Los Angeles Killer Grannies Target Homeless Men

In June 2006, two elderly Los Angeles women, who became known as the Killer Grannies, were arrested and later indicted by a federal grand jury on nine charges related murder for insurance fraud. The charges stemmed from accusations that they befriended homeless men, took out life insurance policies on them and then killed them in auto crashes staged to look like hit-and-run accidents.

Prosecutors said Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt collected $2.3 million from life insurance benefits on men who had turned to them for help.

Current Developments

Killer Grannies Get Life in Prison
July 15, 2008
Two elderly women who were convicted of taking out insurance policies on homeless men and then killing them for the benefits have been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, each received two life sentences each.

Previous Developments

Grannies Guilty of Homeless Murders
June 15, 2008
A Los Angeles jury convicted two elderly women who were accused of killing two homeless men in a conspiracy to collect millions of dollars in life insurance. Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, were convicted of staging hit-and-run collisions to kill men for whom they had taken insurance policies.

L.A. Grannies Charged in Homeless Murders
July 31. 2006
Two Los Angeles women in their 70s have officially been charged with two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder for financial gain. Authorities said the two hatched their scheme to try to collect millions of dollars on life insurance policies on the homeless men.

Grannies Indicted for Insurance Fraud
June 2, 2006
Two elderly Los Angeles women have been indicted by a federal grand jury on nine charges related to insurance fraud in connection with accusations that they befriended homeless men and collected $2.3 million after they both died in hit-and-run collisions.