Naman Shrestha
Two vulnerable men were found dead in different alleys in California: Paul Vados in 1999 and Kenneth McDavid in 2005. As the police found several similarities between the two seemingly hit-and-run accidents, they launched an investigation into both cases. The episode titled ‘The Thing about Helen and Olga’ of ‘Dateline NBC’ profiles the cases in detail, including the events that led to the two deaths and the investigation that resulted in the conviction of the perpetrators involved. Through the exclusive interviews with the victims’ relatives and the officials linked to the case, the viewers get a deeper knowledge of the murders.
Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid Died in a Similar Fashion
Born in the 1920s, Paul Vados was originally from Hungary and had immigrated to the United States in 1956 in search of better opportunities. After the termination of his employment, he was surviving on a limited income, making it harder for him to get by. The widower was also reportedly battling depression. Unfortunately, on November 8, 1999, the retiree’s life came to a sudden halt at the age of 73 when he became a victim of what seemed to be a hit-and-run in an alley in Hollywood, California, near 307 North La Bra Avenue. This case was closely investigated when, several years down the line, another similar hit-and-run case took place in Hollywood.
Described as a kind and compassionate person, Kenneth McDavid was a northern California native who attended Sacramento State University, where he completed his higher education. Born in the 1950s, Kenneth went on to become a voice personality on radio station KQLA, where he got the opportunity to interview some of the most prominent metal acts in the 1980s. In the later stage of his career, he was employed at CBS and resided with his aunt in Beverly Hills, California. At some point, he even dreamed of making it as a writer in the Hollywood industry. However, his fortune turned around when he lost his aunt.
Gradually, he became homeless, and at the age of 50, he became a victim of a hit-and-run accident on the night of June 21, 2005, in an alleyway near UCLA in Westwood, California. When the police were informed about the hit-and-run the next morning, they rushed to the crime scene and found tire marks all over his body. They also found a bike near his body, seemingly belonging to him. Fortunately, there was a security camera at a business store on the same alleyway. Upon revisiting the footage from the previous night, the investigators saw a silver 1999 Mercury Sable station wagon hitting Kenneth, but the driver’s face was unclear.
Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid Were Killed Over Insurance Money
Despite the best attempts from the police, they couldn’t find a significant break in the case. Just when it started to become cold, Mutual of New York received a life insurance claim worth $500,000 on Kenneth McDavid by 75-year-old Helen Golay, who identified herself as the victim’s fiancée a couple of months after the tragic accident. Another claim was made for the same amount by a 72-year-old woman named Olga Ratterschmidt, who claimed to be his cousin. While Helen was a Texas native residing in a $1.5 million home, Olga was a Hungary native who moved to Hollywood in the 1970s after her divorce.
Soon, the similar cases of Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid were linked by the police when one of the detectives who worked on the former’s case overheard the discussion about the 2005 accident. Even though there were some serious suspicions about the two elderly women, the police still needed more evidence to prove them guilty. So, they looked for acquaintances of Kenneth and Paul to interview and get a better picture of their lives and deaths. The investigators learned that Kenneth met the two women at the church while struggling to get by. As they got to talking, Helen and Olga offered him a free apartment. However, one of his friends claimed that the apartment did not even have electricity.
For the next two years, the two women paid his rent and life insurance. Between November 2002 and March 2003, Helen and Olga took out 13 policies on Kenneth, totaling $3,700,000,00 as his business partner, cousin, or fiancée. In the case of Paul Vados, the duo applied for life insurance policies on him in 1997 and listed themselves as the beneficiaries. After his demise, they got to claim eight different policies. By now, it was clear to the police that Helen and Olga had staged Paul and Kenneth’s deaths and made them look like hit-and-run accidents in order to claim their life insurance policies.
Police Spared No Effort to Entrap the Elderly Duo
It was believed that Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt drugged Kenneth, brought him to the secluded alleyway, and set up the entire thing during the 4-minute pause that they took. In the end, Helen allegedly ran over him while he was not in his senses. However, after allegedly running over him, the vehicle suffered some damage to the fuel line, forcing her to call roadside assistance. Helen was towed away to her house, but at the expense of her identity; she was exposed to the tow truck driver, who later identified her to the authorities. Upon getting access to the two women’s insurance policies, the investigators realized they were planning to scam another homeless man named Jimmy Covington.
The detectives reached out to him and learned that Helen and Olga offered him a place to stay with free groceries, but when they asked him for his personal information, Jimmy cut ties with them. Unfortunately, since he had already signed some paperwork for them, they managed to take out a life insurance policy worth $800,000. In order to catch them red-handed, the authorities decided to set up a trap using the insurance investigator, Ed Webster, who invited Helen to her favorite coffee shop. To her surprise, her claim was denied, and she was offered a measly sum for a premium reimbursement.
The same tactic was used against Olga, but even she refused to take the money. Although the police could not gather enough evidence to link them with the murders of Paul and Kenneth, they managed to obtain an arrest warrant for them on the basis of Jimmy Covington’s case. Finally, in May 2006, Helen and Olga were arrested and charged with interstate wire fraud. When the police searched Helen’s residence, they discovered several boxes filled with paperwork linked to the insurance payouts of the two victims. In the interrogation room, as soon as the police left them alone, Olga told her partner, Helen, “You gonna go to jail, honey. They gonna lock you up. You were greedy. That’s the problem.”
Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt Are Currently Incarcerated At Different California Prisons
Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt pleaded not guilty to the charges of murders and nine counts of fraud against them. Finally, on March 18, 2008, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted both the accused of first-degree murder and several other charges. Four months later, in July, they received consecutive life imprisonment sentences without the possibility of parole for killing Paul Vados in 1999 and Kenneth McDavid in 2005. The defendants appealed their convictions and sentences in 2009 and 2012.
Helen’s defense attorney claimed that the coroner’s official who testified at the trial was not the investigator responsible for solving the deaths. This did not give the defendant any chance to cross-examine the witnesses. However, the court denied their appeals both times and upheld the convictions. Currently, while Helen Golay is serving her life sentence at California Institution for Women at 16756 Chino Corona Road in Chino, California, Olga Rutterschmidt is behind bars at Central California Women’s Facility at 23370 Road 22 in Chowchilla, California.
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