Fort Myers Beach, FL (KROC-AM News) - Lois Riess was the subject of a brief court appearance today in Lee County Florida, where she is charged with killing a woman in order to steal her identity. According to the News-Press newspaper in Fort Myers Beach, a judge ordered the Blooming Prairie woman held without bail and appointed her a public defender.

Riess was recently transported to Florida from Texas, where she was arrested at a bar on South Padre Island following a nationwide manhunt. She had been on the run since the body of her husband was discovered in the couple’s rural Blooming Prairie home in late March.

Florida prosecutors have accused her of shooting and killing 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson in the victim’s rented condominium in early April in order to steal the slain woman’s identity, financial resources and her car.

Officials in Dodge County have yet to formally charge Riess with the murder of her husband but say they plan to bring her back to Minnesota to face prosecution after the Florida case is resolved.

One of Riess’ sons is being featured today in a story about his mother on the Inside Edition TV show. In an interview, Braden Riess describes how his family has been devastated since receiving the unimaginable news about their parents. Braden also describes his mother as a “good lady” with “her own demons.” He told Inside Edition something must have “made her snap,” while noting she had been dealing with a gambling addiction the last few years.


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