Convicted Florida killer in Minnesota to face trial for allegedly murdering her husband in 2018

Booking image for Lois Riess (Steele County Detention Center)

A Minnesota woman who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a woman in Florida so she could assume her identity has been returned to her home state to face trial on allegations that she killed her husband in 2018.

Lois Riess is being held at the Steele County Detention Center in Owatonna on charges of first- and second-degree murder. She’s accused of fatally shooting David Riess at their home in Blooming Prairie in March 2018.

Authorities say it's believed she stole $11,000 from one of her husband's bank accounts. 

Riess drove to Florida afterward, befriended 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson and fatally shot her at a Fort Myers Beach condo the following month, according to prosecutors. Riess targeted Hutchinson because they looked alike and Riess intended to steal her identity, an indictment said.

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She received a life sentence in December after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Hutchinson’s death.

With her head of white hair, the 58-year-old Riess garnered national attention as the “fugitive grandma” before she was captured in April 2018 in Texas after a 10-day manhunt. Her nickname was "Losing Streak Lois" due to her gambling addiction, authorities said.

The Florida Department of Corrections cleared the way in March for Riess to be sent to Minnesota. She was booked into the Steele County jail Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report