Killer grandmother speaks for the first time in documentary I’m Not a Monster

Six years ago, a Minnesota community was deeply shocked when police found local worm farmer David Riess dead in his home — and his wife, Lois Riess, missing.

That discovery would begin a weeks-long manhunt that would ultimately lead to a chilling discovery: Lois killed her husband, fled the state, and then murdered another woman in an attempt to steal her identity.

Now, for the first time, Lois — briefly known across the country as “Killer Grandma” — is speaking out about the murders in an upcoming documentary directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Erin Lee Carr. Carr’s previous work includes Britney vs Spears and In the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal.

“It was the perfect storm,” Lois tells the documentary makers in I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders, which premieres on HBO on October 15th.

“It was just years and years of abuse, and years of giving and giving, and neglecting my own mental health and my own needs.

“And I don’t know, I think the word is ‘psychotic break’. I just exploded.

Husband and father found dead

On March 23, 2018, police found 54-year-old David Reiss inside his home in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. Lois was nowhere to be found.

Police discovered that David had been shot multiple times and $11,000 had been stolen from him.

David has been described as an avid outdoorsman, The Daily Beast reported. In 2010, after a stint selling bait, he and Lois purchased land with a white farmhouse to start their own business: Prairie Wax Worm Farm.

But, according to the documentary, his outward success hid a tumultuous relationship, huge holes in his finances and alleged emotional and physical abuse.

“I was very intimidated by him,” Lois claims in the new film. “I didn’t think I had a way out, or that I could challenge him. Because he was a big man and very aggressive. Lots of verbal abuse, which I consider worse than physical abuse.”

The documentary details how Lois developed a terrible gambling addiction while going through a series of personal trials, which ultimately led to a suicide attempt and worsening problems in her marriage.

Eventually, Lois claims, she and David got into a fight at their farmhouse on March 11, 2018. During the argument, Lois says, David handed her a loaded gun, telling her to take her life and “get it right this time.” ”

When David handed her the gun, she shot him in the heart, she said. Then she covered him with a blanket and lay down next to him.

She then fled – and was only arrested on April 19.

From fast friends to a fatal end

Lois, then 56, fled in her 2005 Cadillac Escalade.

She drove 1,500 miles south to Fort Myers, Florida, police said. On the way, Lois stopped to gamble at the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa, about 40 miles from her home, Beast reported, citing surveillance footage.

Once in Fort Myers, she met 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson. The two became fast friends, and surveillance footage showed them eating at a local brewery on April 5. Pamela, originally from Bradenton, Florida, was staying in a timeshare in Fort Myers Beach.

“Never. I never imagined hurting that woman,” says Lois in I’m not a monster. “She approached me to be my friend. I just wanted to be in a better state of mind. I could have been her friend.

Four days later, police found Pamela’s body inside that timeshare. As well as David’s body, police discovered Pamela dead from gunshot wounds and covered by a blanket.

The two women appeared similar in age and build, and authorities would argue that Lois killed Pamela to steal her identity.

To this day, Lois maintains that she doesn’t remember killing Pamela and doesn’t know why she did it – although journalists who covered her case have expressed serious doubts about this story.

“It’s really a puzzle, because I don’t have all the memories and all the answers to this,” says Lois. “I was shown that I took her life. I still don’t know why this happened.

“But I feel absolute remorse and shame. I feel terrible for taking her and David’s lives.”

Starting to cry, she continues: “She just got involved in my breakdown and it was horrible.”

‘I miss my dad’: Lois Riess in court

Lois was arrested ten days later by the US Marshal’s Service while eating at a restaurant on South Padre Island, Texas.

In June, a grand jury indicted Lois for Pamela’s murder, as well as stealing her car, identity and more than $6,000.

On December 17, 2019, Lois pleaded guilty after initially planning to go to trial. She received a life sentence.

“You know, my mother died in a mental institution. I didn’t want to die in a mental institution,” says Lois in the documentary. “And that was my biggest fear, if I had to go to trial. Because I felt mentally incompetent; I was in the middle of a breakdown. And I felt like that was what was going to happen – I was going to end up like my mother.”

Pamela’s ex-husband, James Hutchinson, said the outcome was “probably not what I wanted.”

“Damn, it was cold-blooded murder,” James told the Fort Myers News-Press. “I’m trying to digest this, am I happy, sad? This might put a smile on my face, I don’t know if it’s okay.”

Pamela’s best friend, Judy Wilder, said she was thrilled when Lois was convicted – but would have preferred the woman faced the death penalty.

“Oh my God, I’m so happy. This will give the family some sort of closure. I’m glad she didn’t say she was crazy,” she told News-Press. “I’m a little disappointed, but (you) have to trust our system. (I) would have liked to see the death penalty.”

Lois was then extradited to Minnesota to face charges for her husband’s murder.

Similar to her previous trial, Lois initially pleaded provisionally innocent, but later changed course and pleaded guilty during a pretrial hearing.

For David’s murder, she received yet another life sentence without the possibility of parole. She will remain in prison in Minnesota for the rest of her life.

In a victim impact statement, David and Lois’ daughter Breanna Riess said she alternates between “anger, regret and sadness.”

“March 11, 2018 was the last time I hugged my dad and told him I loved him,” she said, according to Fox 9. “I miss my dad more than words can describe.”

The couple’s son, Billy Riess, chose to address his mother directly in his statement, Fox 9 reported.

“You just left. We didn’t have anyone,” Billy said. “It will be a long time before I talk to you and see you again. There is no excuse for that.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress or struggling to cope, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance now, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you live in the UK, you can speak to Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected]or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.