If you drive south of Minneapolis for about an hour and a half, you’ll come to Blooming Prairie. The small southern Minnesota town has a population of about 2,000, but it has received outsized attention in recent days.
The town is home to Lois Riess, the grandmother and gambler who is accused by law enforcement officials of murder. The case has received nationwide media coverage.
Officials say the grandmother of five killed her husband in Blooming Prairie in March and then in April killed a Florida woman who looked like Riess.
Law enforcement authorities told news media outlets that Riess allegedly murdered her husband in their Minnesota home, then drove their Escalade to Florida. She abandoned the vehicle in Fort Myers, according to police, but then struck up a friendship with a woman who had a similar build and hair.
Police say Riess shot the woman, and took off in her white Acura with her cash, credit cards and identity. A Florida police officer called Riess “a cold-blooded killer.”
Officials claim that Riess used the dead woman’s ID to make a $5,000 withdrawal and then a $500 withdrawal from her bank.
She was later captured in Texas near the Mexico border.
She faces a laundry list of serious charges, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, including two murder charges, as well as grand theft of a motor vehicle, ID theft and more.
It goes without saying that she faces harsh punishments if convicted on the charges.
If you have been arrested, speak to a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney who will protect your rights and freedom.