The pair
succeeded in murdering two of their three target victims. The third, Jimmy
Covington (48), escaped their clutches when he became suspicious. His worries
were justified for they had already taken out a life insurance policy on him in
preparation for his murder.
***
Wikipedia: On
April 18, 2008, Helen Golay (b.1931) of Santa Monica, California and Olga
Rutterschmidt (b.1933) of Hollywood, California were convicted of the murders
of two homeless men. Paul Vados in 1999 and Kenneth McDavid in 2005. According
to reports, Golay and Rutterschmidt staged Vados and McDavid's deaths to appear
as hit and run incidents in order to collect on multimillion dollar life insurance
policies they had taken out on the men.
***
***
***
***
Victim # 1 –
Paul Vados
73 year old
homeless man Paul Vados was found lying dead in an alley in Hollywood,
California near 307 North La Brea Avenue on November 8, 1999. Vados appeared to
be the victim of an apparent hit-and-run.
Beginning in
1997, Golay and Rutterschmidt began applying for life insurance policies on
Vados, listing themselves as the beneficiaries. After Vados' death, Golay and
Rutterschmidt received benefits from eight different life insurance policies
that had been taken out on him.
Victim # 2 –
Kenneth McDavid
According to a
surveillance video, Kenneth McDavid (50) was hit by a silver 1999 Mercury Sable
station wagon on June 21, 2005.
From November
2002 to March 2003, Golay and Rutterschmidt took out a total of thirteen
policies on McDavid that totaled $3,700.000. On the various insurance
applications, Golay and Rutterschmidt were listed as McDavid's "business
partner", "cousin" or "fiance".
Before their
arrest, Golay had received a total of $1,540,767.05 in insurance proceeds from
McDavid's death, and Rutterschmidt a total of $674,571.89.
Victim #3 – Jimmy
Covington
A third homeless
man, Jimmy Covington aged 48, testified at trial that in 2005 he had been
approached by Rutterschmidt, who had taken him to Burger King and promised him
shelter. He testified that he had moved out after growing suspicious when Golay
and Rutterschmidt asked him to sign documents and give his personal details to
them. By then, Golay and Rutterschmidt had already filled out one life
insurance policy application for him.
"She asked if I was homeless," he said. "...
I said yes. She said, 'I work with homeless people and I can get you some
benefits. I can get you a place to stay and some money in 30 days.'"
***
***
The case was
described, by Deputy District Attorney Shellie Samuels who prosecuted it, as
"like Arsenic and Old Lace, but it doesn't have Cary Grant."
The prosecution's
case included secretly recorded conversations between Golay and Rutterschmidt
when they were in jail. Ruttershmidt told Golay in one conversation "You
did all these insurances extra. That's what raised the suspicion. You can't do
that. Stupidity. You're going to go to jail, honey. They going to lock you
up." Suspicion had in fact been raised when a detective happened to
overhear a colleague discussing a case whose features closely resembled that of
another one.
Both Golay and
Rutterschmidt were convicted in Los Angeles, California in April 2008, of
conspiracy to murder Vados and McDavid, and of the first-degree murder of
Vados. Golay was convicted of the first-degree murder of McDavid. Convictions
on the several counts spanned a week, because one juror had to go on a trip and
be replaced by an alternate. The original jury reached a deadlock over the
final two counts against Rutterschmidt, but after the alternate juror was
introduced the trial judge ordered the jury to recommence deliberations. Both
women were sentenced to consecutive life terms in California Federal prison,
without possibility of parole.
In Media
On February 10,
2010, "The Black Widow Murders" are featured on episode of American
Greed on CNBC. On September 10, 2009, the case was profiled on an episode
of Deadly Women entitled "Behind the Mask.”
***
November 8, 1999
– Paul Valdos (73), murdered.
April 17, 2008 –
Kenneth McDavid (50), murdered.
June 21, 2005 –
Jimmy Covington (48);
murder plot, escaped.
***
Arrest: May 18, 2006
[Cara Mia DiMassa and Richard Winton, “2 Arrested in
Homeless Life Insurance Scam,” Los Angeles Times (Ca.), May
19, 2006]
***
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[3920-1/17/21]
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you've managed to stay out of prison until you're 75 and now they're 86 and 84 and will die in prison wow that's sucks old people are suppose to die at home or in an old age home not a prison but I guess they have no one to blame but them selves
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