Black Widows of Los Angeles: The Hit-and-Run Insurance Murders

Black Widows of Los Angeles: The Hit-and-Run Insurance Murders

Published: August 3, 2026

Duration: 5:15

Two elderly women in California befriended homeless men, housed them, and took out millions in life insurance policies naming themselves as beneficiaries. After waiting out the contestability periods, they staged the men’s deaths as hit-and-run accidents. This is the story of Helen Golay, Olga Rutterschmidt, and the calculated killings of Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid.