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HBO's latest two-part documentary covers the brutal double murder of David Riess and Pamela Hutchinson, both of whom were killed by Lois Riess, a then-56-year-old native of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. Riess was the husband of Lois but Hutchinson was simply unfortunate to come in contact with her while on a trip to Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
This double murder is the subject of acclaimed director Erin Lee Carr's two-part documentary, I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders. The first part of the documentary premieres on October 15, 2024, at 9.00 PM EST, followed by the second part on October 16, 2024. The synopsis for the same reads:
"In 2018, a small-town murder in Minnesota shocks a community when Lois Riess kills her husband David and goes on the run from the authorities; years later, Lois sits down with the filmmakers telling her story for the first time."
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Ahead of the episode, here is a breakdown of what happened with Pamela Hutchinson and the aftermath of the incident.
How did Pamela Hutchinson die?
Pamela Hutchinson was 59 years old and lived in Bradenton. She came to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on April 3, 2018. She allegedly went there to help a friend scatter her husband’s ashes on Sanibel. She was staying at the Marina Village at Snug Harbor.
Hutchinson allegedly came in contact with Lois Riess after the latter fled to Florida after killing her husband at their home with a gun. Lois and Pamela became friends on the trip and were spotted in several places in and around the hotel together. Authorities also reportedly deciphered that Riess went to Pamela's room at night, possibly staying with her too.
However, on April 9, 2018, a staff of the hotel discovered Pamela shot to death. Authorities would later discover that the method of killing Pamela was similar to that of killing David. By this time, a nationwide manhunt had begun for Lois Riess, who was on the run.
Besides the murder, she had also stolen the contents of Pamela Hutchinson's purse, which led the authorities to believe that she wanted to steal Pamela's identity as they looked similar.
Lois Riess was finally arrested on April 19, 2018, at a bar in Texas. She was taken in and charged with the murder of Pamela. Though she decided to initially go on trial, she took a guilty plea later and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Why did Lois Riess kill Pamela Hutchinson?
While the authorities and prosecutors alleged that Lois killed Pamela for her identity and money, Lois claimed in the upcoming documentary that she had no idea why she did the deed.
Lois Riess explained:
"Never. I had never anticipated hurting that woman...She reached out to me, to be my friend. I just wish I could have been in a better state of mind. I could have been her friend."
She further added:
"It truly is a puzzle, because I don't have all the memories and all the answers for that...It was shown to me that I took her life. I still don’t know the reason why it happened."
Despite this claim, she did not plead insanity and took the life sentence plea deal, following which she was sentenced to another life sentence in Minnesota for the murder of David Riess.
I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders will cover this case in more detail.
