> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘Black widows’ set to have initial day in front of judge - URL: https://www.smdp.com/black-widows-set-to-have-initial-day-in-front-of-judge/ - Published: 2007-02-20T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T00:05:15.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Crime, Westwood, #archive-import, Homeless *Hit-and-run victim aspired to be famous filmmaker* DOWNTOWN LA Any last bit of hope that Kenneth McDavid had of becoming a filmmaker was dashed in one moment. Walking in an alley in the 1200 block of Westwood Boulevard in Westwood on June 21, 2005, McDavid’s life was cut short when he was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash. Today, his accused killers — 76-year-old Santa Monica landlord Helen Golay and her alleged accomplice, 73-year-old Olga Rutterschmidt, of Hollywood — will stand before a judge in a long-awaited preliminary hearing, anticipated to last approximately two days. The case of the so-called “Black Widows” has attracted worldwide attention for its crime drama-esque storyline. The women were arrested in May and charged with federal insurance fraud for allegedly collecting millions of dollars in life insurance payouts following the mysterious deaths of two homeless men — McDavid, 50, and Paul Vados, 73, both of whom were killed in similar hit-and-runs. Vados was struck on Nov. 8,1999,while in an alley in the 300 block of North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. Those federal charges were dropped in the summer when murder charges were filed against the women on July 31. Behind the intriguing story of the two women, whose make-up clad mug shots have been plastered across news outlets worldwide, is the story of McDavid, a victim who migrated to Los Angeles more than 30 years ago with dreams of becoming a famous Hollywood filmmaker. In an ironic twist, it is the tale of the two alleged murders that has become the stuff of a made-for-TV movies. The third eldest of five children, McDavid was born and raised in Mobile, Ala., with siblings Dianne,Tom,Robert and Sandra — all of whom are still living. Parents Joel and Ann McDavid raised the family in the south before moving to Northern California,where they felt better opportunities awaited the McDavid children. “Our parents had a beautiful family,” said McDavid’s sister Dianne, who asked that her last name be withheld. Kenneth McDavid was an intelligent, friendly and multi-talented child growing up, his sister said Monday. He and his siblings played the French Horn together in the Sacramento Symphony in the late 1960s, he performed well in school and was a fan of cooking, oftentimes baking a cake for his mother. “He loved family and loved laughing,” said Dianne.“He loved pleasing our mother.” At the age of 20, McDavid packed his bags and headed south, with dreams of making it big in Los Angeles. Though he often visited his family, communication between Kenneth McDavid and the McDavid clan became less frequent over the years. In 1997, his father passed away. Concerned for her brother’s whereabouts, McDavid’s sister began searching for her brother in 2000,entering his name in Internet search databases, but coming up empty-handed. In light of her husband’s ailing health with terminal cancer, it became even more difficult to search for someone who left virtually no trail. In June, McDavid’s sister heard the story of the “Black Widows,” but did not immediately make a connection with the case and her brother. It wasn’t until the morning of June 9, 2006, when her husband was watching CNN and caught Kenneth McDavid’s name in the broadcast. Unwilling to believe that her brother had been the victim of an insurance scheme, Dianne searched for Kenneth McDavid’s name on the Internet and sadly came face to face with her brother’s photo. Even more shocking was the news that her brother, a man whom she believed was filled with potential, was at one time, homeless. Investigators say that Golay and Rutterschmidt befriended the two homeless men because they thought them vulnerable, setting them up in apartments and gaining their trust. According to authorities, the women eventually convinced Vados and McDavid to sign the women onto their life insurance policies. “I would have wanted to help Ken get back on his feet,” Dianne said. “We would have helped him.” Since learning of her brother’s death, Dianne has been closely following the case, though she does not expect to attend any of the hearings or trials. There hasn’t been much to follow since the case first unfolded last year. Over the past several months, the defense attorney for Golay, Roger Jon Diamond,has fought with the court over the repeated postponement of a preliminary hearing date. Under state law, a defendant is entitled to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of their arraignment and no more than 60 days under the “good cause”clause. That hearing was finally set last month after the District Attorney dismissed and refiled the murder charges against Golay in the same day. At the time of her arrest,Golay owned three apartment buildings in Santa Monica. They were subsequently placed in the care of her daughter, 43-year-old Kecia Golay, until the daughter’s arrest in October on felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and stalking her ex-boyfriend. The younger Golay was released from Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on Feb. 12 — two days before her scheduled release date on Valentine’s Day. From what she’s been able to gather of the trial involving the death of her younger brother, McDavid’s sister feels Golay and Rutterschmidt are guilty of murder. “Those women assumed nobody cared about these homeless men,” Dianne said. “Obviously that is wrong.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/022007-01_01.jpg) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 20, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)