The rural Blooming Prairie woman charged in the murder of her husband in March of 2018 is scheduled to make her next court appearance on August 11th.  

62-year old Lois Riess is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing before Judge Jodi Williamson on Aug. 11.

Riess pleaded not guilty in Dodge County District Court on July 7th to charges of first-degree and second-degree murder. Riess’ husband, David Riess, was found shot to death in the couple’s rural Blooming Prairie home in March of  2018.  Riess has also been charged with a felony count of theft. She is being held at the Steele County Jail.

After her husband’s murder, Riess led authorities on a month-long, nationwide manhunt that went through Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where she was accused of a second murder, before ending with her arrest in South Padre Island, Texas.

Extradition paperwork was filed with a Florida court in March to have Riess returned to Minnesota to answer to the charges here. She was listed in custody at the Steele County Jail on July 3.

Riess is serving a life sentence in Florida for the murder of 59-year old Pamela Hutchinson of Bradenton, Florida, who was found shot to death in a Fort Myers Beach condo on April 9, 2018.

In Lee County Court in Florida, Riess pleaded guilty in December 2019 to charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification information of a deceased individual.