Minnesota woman accused in 2 deaths appears in Florida court

Published 7:57 am Tuesday, May 1, 2018

FORT MYERS, Fla.  — A Blooming Prairie woman accused of killing her husband at their home and another woman in Florida to apparently steal her identity has appeared before a judge who ordered she remained in a Florida county jail without bond.

Judge Zachary Gill on Sunday granted 56-year-old Lois Riess a pretrial detention hearing but the date hasn’t been determined. The Fort Myers News-Press reports Riess arrived in Fort Myers from Texas on Saturday to face charges of homicide, identity theft and others.

A national manhunt for Riess began in March after her husband’s killing. A Florida woman was found dead April 9 in Fort Myers and investigators believe she targeted her because she looked like her. Riess was arrested April 19 in South Padre Island, Texas.

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Riess will also stand trial in Minnesota.