"Black Widows" Get Life In Prison

Elderly Calif. Duo Sentenced For Killing 2 Homeless Men To Collect $2.8M In Insurance Payouts

(CBS/AP)  Two elderly women were sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday for murdering two indigent men to collect insurance policies taken out on their lives.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Wesley sentenced 77-year-old Helen Golay and 75-year-old Olga Rutterschmidt to two consecutive life terms each.

In April, the women were convicted of a scheme in which they befriended homeless men, took out insurance policies on them and then killed them in murders staged to look like hit-and-run auto accidents. Prosecutors say the women collected $2.8 million before the scheme was uncovered.

From the start, the defendants' advanced ages kept the case in the headlines, drawing comparisons to the play and film "Arsenic and Old Lace," the Los Angeles Times reported. The killings came to be known as the "Black Widow" murders.

The judge denounced the women, saying the men needed only food, water and shelter.

"They needed a helping hand. They thought they were getting this from you," Wesley said. "Instead these unfortunate men were sacrificed on your altar of greed."

The judge said that although there is no possibility of parole, a probation report had been was done on the women, in which a "probation officer indicates they have no conscience and are a serious threat to the community."

Both women were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder for financial gain in the 1999 death of Paul Vados, 73, and the 2005 death of Kenneth McDavid, 50.

Both men were struck by cars in dark alleys. Police linked the cases when a detective investigating one overheard a colleague describe a similar case.

Relatives of the victims spoke briefly, saying they had lost touch with the two men and then learned they had been murdered.

"He didn't deserve that. No one does," said Stella Vados, daughter of Paul Vados.

"This is tantamount to the death penalty," said Gloria Allred, who represented Stella Vado and a relative of McDavid's. "They will die in prison. I think that's a just sentence."

Defense attorneys conceded the women were involved in insurance fraud but denied they had formed a murder conspiracy. Golay's attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, said during the trial that the women's idea was to insure old, sick, homeless people who would soon die.

Both women were known for their litigious streak. Golay once sued a woman for allegedly stealing leather skirts from her, and a health club after she got hurt on an exercise machine, the Times reported. Rutterschmidt once sued Ralphs supermarket, saying stacked boxes fell on her, and often threatened to sue others.

The jury that convicted the women saw a secretly recorded videotape of the defendants in a lockup after their arrests. Rutterschmidt berated Golay, saying her actions in taking out 23 insurance policies raised a red flag when the men died.

"It's your fault," Rutterschmidt told Golay. "You can't have that many insurances. ... You were greedy. That's the problem."

The judge rejected a defense motion for a new trial which argued that the women's conversation was illegally videotaped.

[deacon20081]

These woman should ever see the light of day again.
I hope they both live to be 100....in Prison

[elukacek]

Thats jusy pure greed and i to hope they live to be 100 in jail and i hope they get whats coming to them in jail as well! how sad and sick

[jtdev1]

This is amazing, what is this world coming to?

[irliberal]

I hope they don''t get to lounge around in prison. They should be using a rock hammer the rest of their lives.

[xxunknown]

gee, you think 23 life insurance policies would raise a red flag?

[stupidrules3]

I hope they get the best medical care possible so they can enjoy their sentences to the fullest.

[redhawkwarri]

So ingeniously stupid and so heartlessly cruel. What in the world? Bless their poor, little dried-up hearts. I wonder...can I take out life insurance policies on them? I''ve got a kid that will be going to college soon and with the high cost of mortgages and gasoline...

[wardoglrs]

They should run for office. Voters put these kind''s of people in the White House all the time.

[element51]

I''m so glad that two biotches were convicted. They deserve to spend the rest of their miserable lives locked in a cell, alone, at least 23 hours a day. No TV, books, newspapers, radio. This is a perfect example of pure evil. The bad part is that the taxpayers will have to pay for their upkeep and medical expenses. Hopefully they won''t be a drain on the taxpayers very long.

[jetlizhan]

great news - good riddance to the old, evil witches.

[imotorist]

What happened to the $2.8 Million that they collected?

[dedad1]

Does Allstate issue life insurance policies? And I would''nt worry about the burdening the tax payers for supporting these two for their "life sentences" .Looks like their both running on fumes.

[lewiston14]

What happened to all the money? A face job should have been the plan.

[hamiltongrad]

As a college Professor of Women''s Studies and the World under Domination - I wonder if these poor souls received all the legal benefits that men - would have ? I doubt it. And, what is their histories, were they abused by husbands or fathers ? I think so. Given the need for clarification, how can we blame when societal forces keep women and people of color down, needing services, without money, and working, working and working. Has slavery died ? I don'' think so. Given that women in desparation are forced into acts that really are crys for help.

[minnick8-2009]

crys for help.

Posted by HAMILTONGRAD

As a professor, you should know that crys should be spelled cries.

[minnick8-2009]

CBS

Please replace these two women''s pictures with something else soon. They are both uglier than me.

[javalation]

I''d like to know how they got such large life insurance policies on unrelated, non business associate, homeless men. What was the insurable interest? Was the insurance agent questioned?

[rushlimpdrug]

Sounds like they were just Hungary.

[nolalou]

Kind of sounds like the plot for that old movie "Arsenic and Old Lace", except in this case , it wasn''t the least be funny!

[rushlimpdrug]

I always wondered what happened to
Thelma and Louise.

[dogsoul]

...wow - I''m impressed - usually women get to rape children, disfigure men & murder their spouses without so much as a slap on the wrist... well, so long as they can cry on cue & claim they were ''abused''.... guess that''s not so easy to pull off when you take in homeless guys...

[whiskyrocker]

These women did those guys a favor.

[sociald63]

did aarp cancel thier accts ??

[nssherlock1]

They should be forced to look at each other for the rest of their days. Oh wait, that would be ''Cruel and Unusual Punishment''. lol

[minnick8-2009]

I''''d like to know how they got such large life insurance policies on unrelated, non business associate, homeless men.

Posted by Javalation

Yea, I''d like to know the same thing.

[nothappyatall]

I''''''''d like to know how they got such large life insurance policies on unrelated, non business associate, homeless men.

Posted by Javalation

Yea, I''''d like to know the same thing.

Posted by minnick8

Yeah and how the insurance co''s didn''t get a SIGNATURE and ID from the one they were insuring, or in ANY WAY check them out! I find it hard to imagine an insurance agent would write a policy- 23+ in fact to the same women on all these different men they never verified or checked out.
Amazing! when a cousin died and left her estate and policy to me the insurance co requested handwriting samples and more from her employer

[whiskyrocker]

I''m going to go make friends with some homeless people right away.

[mediabrat60]

but it is funny.....sick and twisted....but funny.

[radman5000]

Those two homeless guys were idiots, dont they know you always look both ways before crossing the street, you never know when a car or psyco ex girl friend is gunnin fo ya

[sociald63]

put these 2 scum-hhhags in the men''s prison - and i guaratee you that these men will behave so they can get a shorter jail time

[o2bewealthy]

Just wanted to emphasize that homeless people are victims of crime far more often than perpetrate any crimes. I''m glad to see justice being served here. Whether or not these women were ever abused does not relieve them of the responsibility for what they did. They obviously knew right from wrong, but didn''t care because all they saw were $$$.

[messiahx4eve]

Olga Rutterschmidt strongly resembles ole'' dubya a lot, especially those beady eyes and stupid grin. Wonder is someone didn''t do a bit of photo shop to her picture.

[gmond]

Amazing! when a cousin died and left her estate and policy to me the insurance co requested handwriting samples and more from her employer

Posted by newster1 at 08:30 PM : Jul 15, 2008

Things that make you go hmmmm...

[whiskyrocker]

Them some "nasty bicchhes"

[hamiltongrad]

How do we know what economic strain these women were under ? due to the domination of men and the travesty of divorce in their lives ? Were they made to work in a male dominated society ? Before we rush to judgment, we need to understand these poor ladies, and listen to what is obviously a cry for help.
"Whye dothe thee punish so quicklee .." Shakespear Lond''s Lot, Triloius and Creside "When it is thee that doth produce said crime.

[whiskyrocker]

hamiltonGRAD
------------
You are an idiot.

[tireslinger]

whiskeyrocker, I echo your comment...hamiltonGRAD, you ARE an idiot!

[donevis-2009]

Unbelieveable!!! Indymack bank failing with unruly customers being turned away at the door and the headline is about these two old burned out bitties that bump off a homeless man for money. Get with the Real News CBS please.

[morganbarber]

Who gets the money now ???

[xmanborg]

Time somebody sprayed them with RAID or Black Flag.