Bryan Ellis Chief Revenue Officer | realtors.com
Lois Riess, widely known as "Killer Grandma," became infamous in 2018 after the murder of her husband, David Riess, inside their Minnesota home. Her actions led to a nationwide manhunt during which she also killed another woman in an attempt to assume her identity.
The case drew national attention and cast a spotlight on Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, a small town with just under 2,000 residents. Now, Riess's story will be revisited in an upcoming HBO documentary where she will speak about the murders from prison.
The documentary, titled “I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders,” will feature Riess discussing the murder of her husband and attributing it to alleged emotional abuse. HBO stated that Riess claims this was her motivation for the crime.
In the series trailer, Riess states: “It was just years and years of abuse. I just snapped.” Despite these claims, HBO notes that she cannot justify the subsequent crimes that included embezzlement and another murder.
Riess reportedly shot her husband on March 11, 2018, following an argument where he allegedly handed her a gun and suggested she kill herself. She turned the weapon on him instead.
After killing David Riess, Lois fled Minnesota and traveled across several states while evading capture. During this time, she befriended Pamela Hutchinson in Fort Meyers, Florida—due to their similar appearance—and later killed her as well.
Authorities linked Riess to Hutchinson's murder after finding evidence of credit card use and withdrawals from Hutchinson's bank account. Lois was arrested in South Padre Island near the Mexico border and brought back to Minnesota for trial.
She pleaded guilty to both murders and is currently serving two life sentences at a facility near Shakopee, Minnesota. The documentary is directed by Erin Lee Carr who previously worked on “Britney vs Spears.”
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