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Helen Golay was convicted on April 17, 2008, of the murders of two homeless men, Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid. Golay and co-defendant Olga Rutterschmidt had befriended the men and opened life insurance policies on them. They then killed the men and collected the insurance benefits.Los Angeles Times: One 'Black Widow' defendant convicted of murder (April 17, 2008)
On July 15, 2008, Golay was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.The Associated Press: Elderly women get life in L.A. insurance killings (July 15, 2008)
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Fast Facts:
- Born: 1931
- Residence: Santa Monica, California
- Occupation: Real estate investor
- Victims: Paul Vados, Kenneth McDavid
- Accomplice: Olga Rutterschmidt
- Conviction: Murder
- Collected approximately $3,000,000 in insurance on two victimsWashington Post: In L.A., a Case Straight Out of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (March 17, 2008)
- Took out multiple policies on the victimsWashington Post: In L.A., a Case Straight Out of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (March 17, 2008)
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Personal Background
Golay and Rutterschmidt met in the 1980s and reportedly bonded over shared experiences of childhood trauma -Golay from a car accident and Rutterschmidt from a childhood spent in World War II Hungary.Los Angeles Times: Pair accused of killing homeless men grew to distrust each other (August 19, 2006) The pair, however, would soon direct their bond toward crime. -
Criminal Background
Golay and Rutterschmidt began their criminal careers by stealing purses and credit cards, but by 1999 had progressed to the murder/fraud schemes that eventually led to their convictions. That year, Golay and Rutterschmidt staged the hit-and-run death of homeless man Paul Vados in order to collect on a life insurance policy they had taken out in his name. Six years later, they killed another homeless man, Kenneth McDavid, under similar circumstances. Similarities between the two so-called accidents led police to the two elderly women, arresting them in October, 2006.Washington Post: In L.A., a Case Straight Out of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (March 17, 2008) -
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Los Angeles Time: Full details on the trial of Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt
latimes.com -
Washington Post: In L.A., a Case Straight Out of 'Arsenic And Old Lace'
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Los Angeles Times: Woman Convicted of Murder in Homeless...
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The Associated Press: Elderly women get life in L.A. insurance killings
ap.google.com (July 15, 2008) -
Los Angeles Times: Pair accused of killing men grew to distrust each other
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People You'll See In Hell: Olga Rutterschmidt and Helen Golay (March 21st, 2008)
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YouTube: Elderly 'Black Widows' Get Life Sentences (Time: 0:45)
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Los Angeles Time: Full details on the trial of Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt
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Trial and Conviction | Add a Link
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