UPDATE: Lois Riess pleads not guilty in connection to death of her husband

KSTP

[anvplayer video=”4935235″ station=”998122″]

Tuesday, the woman accused of killing her husband in Blooming Prairie in 2018, and convicted of killing a woman in Florida, made her first appearance in Minnesota court.

Lois Riess was brought back to Minnesota last week and is in the Steele County Jail, facing murder charges in the death of David Riess.

Tuesday, Riess pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Lois Riess back in Minnesota, being held at Steele County Jail

Nearly two and a half years later, people from the town of Blooming Prairie say they hope they can finally get some closure in this case.

One couple said it’s a hard subject to talk about because they were friends with Lois Riess and her husband, David.

Lois Riess[Steele County Sheriff's Office]

"I miss my friends—there are no winners in this because everyone in Blooming Prairie lost both of them as we knew them," said Jennifer Walsh, a family friend of Lois and David Riess. "I feel super bad for her family—it’s tragic all around."

"A lot of people are saying it’s a waste of our tax dollars, but you know—I don’t see it that way," Walsh added, as Riess is already serving life in prison in a different case. "I see it as justification for David."

Riess is being held on first-degree and second-degree murder and theft charges.

In March 2018, the fatal shooting started a nationwide manhunt.

Police tracked Riess to a casino in Iowa and then to Florida where police say she befriended a woman named Pamela Hutchinson, killed her, and stole her identity.

Riess was later arrested at a restaurant in Texas by law enforcement.

Before coming back to Minnesota, Riess was serving a life sentence in Florida after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Hutchinson’s death.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to Riess’ attorney for additional comment after the not guilty pleas were entered but has yet to hear back.

Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com for updates.