Fugitive Grandma Pleads Not Guilty to Florida Murder Charge
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A Minnesota woman accused of killing her husband and a Florida woman before leading authorities on a cross-country manhunt has entered a not guilty plea to a second-degree murder charge.
News outlets report 56-year-old Lois Reiss entered the plea Thursday in Fort Myers, Florida.
Court documents say 54-year-old David Reiss was found dead at the couple's Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, home on March 23. Authorities say Lois Reiss came to Fort Myers and soon met 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson.
Investigators believe Reiss killed Hutchinson to assume her identity. Reiss was captured in South Padre Island, Texas, and returned to Florida to face charges. Charges in Minnesota are also pending.
The public defender's office in Lee County is representing Reiss.