Helen Golay: The Black Widow Murder Case
Introduction
Helen Golay and her partner Olga Rutterschmidt earned the notorious nickname “Black Widows” after being convicted of murdering homeless men for profit in one of California’s most disturbing criminal cases. The two elderly women orchestrated a calculated insurance fraud and murder scheme that spanned over six years, targeting vulnerable transient men in the Los Angeles area.
The Perpetrators
Helen Golay was born in Texas in 1931 and maintained an outwardly respectable life in California, living in a $1.5 million home in Santa Monica while owning three additional rental properties. Her apparent wealth and property ownership masked her criminal intentions. Olga Rutterschmidt, born in Hungary in 1933, had emigrated to the United States in 1957 and operated a coffee shop in Los Angeles before later moving to Hollywood. Rutterschmidt had experienced significant trauma during World War II as a teenager, witnessing the persecution of Jews and suffering severe mental health consequences that included hospitalization and electroshock treatments.
The two women met while volunteering at the Hollywood Presbyterian Church’s homeless program in 1997, an opportunity they exploited to identify vulnerable targets rather than genuinely help the homeless community. Their relationship was described as complementary: Helen served as the strategist and financial planner, while Olga was the more aggressive enforcer of their schemes.
The Victims and Murders
Paul Vados was the first confirmed victim. The 73-year-old Hungarian immigrant was found dead in an alley near North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood on November 8, 1999, appearing to be a hit-and-run victim. Beginning in 1997, Golay and Rutterschmidt had systematically applied for life insurance policies on Vados, listing themselves as beneficiaries. Following his death, they collected benefits from eight different life insurance policies totaling millions of dollars.
Kenneth McDavid, a 50-year-old originally from northern California who had attended Sacramento State University, became their second victim. Surveillance footage captured McDavid being struck by a silver 1999 Mercury Sable station wagon on June 21, 2005, in an alley behind a Bristol Farms in the Westwood area of Los Angeles. From November 2002 to March 2003, the women had taken out thirteen policies on McDavid totaling $3,700,000. Before their arrest, Golay alone received $1,540,767.05 in insurance proceeds from McDavid’s death, while Rutterschmidt collected $674,571.89.
The Murder Method
The women’s methodology was chillingly systematic. They would befriend homeless men, offer them shelter and assistance, and rent apartments for them. Once they had victims isolated and under their control, they would drug the men and stage their deaths as traffic accidents in remote alleys at night. Toxicology tests on McDavid revealed dangerously high levels of alcohol, zolpidem (a sleep medication), and hydrocodone in his system-enough to render him unconscious and make it impossible for him to have been riding the bicycle found at the scene, as Golay and Rutterschmidt claimed.
Investigation and Arrest
A key breakthrough in the investigation came when Detective Nelson Hernandez noticed suspicious details at McDavid’s death scene. The body’s positioning and the grease smeared on his clothes suggested he had been lying down when hit, contradicting the women’s narrative. Additionally, investigators discovered that the Mercury Sable used in McDavid’s death was too damaged to drive more than a couple of blocks from the crime scene, and they found evidence that Golay possessed an Auto Club card and had called for assistance from a gas station just yards away.
The investigation also revealed a potential third victim, Jimmy Covington, a 48-year-old homeless man who testified that Rutterschmidt had approached him, taken him to a Burger King, promised shelter and assistance, and then had him sign documents requesting his Social Security number and other identifying information. Covington grew suspicious and moved out before becoming another victim.
Police surveillance captured damaging jailhouse conversations between the two women after their arrest. Rutterschmidt told Golay: “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.” During later interviews, Rutterschmidt attempted to shift blame entirely onto Golay, claiming all insurance policies were in Helen’s name and not hers.
Trial and Conviction
The trial began in March 2008. Both women pleaded not guilty to the murders and nine counts of fraud, but their defenses crumbled under the weight of evidence. Prosecution attorneys noted that the women inadvertently helped the case against them by turning on each other-both conceded that McDavid was murdered but accused the other of being the primary perpetrator.
Deputy District Attorney Shellie Samuels, who prosecuted the case, famously compared it to the dark comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace,” noting that unlike that film, this case lacked any trace of humor.
On April 18, 2008, Helen Golay was found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of both Paul Vados (1999) and Kenneth McDavid (2005), along with conspiracy to commit murder for financial gain. Olga Rutterschmidt was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of both men and first-degree murder of Vados, though the jury initially deadlocked on her conviction for McDavid’s death before ultimately convicting her as well.
Sentencing and Incarceration
In July 2008, both women were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole by Judge David Wesley. Their convictions and sentences were upheld on appeal on August 18, 2009, by the Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 5, and ultimately affirmed by the California Supreme Court on October 28, 2012.
Golay is currently incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, while Rutterschmidt serves her sentence at Central California Women’s Facility.
Cultural Impact
The case has received significant media attention and been featured in numerous true crime productions, including episodes of American Greed, Deadly Women, Wicked Attraction, The Closer, CSI: NY, Elder Skelter, and Accident, Suicide or Murder. In November 2021, Dateline NBC released a comprehensive six-part podcast titled “The Thing about Helen and Olga” narrated by Keith Morrison.
The Black Widow Murders case remains a stark reminder that criminal intent can hide behind the most unsuspecting appearances, and that elderly women are capable of the most calculated and ruthless crimes.
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