ABC News(FORT MYERS, Fla.) — A woman accused of leading authorities on a multistate crime spree that included two homicides has been indicted on first-degree murder charges.
Lois Riess, 56, allegedly shot and killed her husband in Minnesota and later killed a woman in Florida and stole her identity.
According to a statement on Wednesday from the State Attorney’s office in Florida, Riess has been indicted on charges of “First Degree Murder with a Firearm, Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Grand Theft and Criminal Use of Personal Identification of a Deceased Individual, $5,000 or More. The charge of First Degree Murder with a Firearm carries a mandatory life sentence in prison.”
The statement continued: “The indictment for First Degree Murder with a Firearm presented today supersedes the Second Degree Murder charge filed earlier by the State Attorney’s Office. In Florida, only a Grand Jury may charge First Degree Murder. Riess is accused of murdering Pamela Hutchinson on Fort Myers Beach in April, 2018. Riess will be arraigned on these charges on June 11th.”
U.S. Marshals arrested Riess in South Padre Island, Texas, on April 20 after a resident had recognized her and called in a tip.
John Kinsey, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, said that Riess was sitting alone at a restaurant around 8:30 p.m. when approached by authorities.
She didn’t appear surprised at the time, Kinsey said.
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