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Minnesota woman dubbed 'The Killer Grandma' is at the center of new HBO documentary

Lois Riess shot her husband at their Blooming Prairie home before fleeing to Florida, where she killed a woman to steal her identity.

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Lois Riess / Photo courtesy of South Padre Island Police Department

BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. — A Minnesota grandma convicted of killing her husband and a Florida woman while on the run from authorities in 2018 is at the center of a new HBO Documentary, “I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders.”

in March 2018 when she murdered her husband, David Riess, at their rural Blooming Prairie, Minn. home. She fled the state, surfacing in Florida, where she killed Pamela Hutchinson in an attempt to steal her identity.

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Lois Riess remained on the run until mid-April, when she was tracked down in a quiet South Padre island community and arrested by state marshalls.

Riess confessed to the murder of her husband in 2020 and was sentenced to life in prison at the Minnesota Women’s Correctional Facility in Shakopee. Months later, she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of Hutchinson and received another life sentence, to be carried out in Minnesota.

Dubbed “The Killer Grandma,” the story captivated the country and stunned her town of 2,000 residents.

With the backdrop of the rural southeastern Minnesota town, the documentary gives viewers a new perspective. Interviews with those who knew Lois Riess best explain their reactions as the story unfolded.

The documentary also features an exclusive interview with Lois Riess, giving a glimpse into the mind of the small town Minnesota grandmother who became a killer.


Trisha Taurinskas is an enterprise crime reporter for Forum Communications Co., specializing in stories related to missing persons, unsolved crime and general intrigue. Her work is primarily featured on The Vault.

Trisha is also the host of The Vault podcast.

Trisha began her journalism career at Wisconsin Public Radio. She transitioned to print journalism in 2008, and has since covered local, national and international issues related to crime, politics, education and the environment.

Trisha can be reached at ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com.
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