Lois Riess was a fun-loving grandmother of five who lavished her family with gifts, competed in a local bowling league, and was known for her cooking in the quiet city of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. But after police discovered her husband, David, shot to death inside the couple’s home in March 2018, a cross-country manhunt proved the truth about Riess was much darker and deadlier.
Now 62 years old, Riess is in prison for life for both the murder of her husband and a Florida woman whose identity she tried to steal. Dubbed the “Killer Grandma,” she is speaking out about her shocking crimes for the first time in the new HBO documentary I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders. Airing in two parts starting Tuesday, the documentary features interviews with the convicted killer, as well as former friends and neighbors, family members, and law enforcement officers.
With Riess ready to share her version of the unsettling story, here’s what we know about her shocking crimes and the events that might have led to them.
Lois Riess had a regular life in Minnesota with her husband
Born in 1962 in Rochester, Minnesota, Lois was only 20 years old when she married David Riess, a fellow Rochester native and a U.S. Navy member stationed in San Diego. According to The Atavist Magazine, the couple relocated back to their hometown following David’s military service and had three children.
In 2005, they moved roughly 40 miles to Blooming Prairie, where David opened a wax worm farm and Lois set up a day care inside their home. The couple were visible throughout town, often eating together at the local Servicemen’s Club.
But behind the scenes, there were signs of trouble. Their son Braden Riess told CBS’ Inside Edition his mother battled a gambling addiction. Elsewhere, documents showed that authorities investigated Lois for felony theft in 2015 after finding evidence she stole money from her disabled sister. She was never charged criminally, but a 2017 civil judgement determined Riess owed her sister $100,000.
It’s not clear if Riess’ gambling habit played a role in David’s murder. In the trailer for I’m Not a Monster, Lois alleges she suffered years of abuse in their relationship. “I just snapped,” she says. At a 2020 court hearing, she said she suffered from an unspecified mental illness and had attempted suicide in the past.
On March 11, 2018, she and her husband had a prolonged argument, during which he handed her a .22 handgun and quipped, “Why don’t you just kill yourself?” Riess took the loaded gun and turned it on 54-year-old David instead, shooting him twice. “He was right in front of me, and I looked at him in the heart and shot him,” she said.
The already tragic story took a bizarre and dangerous twist once Lois fled Minnesota after the crime.
Riess also killed a lookalike in Florida
After David’s murder, Lois transferred around $11,000 from David’s business account to a personal account then to herself by forging his signature on three checks. She was next seen at the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa, where she regularly gambled, but left before authorities could apprehend her.
Riess then drove to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where she struck up a friendship with 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson at a time-share complex. According to The Atavist, security footage showed the two women—who had a strikingly similar hair color, skin complexion, and body type—drinking and eating together.
Days later on April 9, 2018, Hutchinson was found dead from a gunshot wound after workers began checking units for a possible water leak. Using Hutchinson’s credit card records, police eventually connected Riess to her murder days earlier. Riess had stolen Hutchinson’s credit card and car plus withdrawn more than $6,000 from her bank account.
Authorities were now in a race against time to find the fugitive. “She looks like anybody’s mother or grandmother, yet she is a cold-blooded killer,” Florida-based undersheriff Carmine Marceno said. “The suspect’s resources will run out, and she may become very desperate, and she could strike again.”
She pleaded guilty to both murders
Riess took the stolen money to the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, Louisiana, where she claimed jackpot winnings using her own ID and social security card on April 8. She then continued west into Texas, where she evaded detection for more than a week.
Finally on April 19, police received a tip that Riess was at a restaurant in South Padre Island, not far from the U.S.-Mexico border. According to NBC News, two undercover officers confirmed Riess’ identity before federal deputies arrested her without incident.
On December 17, 2019, Riess pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, stealing a vehicle, and identity theft for Hutchinson’s killing. After returning to Minnesota in custody, Riess pleaded guilty to her husband’s murder on August 11, 2020. “My life without David is my sentence... My heart will always be his,” Riess said at a court hearing. “I should have never taken him from his children and grandchildren.”
Now, Lois Riess is behind bars for life
Riess is now serving concurrent life sentences for the two murders at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. She’s ineligible for parole.
Riess’ public defender Kathleen Fitzgeorge told The News-Press it’s “very unlikely” either of the sentences would ever be altered. “She will be in prison for the remainder of her life, whether it be Florida or Minnesota,” Fitzgeorge said.
Riess and her case were the subject of a Season 2 episode of the Oxygen true-crime series Injustice with Nancy Grace, starring the former prosecutor and longtime TV commentator. However, the new documentary marks the first interview with Riess since her imprisonment.
Watch I Am Not a Monster
Part one of I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders debuted Tuesday on HBO, with the second episode airing at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Both episodes are now available to stream on Max.
I’m Not a Monster is directed by Erin Lee Carr, who also helmed the 2017 documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest about Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s murder case and 2021’s Britney vs Spears about pop star Britney Spears and her controversial conservatorship.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
