Fort Myers Beach killer Lois Riess likely to stay in Minnesota prison; release no option

Michael Braun, Fort Myers News-Press
·3 min read
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Lois Riess will never again be free nor will she likely ever see the inside of a Florida prison.

The Minnesota woman fatally shot her husband, drove cross-county to Lee County and fatally shot a woman who resembled her at a Fort Myers Beach condo. She then fled to Texas where she was captured,  and, sent north, pleaded guilty Aug. 11 in Wisconsin's Dodge County district court.

A judge sentenced her to life in prison with no chance of release.

Lois Riess
Lois Riess

Since her plea she has been housed at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee.

The 58-year-old Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, resident, known at times during her multi-week homicide and gambling spree as the “Killer Grandma” or “Losing Streak Lois,” also pleaded guilty to the Fort Myers Beach homicide in December in Lee County Court and was given a life sentence without possibility of parole.

A spokeswoman for the State Attorney’s Office of the 20th Judicial Circuit in Fort Myers said Riess’ life sentences in Florida and Minnesota are being served concurrently in Shakopee.

“Riess received a sentence of life in prison here in Florida and if any issues had arisen in her case in Minnesota, she would still have a life sentence waiting for her here,” Samantha Syoen, communications director for the state attorney, said. “She will never again be free.”

Riess’ public defender, Kathleen Fitzgeorge, said her former defendant may remain in Minnesota’s prison system or be returned to Florida.

“In the event either of those sentences are set aside … which is very unlikely … she would still serve the remaining sentence,” Fitzgeorge said. “She will be in prison for the remainder of her life whether it be Florida or Minnesota.”

Fitzgeorge said it is entirely up to the governor of each of the states as to where Riess serves her time or which state would take precedence.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s office all but assured that Riess’ time in that state is likely absolute.

“In accordance with Minnesota's extradition agreement with Florida and Ms. Riess's plea agreement in Florida, she will serve her Minnesota sentence first,” John Stiles, deputy Chief of Staff for the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. “She did receive a life sentence in Minnesota as well, however, so it would seem unlikely she will ever serve any part of her Florida sentence.”

Previous coverage:

Riess was arrested April 1, 2018, by the U.S. Marshals Service and local police at a restaurant on South Padre Island, Texas.

Before that arrest, Riess kept one step ahead investigators from several states and the U.S. Marshall’s Office in a bizarre, meandering trip that took her thousands of miles from the cold of Minnesota, to the beaches of Southwest Florida and then zig-zagging around the Gulf Coast to within 30 minutes of the Mexican border.

In that little more than month-long, crime-choked trip, Lois Riess:

  • Fired multiple shots that killed Dave Riess, her husband;

  • Gambled at an Iowa casino seemingly just days after killing her spouse;

  • Illegally transferred and withdrew thousands of dollars from the couple’s fishing worm business;

  • Reportedly stopped at a Minnesota acquaintance’s Fort Myers Beach property but left when she was recognized by the woman;

  • Befriended and then shot to death Pamela Hutchinson, a look-alike to Riess, at a Fort Myers Beach condo;

  • Illegally withdrew funds from Hutchinson’s bank account, stole her car, and then spent some of that money on an Ocala hotel room;

  • Gambled and won $1,500, at a Louisiana casino;

  • Made her way to South Padre Island where she was caught after a restaurateur recognized her and reported her to authorities.

Riess’ August hearing was held at a Minnesota high school near the Dodge County courthouse because of space considerations. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole.

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pam Hutchinson murder: Lois Riess sentenced to life in prison