Killer Granny Suspect Indicted In Slay Of Doppelganger, Charges Still Pending On Husband's Murder

A Minnesota grandmother who led authorities on a cross-country manhunt after she allegedly killed her husband and a Florida woman who looked just like her was indicted on a first-degree murder charge.

Lois Riess, 56, was indicted on Wednesday by a grand jury in Minnesota on charges she murdered Pamela Hutchinson, according to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. She was previously charged with second degree murder, but the indictment replaces that charge. If convicted, Riess faces a mandatory life sentence.

Authorities suspect Reiss first killed her husband, David, 54, who was discovered shot to death in March at the couple's home in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, before going on the lam.

She traveled south from Minnesota to a casino in Iowa before she made it to Fort Myers Beach, police told the The News-Press.

Then, Riess allegedly murdered Hutchinson - who had similar features as Riess - and stole the Florida woman's vehicle, her money and her identification, Authorities found Hutchinson shot to death in Room 404 of the Marina Village at Snug Harbor on April 9, but they think she was killed on April 5, according to The News-Press in Ft. Myers.

She was the subject of a massive manhunt until she was eventually arrested in South Padre Island, Texas on April 19. She was taken to Lee County, Florida to face the accusations.

She faces felony charges too: grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle and criminal use of personal identification of a deceased individual.

Riess has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to be arraigned on Monday.

She hasn't been charged with her husband's murder, but a spokeswoman for the Dodge County Attorney's Office said Wednesday that charges are expected, according to the Star Tribune. She is already facing one charge in relation to her husband though — she allegedly forged $11,000 in checks from her his business account.

[Photo: Lee County Sheriff's Office]