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Police say this surveillance
video shows
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a cunning killer on the prowl.
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She's calm.
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She has the appearance
of a grandmother.
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The U.S. Marshals Service
today posted a $5,000 reward
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for information
about a fugitive grandmother.
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Here we have
the grandma killer.
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She had a gambling problem,
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and things spiraled
out of control.
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U.S. Marshals are
actively involved
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in a national search
for this dangerous fugitive.
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It is surprising
to see somebody
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immediately go off
on a gambling jaunt
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after they kill two people.
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Is she looking
for another person
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to befriend, the next victim?
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My fear?
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Who is this suspect?
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Do we have a serial killer
on our hands?
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I've had some wild cases
that I have covered,
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but I've never seen
one like this before.
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She is armed.
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She is dangerous.
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And she's a killer
on the loose.
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And she kept repeating,
"He's going to kill me."
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Then he shoots my daughter.
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That's about the only time
in my career
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that I just wanted
to shoot him.
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You can run.
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You can't hide.
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So what I think is most
important is to understand,
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Lee County as a whole,
it's 1,200 square miles
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of land and sea.
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We dedicate our lives
to making sure these people
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and everyone is safe.
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So this incident, it rocked us.
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I was a detective
in the Homicide Unit.
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And I received a call
from my sergeant,
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who told me they had a homicide
on Fort Myers Beach,
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and he needed me to respond.
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He just said
an elderly female was found
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deceased inside of
her condo timeshare apartment.
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Driving to the scene initially,
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my mind was going
from one end of the spectrum
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to the other of, okay,
who might have done this?
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What could have happened?
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What went wrong?
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So it was, at that point,
for me, a real whodunit.
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Once I arrived on scene,
we did a walkthrough
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of the crime scene.
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I noticed that a towel was
placed at the bottom
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of the bathroom door.
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It had been rolled up and
kind of wedged underneath it.
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And so that said to me,
you know, initially,
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okay, someone's trying to hide
either the sight, the sound,
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the smell of the homicide.
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Once I entered the bathroom,
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I noticed
that there was a pillow.
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It appeared to be from the bed
itself that had a defect in it,
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consistent with being a gunshot
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and being in close contact
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with a firearm
as it was fired.
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It was from the back.
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So, obviously, it was,
to me, taken by surprise.
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The fatal .22-caliber
pillow silenced, bam.
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Shoots two rounds
into the ceiling,
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then into our victim.
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It appeared,
after investigating the scene,
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that it was, in fact,
a homicide victim
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suffering two gunshot wounds.
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And our office
was told of this,
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and we stood by
to provide any assistance
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we could to the Lee County
Sheriff's Office investigators.
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We know that she has suffered
from a close gunshot wound
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that appeared to be muffled
by a pillow,
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and she had been covered up
with some sort
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of blanket or cloth.
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That killer takes
the victim's driver's license,
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credit cards, her identity,
her vehicle.
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The first thing
we thought of,
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was it a robbery or a theft
gone wrong of a tourist?
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She was spreading the ashes
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of a friend's deceased husband
on Sanibel.
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And, yeah, she had been
divorced herself
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fairly recently
and was starting over
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down here in Florida
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and renting a condo
on Fort Myers Beach
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as a more vacation spot.
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She was a very trusting,
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generous,
gregarious individual
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who would take
somebody under her wing
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and be very generous with them.
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A couple things that I first
noticed when we got there,
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the spare bedroom
and the spare bathroom looked
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like they had been used.
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There's only one person
in a room,
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you would think they would
only use one bathroom,
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maybe use both.
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But then again, the bedroom,
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the second guest bedroom was--
also looked like someone
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had slept in the bed.
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I knew that there was
only one person
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that checked into the room.
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The Sheriff's Office
immediately goes
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to the condominium owners,
the front desk,
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and requests
to look for video.
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It's the simplest,
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most direct,
immediate form of evidence
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that they could start working
their investigation from.
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Remarkably,
the video is perfect,
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perfect clarity.
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And what we find through
the video
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is our victim
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and another white, middle-aged
female going back and forth
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from the victim's condominium
room on a number of occasions
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over a course of a few days.
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We see them leaving,
we see them entering,
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and then all of a sudden,
we don't see
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our victim leaving
the condominium anymore.
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This woman, we see her
back and forth on the videos
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numerous times,
in and out of the room.
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We see her also at some point
seem to be not distraught,
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but certainly
thinking things through.
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She's almost pacing
on the landing of the hallway
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outside the condo room.
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It certainly shows somebody
who's maybe thinking
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of many, many things
at one time,
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maybe not fully aware that
she may be being recorded.
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And that begins, really,
the investigation.
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Who is that other woman
with our victim?
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The Sheriff's Office checked
other videos
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on Fort Myers Beach,
and they were able to detect
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the victim
and this woman together
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at the Smoking Oyster Brewery,
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which is very close by
to the condominium.
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When I look
at the video of them,
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it looks like they've
been friends forever.
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I mean, it looks like
maybe two women that came
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to Fort Myers Beach together
to have a good time,
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get away, spend a few days
in the beautiful weather,
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the fun atmosphere.
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They look like they had
been friends forever.
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She's somebody that, to me,
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would just blend in
with everyone else.
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She does not stand out
in any particular way.
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The woman became a suspect.
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Let's look at our suspect.
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You know why she's able
to fly under the radar?
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Because she looks like
anyone's family member,
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grandmother, whose identity,
at this point in time,
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we don't know.
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Then it dawned on me.
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The night before the homicide,
our agency found a vehicle
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related to another
homicide investigation
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that was currently underway
in the Minnesota area.
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It was located about a mile
away from where our scene was.
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And so it dawned on me, okay,
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we had that call
a couple days ago.
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Let me get a picture
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of the person of interest
for that case.
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And once I received a picture
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from Dodge County Sheriff's
Office up in Minnesota
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of who their person
of interest was,
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I compared it
to our video surveillance,
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and they were the same person.
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We were all just
kind of dumbfounded
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and speechless for a minute.
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We were like, okay,
this appears to be our person.
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So that way,
we had good information,
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pretty much from the beginning,
of who we might be looking for.
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Minnesota is the land
of 10,000 lakes.
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My name is Jeffrey Jackson.
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I'm the former managing editor
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of the
"Owatonna People's Press"
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in Owatonna, Minnesota.
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Blooming Prairie is
a small, small town,
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less than 2,000 people.
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I've lived
in this community for...
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16 years now.
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And I can count on one hand
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the number of murders
we have had.
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It just doesn't happen here.
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The incident occurred right
outside of Blooming Prairie
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in Dodge County, Minnesota.
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The body had been
there for some time.
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Multiple gunshot wounds.
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His body had been covered up
with a blanket.
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It would have been
a gruesome sight for anybody.
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The community was shocked.
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Their family, naturally,
when this first started,
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it was a shock to them
what had happened.
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This was a couple
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that could have been any couple
in Blooming Prairie.
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They were just
a normal couple.
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They had children.
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They had grandchildren.
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They would go to
their grandchildren's
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sporting events,
support them,
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support the community.
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They were known
in the community,
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liked in the community.
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There was nothing that would
have made a person guess
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that this would have happened.
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Beforehand, Lois had sent
texts to people,
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saying that David was not well,
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that he was under the weather,
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and that he would not
be able to go to work
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or be able to do
several things like that,
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that he was going to be
gone for a while.
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When she--when people
would ask her, "Is he okay?"
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Yeah, yeah.
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He's just--
he's needing to get better.
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It was well over a week
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00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,680
that people began
to get a little suspicious.
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They wondered, where is he?
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They couldn't--
they would call.
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They couldn't--
they couldn't reach him.
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They couldn't contact him.
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And, finally, a friend called
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the Blooming Prairie
Police Department
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and asked
for a welfare check.
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They just wanted
to make sure, is he okay?
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And that's when police
discovered his body.
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What was being alleged
or being suspected
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from the very beginning
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was that Lois had killed David
and then taken off.
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She kills her husband
in Minnesota.
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And where does she end up?
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Fort Myers, Florida.
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We have a murder
investigation
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going on in Minnesota.
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At the same exact time now,
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00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,360
we have a murder investigation
going on
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00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,560
in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
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My fear--
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do we have a serial killer
on our hands?
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We're getting calls
from everywhere,
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because people are afraid.
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Is there a killer on the loose?
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Are the people safe locally?
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People are afraid.
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It rocked this county.
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We want to gather information
as much as we can
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00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,520
from Minnesota
so that we can find
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00:13:57,640 --> 00:13:59,000
and track down the person
that's responsible
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00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,240
for this horrific crime.
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But also we don't
want to release information
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that could ruin
their investigation or ours.
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We developed a rapport,
started communicating
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basically nonstop over
the next couple weeks,
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00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:15,080
just going over things,
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00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,680
providing them information,
and vice versa.
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We actually received photos
of their crime scene up there
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00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,040
and compared it
to what we had down here.
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They were very similar
with what happened
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up there and down here.
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The way she left the body,
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the way she stuffed towels
under the door.
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That solidified
for us that, okay,
261
00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:40,720
the person who
was responsible up there
262
00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,760
was also responsible
for the homicide down here.
263
00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,400
Not only does she shoot
the victim,
264
00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:51,240
but then she covers up.
265
00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,160
She starts to do her own
cover-up of the crime scene,
266
00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:57,520
puts the towel by the door
so there's no odor coming out.
267
00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,000
She was cold.
268
00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,040
She was calculated.
269
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:03,280
She staged that crime scene.
270
00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:05,120
She knew exactly
what she was doing.
271
00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,200
It appeared to me,
based upon the information
272
00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:17,200
that we were given
by the Minnesota detectives,
273
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,720
that there was obviously
some family difficulties.
274
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:22,360
She appeared to
have been struggling
275
00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,800
with her mental health,
possibly,
276
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,280
and financial situations
at home.
277
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,320
All the stresses that it
seemed as if it just
278
00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:33,320
kind of came
to a point one day.
279
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,400
And it seemed like
she just snapped.
280
00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,880
When the sheriff
of Dodge County
281
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,560
first reported Lois,
282
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:48,680
that she was
a person of interest,
283
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,800
one of the things
that he mentioned was
284
00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:55,200
the fact that she had
a history
285
00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:57,960
of going to casinos.
286
00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,080
And that piqued our interest
287
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,040
because we weren't
quite certain
288
00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,040
why he would have said that.
289
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,000
So I remember going
to the courthouse,
290
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,120
and that's when I stumbled
across some documents
291
00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:14,120
concerning an older sister of Lois's.
292
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,720
She was in the court documents
described as having
293
00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,800
the cognitive level
of a ten-year-old.
294
00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,480
And in 2012,
295
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,080
Lois applied
to become her guardian,
296
00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,880
her legal guardian,
297
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,720
because she was
a vulnerable adult.
298
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,840
And by 2015, the Human Services
299
00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:48,680
here in Steele County
and in Dodge County petitioned
300
00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:53,440
the court to try to get
Lois removed as guardian
301
00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,480
because they said
there was evidence
302
00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,920
that she was taking money
from her sister
303
00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,640
and using it to go gambling.
304
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:08,120
The court determined
that Lois had taken
305
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,080
just over $100,000
of her sister's money.
306
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:14,840
Wow.
307
00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,600
It was amazing.
308
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:28,320
There was a knowledge
within the community
309
00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:33,120
that Lois had an issue.
310
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,480
And that issue was gambling.
311
00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:44,680
And they were well aware
that she had that problem.
312
00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:53,360
Diamond Jo's Casino,
that Lois frequented a lot,
313
00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:57,000
that's about an hour away.
314
00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:02,880
There was a history
of depression in her family.
315
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,840
This could have been
her way of trying
316
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,520
to find fulfillment
by going out
317
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,000
and gambling the way she did.
318
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:14,360
She had a gambling problem,
319
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:15,920
and things spiraled
out of control.
320
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,960
Once she had shot
and killed her husband,
321
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:28,480
Lois--the very day that
his body was discovered,
322
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,520
Lois had taken money
out of his accounts
323
00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,360
and transferred them or wrote
checks on his accounts.
324
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,520
She cashed them,
put them in her account,
325
00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:41,280
and went gambling again.
326
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:09,280
Even on her way down
to Florida to try to hide out,
327
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:15,320
she was stopping at casinos
and spending money
328
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,120
that she had taken
from her husband
329
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,000
after she had shot
and killed him.
330
00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:26,280
She was interested
in the money
331
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,840
to feed her need to gamble.
332
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,840
That was her need,
her addiction.
333
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,160
She's at the bar,
and she's smiling,
334
00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,920
and she's befriending
our victim.
335
00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:59,280
Now, why is our victim
befriended by the suspect?
336
00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,640
And what was that about?
337
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,160
There's a very
general resemblance
338
00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:08,360
as far as age and race
and color of hair,
339
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,600
maybe build somewhat.
340
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,960
And it appears
that Lois Riess took advantage
341
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,360
of a very kind, good-natured,
lovely person.
342
00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,280
It looked like she had
done it to assume
343
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,800
a new identity
of the woman that she killed,
344
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:26,640
because she was on the run.
345
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:30,760
She had an agenda.
346
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,160
She had a plan.
347
00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,600
She wanted to steal
this woman's identity.
348
00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,480
Obviously, she had
her husband's car.
349
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,600
And she knew that soon,
that sometime,
350
00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:45,360
that would be discovered.
351
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:46,920
She had to get rid of it,
352
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:48,920
get another mode
of transportation,
353
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,000
and get another identity.
354
00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:53,480
She's a wolf
in sheep's clothing.
355
00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,080
She walks up.
356
00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:58,400
She smiles.
357
00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:00,080
She's calm.
358
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:02,040
She has the appearance
of a grandmother.
359
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,480
She's collective.
360
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,560
But make no mistake,
she's calculated.
361
00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,000
And I will tell you
that this was unique,
362
00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:13,040
because here we have
the grandma killer.
363
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,560
They had drinks together.
364
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,600
They had fun together.
365
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,000
They talked.
They laughed.
366
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,320
Until Lois killed her.
367
00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:28,680
My cousin went out
helping the world.
368
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,160
She befriended
this woman, probably.
369
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:33,120
The woman probably gave
her some sob story.
370
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,600
She took her in,
alley cat thing.
371
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,080
She just was--
she's just giving to a fault,
372
00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:40,640
to her death.
373
00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,880
Pure evil,
that's really the only thing
374
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:44,720
that could resonate
with my system,
375
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,200
because it's not
necessarily her or whatever.
376
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,240
It's just evil
that flowed through,
377
00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:51,840
because how can you go
around killing people
378
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:53,320
for no other good reason
379
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,240
other than to keep
yourself out of prison?
380
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,280
She's driving away right now
after committing two murders.
381
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,800
She's got the victim's vehicle.
382
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,560
This woman had no heart.
383
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,360
She killed in cold blood.
384
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:13,320
She was calculated,
and she was on the run.
385
00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,680
We do not expect
to see somebody who is
386
00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:20,400
a typical suburban mom,
grandmom,
387
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:24,320
who has been involved in not
only killing their husband,
388
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,120
but assuming the identity of
a completely innocent person
389
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,680
and then killing them
to get that identity.
390
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,960
That was very surprising to us.
391
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,440
We have to get her before
she commits another murder.
392
00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:36,080
We knew what happened
in Minnesota,
393
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,120
we knew what happened here,
and we did not want
394
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,280
there to be a third victim.
395
00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,080
We have someone--
someone that's already
396
00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,880
killed now twice.
397
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,520
Do we want a third person,
a fourth person?
398
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:04,920
Of course not.
399
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:06,960
Let's get this person
off the streets
400
00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,520
immediately before
we have major events
401
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,280
and God knows where.
402
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,800
So our detectives are
working so hard
403
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,320
to stopping this person
from killing again.
404
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,200
Is she looking
for another person
405
00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,720
to befriend, the next victim?
406
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,000
We have to stop her and put
an end to it immediately.
407
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:25,720
We knew who we were
looking for.
408
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:27,400
We had her name,
her date of birth,
409
00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:29,800
and the vehicle that
she was traveling in.
410
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:31,880
We then disseminated
that information
411
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,080
through our sheriff's office
to other states,
412
00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,720
other agencies,
other regions of the country
413
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,920
for where we think
she might be going.
414
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,640
She's got the credit cards,
debit cards of the victim.
415
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,000
She's got
the victim's vehicle.
416
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:47,640
She's got resources.
417
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,160
Where is she going?
Who knows?
418
00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,440
We were following
her financial information
419
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,720
and the victim's
financial information.
420
00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,720
We were behind
the eight ball a little bit.
421
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,040
But with the investigation
going forward
422
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,160
and all hands on deck,
we were able to, you know,
423
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,160
make great progress
in it very quickly.
424
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:10,880
She goes to an ATM
425
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,760
or to a bank
on Fort Myers Beach,
426
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,840
where Lois Riess
withdraws $5,000
427
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:17,960
from the victim's bank account.
428
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:22,440
And off she goes in
the victim's car, the Acura,
429
00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,720
not to be seen until many,
many hours later,
430
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,440
farther up north
in the state of Florida.
431
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:41,760
We actually found that
she was in the Ocala area.
432
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,320
She stayed at
the Hilton Hotel in Ocala.
433
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,160
She walks up
to the front desk--
434
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:51,280
once again, her MO--
smiling, calculated, cool,
435
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,840
the appearance
of anyone's grandmother.
436
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,200
She did the best she could
to conceal herself.
437
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:57,640
She was wearing a hat.
438
00:24:57,760 --> 00:24:59,160
We have her on video
doing that.
439
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,280
And she uses the victim's--
440
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:03,680
it's the first time now.
441
00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,320
She's taken on
this new persona.
442
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,000
And she's now using
the victim's identification
443
00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:11,000
and credit card
to check into a hotel.
444
00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:12,960
She's on the run
for murdering her husband.
445
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:14,280
She doesn't want
to be detected,
446
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,280
so she assumes
our victim's identity.
447
00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,080
There was some
general similarity
448
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,040
that allowed her
to use the identification
449
00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:22,400
without detection.
450
00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:24,040
She orders room service,
451
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:25,360
and she checks out
the next morning,
452
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,360
and then she's
on the road again.
453
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:34,640
She headed north
out of Ocala,
454
00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:36,720
and then she
essentially turned left
455
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:41,000
and had the rest of
the country in front of her.
456
00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:45,120
And we know this because there
are license plate readers
457
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:50,240
that are able to identify
the Acura by its license plate
458
00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:52,160
progressively down
the interstates.
459
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:54,600
She was lighting out
for the territory.
460
00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,800
I imagine there was
a bit of a thrill,
461
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,760
a bit of a adrenaline rush--
the road trip of her life.
462
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,040
Well, that's a great way
to describe it.
463
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:22,120
Where does she go from there?
464
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,680
We know she has
a gambling habit, okay?
465
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,200
She's got resources.
466
00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:28,800
She's in the casino.
467
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,040
And here she is now,
fleeing,
468
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:31,880
now having committed
two murders,
469
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,920
and still feels the need
to stop and gamble
470
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,160
in broad daylight
at a casino in Louisiana.
471
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:40,760
Well, she goes to the casino,
and, remarkably,
472
00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,600
she calls attention to herself
because she has a bit of luck,
473
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:45,520
and she wins.
474
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,840
She wins about $1,500
at the slot machines.
475
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,880
And when she presents
to the window to collect,
476
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,160
she shows her Minnesota
driver's license,
477
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,080
Lois Riess,
478
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,120
and her Social Security card
in order to claim the winnings.
479
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:04,560
And she continues
to head west on the interstate
480
00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:05,960
towards Texas.
481
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,080
It is surprising
to see somebody--and unusual--
482
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,840
immediately go off
on a gambling jaunt
483
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,400
after they've killed
two people.
484
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:23,280
She heads south
towards the Mexican border,
485
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,240
where she's picked up again
on a license plate reader
486
00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:27,120
in Refugio, Texas,
487
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,360
which is a suburb
of Corpus Christi.
488
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,200
In my belief, she knows
we're on her tail.
489
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:35,800
It's clear where she's going.
490
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,120
She wants out of the country.
491
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,520
Perhaps she thought
she could escape.
492
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:47,480
She had so amazingly
eluded...
493
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:50,880
law enforcement at that time
494
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:55,480
that they thought she might
make it all the way to Mexico.
495
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:11,560
She checks into a Motel 6
496
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:13,840
right in the center
of South Padre Island,
497
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,840
and it appears that she checks
in for a period of two weeks.
498
00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:24,840
She got out there,
and she made friends...
499
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,000
much the same way she made
friends with our victim
500
00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:29,920
in Fort Myers Beach.
501
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:36,680
She encountered a woman
at the pool at the Motel 6
502
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,200
and started chatting her up.
503
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,200
It amazed me that Lois would
yet befriend another person...
504
00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:49,720
And somehow get invited
to stay in her guest room.
505
00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,360
She also had
the murder weapon with her.
506
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,640
Certainly, she had
now committed one murder
507
00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,720
with the intention
of concealing her identity.
508
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,000
So it was very important
to try to find her
509
00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,280
so that she wouldn't
do that again.
510
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:10,120
I've had some wild cases
511
00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:14,080
that I have covered
over the years.
512
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,640
But I've never seen
one like this before.
513
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,720
This one was wild.
514
00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:21,760
It eventually captured
the attention
515
00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:23,320
of the entire nation.
516
00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:26,800
Good afternoon.
517
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,240
I'm undersheriff
Carmine Marceno.
518
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,160
I thank you for attending
today's press conference.
519
00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,440
There comes a point in time
where we want the media--
520
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:39,400
we want everyone,
because now we go country-wide.
521
00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,920
Riess's mode of operation is
to befriend women
522
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,600
who resemble her
and steal their identity.
523
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,800
U.S. Marshals are actively
involved in a national search
524
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:50,800
for this dangerous fugitive.
525
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,080
Riess is considered
armed and dangerous
526
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,720
and should not be
approached if located.
527
00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,240
We want everyone to help us.
528
00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,240
Let's get this information out.
529
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:01,840
Let's be on the lookout.
530
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:03,840
Let's put her face
on the billboards everywhere,
531
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,400
because where is she going?
532
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,600
We don't know, but we need
to all work and stop her
533
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:09,440
before she commits
another murder.
534
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,560
Police say this surveillance
video shows a cunning killer
535
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,680
on the prowl, 56-year-old
grandmother Lois Riess,
536
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,480
targeting 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson
537
00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,160
in a Fort Myers bar.
538
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:22,920
And now law enforcement
has out
539
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,720
a full-fledged media campaign
to try to catch her.
540
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,640
There's a BOLO, which means
be on the lookout, for her.
541
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,640
And her picture's everywhere.
542
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,360
So that way, hopefully,
someone could come into contact
543
00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:42,960
with her and catch her.
544
00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,200
The U.S. Marshals' Service
today posted a $5,000 reward
545
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,680
for information
about a fugitive grandmother.
546
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:50,080
Lois Riess is suspected
547
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,160
of murdering her husband
in Minnesota
548
00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,720
and a lookalike woman
in Florida.
549
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,200
It has been determined
that Riess has
550
00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,080
fled southwest Florida
551
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,120
and has traveled through
the Gulf states
552
00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,960
and into Corpus Christi,
Texas, area.
553
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:05,000
And current whereabouts
are unknown.
554
00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,480
She's sitting in a bar
in South Padre,
555
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:42,640
and the bartender
looks at her and says,
556
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:47,160
oh, that's the woman who's
wanted who I just saw on TV...
557
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,960
And does the, of course,
extremely correct thing
558
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,040
of calling
local law enforcement,
559
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,000
who in turn calls in
the U.S. Marshals.
560
00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:01,720
She got a tap
on the shoulder,
561
00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,720
and it was a U.S. Marshal.
562
00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,120
And he asked her
to step outside, and she did.
563
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,040
And she was asked to produce
identification, and she did.
564
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,960
And she was arrested.
565
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:21,560
The story, it gained
a lot of notoriety.
566
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,960
People were using
things like Killer Grandma
567
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,680
or Losing Streak Lois.
568
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,000
A tip-off led to
the arrest of Lois Riess,
569
00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:32,320
a suspected murderer
who had been
570
00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,320
on the lam for nearly a month.
571
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,800
When you look at the folks
that she befriended
572
00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,240
in South Padre Island--
I don't want to speculate,
573
00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,520
but it is certainly something
that has crossed my mind
574
00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,120
that had she not been
captured when she was,
575
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:46,480
perhaps she would have
done the same thing.
576
00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:53,600
Those people should thank
their lucky stars that--
577
00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:55,080
because she had the gun.
578
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,440
She had the gun.
579
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,400
She could have done it again.
580
00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:03,360
Lo and behold, they discovered
that the gun that had been used
581
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,560
on Pamela Hutchinson
was the same gun
582
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,560
that had been used
on David Riess.
583
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,560
She was certainly interested
in casino gambling again,
584
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,600
because she did have
literature that we found
585
00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,160
in her hotel room that
showed some sort of interest
586
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,640
in going to a casino
somewhere in Texas.
587
00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:26,040
Obviously, gambling was
going to be part
588
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,960
of her continued life
on the run.
589
00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,240
Lois was first taken
back to Florida,
590
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:39,960
where there was always going
to be the question
591
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,560
of whose jurisdiction--who
would get to try her first.
592
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:49,680
You committed that murder
on a tourist in my county,
593
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:51,160
and we are going to get you.
594
00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:53,080
And in the end, I wanted
her to specifically
595
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:54,680
face the music here.
596
00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,480
In this case, in our
opinion, you had a very clear,
597
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,760
premeditated
first-degree murder.
598
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,760
You got a woman
who comes to Florida,
599
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,000
looks like she's looking
for somebody
600
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:08,840
who looks at least
somewhat like her
601
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,840
to kill and assume
their identity.
602
00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,840
To us, that was clear signs
of a premeditated murder.
603
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,080
So we charged her
604
00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,840
with first-degree
premeditated murder.
605
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,680
Once you're convicted of
first-degree murder in Florida,
606
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:25,440
there's only
two possible sentences.
607
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,400
One is a life sentence
without the chance of release,
608
00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,840
and the second sentence
is the death penalty.
609
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,520
In this case, we decided
to seek the death penalty.
610
00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:55,120
Our attorneys handling
the case were contacted
611
00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:58,440
by the defense for Lois Riess,
and they said,
612
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:00,920
she wants to take
responsibility.
613
00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:02,920
She wants to enter
a plea to life
614
00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,280
without the possibility
of parole or release
615
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:07,440
and go back to Minnesota,
616
00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:09,840
where she was also
facing murder charges.
617
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,320
And we determined that because
she still had a case pending
618
00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,080
in Minnesota and she needed
to go back to Minnesota,
619
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,760
with the family,
the next of kin's blessing,
620
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,040
we decided that the best
thing to do in this case
621
00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:24,080
would be to take
the life sentence
622
00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:25,880
and let her go on
her way to Minnesota
623
00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:27,840
and stay there and
answer her charges there.
624
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,960
And we knew by that plea
that she would be spending
625
00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,200
the rest of her life
in prison on our charges,
626
00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:40,640
regardless of what happened
in Minnesota.
627
00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:42,680
She came out
in her orange jumpsuit,
628
00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:44,040
very matter-of-factly.
629
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:46,000
She answered
the questions posed to her
630
00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:47,800
by the prosecutors
and by the judge.
631
00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:51,760
Do you understand
why you're here today?
632
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,160
Yes.
633
00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:57,320
To the charge of first-degree
murder with a firearm,
634
00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,800
a capital felony, which is
punishable by the death penalty
635
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:03,360
or life, how do you plead?
636
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,120
Guilty.
637
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:06,800
Pursuant to the terms
of the agreement, ma'am,
638
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:08,960
I will adjudicate you guilty.
639
00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,080
I will sentence you
640
00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:13,440
to the Florida Department
of Corrections
641
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,680
for a period of life
on Count I.
642
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,600
She understood and accepted
her responsibility,
643
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:20,240
and she took the plea,
644
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:21,920
and off she went,
back into the holding cell.
645
00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:38,560
She was extradited
back to Minnesota,
646
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:40,400
where she was going
to be tried
647
00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:42,840
for the death
of her husband, David.
648
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:48,040
It was a pretty packed area
when the judge announced,
649
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,800
you know, we've reached
a plea agreement.
650
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,040
And she pleaded guilty that day
651
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:56,520
and was sentenced that day
to life in prison.
652
00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:00,600
The court determined
that on the night
653
00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:05,960
that David was
shot and killed...
654
00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,880
he and Lois had
apparently gone
655
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,040
to see grandkids
in sporting events.
656
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:18,880
And on the way back
to their home
657
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,160
there in Blooming Prairie,
658
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:25,040
they started arguing,
probably about money,
659
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:28,360
probably about
her gambling addiction.
660
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:33,960
And according to Lois...
661
00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,440
while they were arguing
at their home,
662
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,240
he handed her a loaded pistol
663
00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:44,160
and told her basically
to shoot and kill herself.
664
00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:48,240
And instead, she took the gun,
pointed it at him,
665
00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,520
and shot him three times.
666
00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,760
Where I have my doubts is
his handing her the pistol
667
00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:02,920
and saying, shoot yourself.
668
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,480
I have my doubts.
669
00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:08,360
It's always disturbing
to me as a prosecutor
670
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,120
and as a member
of the community
671
00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:13,400
to see when people
do evil things
672
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:17,080
and just don't seem to have
any care about what they did.
673
00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,640
The way she had
befriended the victim,
674
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:24,280
who was a loving and obviously
a very trusting person,
675
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,040
and then killed her,
we thought had the marks
676
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:28,840
of a really evil killer.
677
00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:32,440
The enormity of this case,
678
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:37,800
geographically as well as
just in terms
679
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,760
of what happened
and how this destroyed
680
00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,720
so many families' lives,
681
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,400
I've never seen
anything like before.
682
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:48,560
And I hope I never see again.
683
00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:51,720
And in the end,
justice is served.
684
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:53,720
That killer is off the streets.
685
00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:55,520
She's behind bars
where she belongs.
686
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,200
You commit a crime
in my county, you can run.
687
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:01,960
You can't hide.
688
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:18,120
Everyone was
looking for Micah.
689
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,080
Where was Micah?
690
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:24,720
Where would someone have come
by and tried to abduct her?
691
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,120
You add all the
things together,
692
00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:27,600
and something's not right.
693
00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:30,840
It was clear that
they knew about guns.
693
00:39:31,305 --> 00:40:31,150