FORT MYERS, Fla. - Minnesota grandmother Lois Riess is scheduled to return to court in Florida this week, after prosecutors announced they are pursuing the death penalty for the murder of Pamela Hutchinson.
Thousands of pages of documents and photographs released by Florida prosecutors show what Lois Riess was up to in the days leading up to and following her alleged murder of Pamela Hutchinson.
It was at the Marina Village on the shores of beautiful Fort Myers Beach, Florida, that Pamela Hutchinson got to know Lois Riess, apparently unaware her new friend was wanted in Dodge County Minnesota for the death of her husband David Riess.
Resort staff found Hutchinson's body inside the bathroom of her condo on April 9. According to police reports, they believe Riess killed her four days earlier. That's when cell phone records show Hutchinson's outgoing text messages abruptly stopped.
Police found Riess' white Escalade about a mile away. Inside, they photographed a spot of possible blood, two knives, a receipt from Jackson, Mississippi, and evidence she was carrying cash.
While police searched for her, the records show Riess withdrew cash from Hutchinson's account, and ordered room service while staying in a hotel in Hutchinson's name.
Police say Riess was driving Hutchinson's Acura, jam-packed with clothing, blankets and road maps.
Authorities believe Riess chose Hutchinson as a victim because they looked alike, making it easier to steal her identity.
The police reports say just before police caught Riess in Texas, she had befriended another woman her age, even staying a night in her guest bedroom, then texting back and forth making dinner plans.
The woman said she was due to have dinner with Riess on April 20, then was informed by the bartender that Riess had been arrested.
Lois Riess has not been charged with the murder of her husband in Minnesota. But in these documents, police write that both victims were shot with a .22 caliber handgun then covered with blankets or towels.