:37,530 is indicted by a grand jury in Florida 737 00:36:37,635 --> 00:36:42,257 for the murder of Pamela Hutchinson. 738 00:36:42,361 --> 00:36:43,473 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 739 00:36:43,577 --> 00:36:45,696 Right from the get-go, Lois denies she 740 00:36:45,801 --> 00:36:49,138 committed premeditated murder. 741 00:36:49,243 --> 00:36:52,266 Once you're convicted of first degree murder in Florida, 742 00:36:52,370 --> 00:36:54,073 there's only two possible sentences. 743 00:36:54,177 --> 00:36:58,173 One is a life sentence without the chance of release, 744 00:36:58,277 --> 00:37:01,196 and the second sentence is the death penalty. 745 00:37:01,300 --> 00:37:05,193 In this case, we decided to seek the death penalty. 746 00:37:05,297 --> 00:37:06,826 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 747 00:37:06,930 --> 00:37:09,745 As the Pamela Hutchinson murder case is about to go to trial, 748 00:37:09,850 --> 00:37:12,387 Lois suddenly changes her plea. 749 00:37:12,491 --> 00:37:15,826 In December of 2019, Lois Riess 750 00:37:15,930 --> 00:37:19,962 changes her plea in the murder of Pamela Hutchinson 751 00:37:20,067 --> 00:37:22,882 to guilty in order to escape the death penalty. 752 00:37:22,986 --> 00:37:25,627 She's sentenced to life without parole. 753 00:37:25,731 --> 00:37:27,747 JUDGE: Do you understand why you're here today? 754 00:37:27,851 --> 00:37:30,248 LOIS RIESS: Yes. 755 00:37:30,352 --> 00:37:33,063 JUDGE: To the charge of first degree murder with a firearm, 756 00:37:33,167 --> 00:37:37,199 a capital felony which is punishable by the death penalty 757 00:37:37,303 --> 00:37:39,735 or life, how do you plead? 758 00:37:39,841 --> 00:37:41,369 LOIS RIESS: Guilty. 759 00:37:41,473 --> 00:37:44,844 She made a plea bargain with-- with the authorities in Florida 760 00:37:44,948 --> 00:37:48,389 that she would admit to first degree murder 761 00:37:48,493 --> 00:37:52,906 charges against her in exchange for her 762 00:37:53,011 --> 00:37:54,226 being given a life sentence. 763 00:37:54,332 --> 00:37:55,825 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 764 00:37:55,929 --> 00:37:58,745 Justice may have been served in the Pamela Hutchinson case, 765 00:37:58,849 --> 00:38:02,325 but there was still one other teeny tiny unresolved matter 766 00:38:02,429 --> 00:38:06,355 facing Lois Riess, the murder of her husband, David. 767 00:38:06,459 --> 00:38:09,310 She's extradited to Minnesota to face the music there. 768 00:38:09,414 --> 00:38:10,907 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 769 00:38:11,012 --> 00:38:13,862 Minnesota prosecutors could have simply let Lois serve out 770 00:38:13,966 --> 00:38:16,920 her life sentence in Florida for the murder of Pamela 771 00:38:17,024 --> 00:38:20,672 Hutchinson, but the calls in her home state for justice 772 00:38:20,777 --> 00:38:23,766 in the murder of her husband of 35 years 773 00:38:23,870 --> 00:38:25,816 were too strong to ignore. 774 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:30,611 On August 11, 2020, now, it's two years after Lois 775 00:38:30,715 --> 00:38:31,759 has killed her husband, David. 776 00:38:31,864 --> 00:38:32,906 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 777 00:38:33,010 --> 00:38:34,851 Eight months after being convicted 778 00:38:34,956 --> 00:38:36,798 in the murder of Pamela Hutchinson, 779 00:38:36,902 --> 00:38:40,759 Lois Riess finally confessed to killing her husband David too. 780 00:38:40,863 --> 00:38:42,914 She changes her plea. 781 00:38:43,017 --> 00:38:46,076 She enters a plea of guilty to the murder 782 00:38:46,181 --> 00:38:47,744 of her husband, David. 783 00:38:47,848 --> 00:38:48,891 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): 784 00:38:48,995 --> 00:38:50,941 The fugitive grandma who had murdered 785 00:38:51,045 --> 00:38:54,244 her husband of 35 years in cold blood 786 00:38:54,347 --> 00:38:57,335 had finally been brought to justice. 787 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:02,305 The enormity of this case, geographically, 788 00:39:02,409 --> 00:39:07,831 as well as-- as just in terms of-- of what happened and how 789 00:39:07,935 --> 00:39:12,835 this destroyed so many families' lives, I've never 790 00:39:12,939 --> 00:39:15,788 seen anything like before. 791 00:39:15,892 --> 00:39:18,081 And I hope I never see again. 792 00:39:18,185 --> 00:39:20,098 Who would have ever suspected this-- 793 00:39:20,203 --> 00:39:23,607 this woman from Minnesota to have come 794 00:39:23,712 --> 00:39:25,242 down here to do what she did. 795 00:39:25,346 --> 00:39:26,666 Certainly, it's not the image that I 796 00:39:26,770 --> 00:39:29,272 have when I think of my grandparents or my parents. 797 00:39:29,376 --> 00:39:32,504 But, again, we-- we don't know, you know, 798 00:39:32,608 --> 00:39:34,625 why people do things sometimes. 799 00:39:34,729 --> 00:39:36,188 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (VOICEOVER): In the end, 800 00:39:36,292 --> 00:39:39,629 Lois Riess received another life sentence for murdering 801 00:39:39,733 --> 00:39:41,122 her husband, David. 802 00:39:41,226 --> 00:39:44,458 She'll spend her remaining days behind bars. 803 00:39:44,563 --> 00:39:46,335 She looked like a-- 804 00:39:46,439 --> 00:39:49,116 a grandmother that-- that may have been a little quirky, 805 00:39:49,220 --> 00:39:52,556 but I don't think anyone suspected she would be violent. 806 00:39:52,660 --> 00:39:55,232 When you look at her path into murder, 807 00:39:55,336 --> 00:39:57,178 you can see that it was really motivated 808 00:39:57,283 --> 00:39:58,603 by money, first and foremost. 809 00:39:58,707 --> 00:40:00,930 Really, all she saw was dollar signs, 810 00:40:01,035 --> 00:40:03,293 and it was whatever she could do to get 811 00:40:03,397 --> 00:40:07,082 as much money as possible to amass wealth for herself. 812 00:40:07,186 --> 00:40:09,270 MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: When David Riess married the woman 813 00:40:09,375 --> 00:40:12,294 who would murder him 35 years later, 814 00:40:12,399 --> 00:40:16,012 he had no idea her innocent love of gambling 815 00:40:16,116 --> 00:40:19,384 would eventually turn deadly. 816 00:40:19,488 --> 00:40:22,511 But that's the way it is when you first meet someone. 817 00:40:22,616 --> 00:40:27,308 You have no idea who they will become decades later. 818 00:40:27,412 --> 00:40:29,984 They might even become a killer. 819 00:40:30,088 --> 00:40:33,180 In the end, justice is served. 820 00:40:33,284 --> 00:40:35,057 That killer's off the streets. 821 00:40:35,161 --> 00:40:37,315 She's behind bars where she belongs. 822 00:40:37,420 --> 00:40:39,783 Hopefully, it brings some sense 823 00:40:39,887 --> 00:40:44,405 of resolution, conclusion, justice for the family. 824 00:40:44,509 --> 00:40:49,201 I'm Michelle Trachtenberg, and I'll see you next time, 825 00:40:49,305 --> 00:40:51,981 on "Meet, Marry, Murder." 826 00:40:52,085 --> 00:40:55,282 [music playing]