truTV: Not Reality. Actuality.

mrs gates · #1 07-16-2007, 08:09 PM

Does anyone have any information about the child killers Marlene Olive and Chuck Riley? The two killed Marlene's parents in around 1976 in San Marin County. Chuck's sentence was commuted from the death penalty to life in prison. Marlene spent some time incarcerated as a juvenile and then was released. She had been involved in drugs and as late as 2003-04 had charges leveled against her for check fraud and drugs. Does anyone know what has happened since then? Will Chuck be serving his sentence with no possibility of parole or will he receive it after a determined amount of time?

Mishell1383 · #2 08-06-2007, 08:51 PM

This is all I've found, I'm suprised there isnt much more info on this story, its quite a tragic one.

"So what happened to this tragic duo? In 1978, Chuck’s death sentence at San Quentin was commuted to life imprisonment, and he was sent to a lower security prison, where he remains to this day. I believe he is up for parole soon, but the 51-year-old will probably not get it, having spent thirty years in prison for a crime that shouldn’t have happened. To his credit, he has been drug free for years and is active in many prison programs. For her part, Marlene got out of juvenile prison after two years and hit the streets as a prostitute and drug dealer. A year or two ago she was in the headlines again for passing a bad check. Now about 46, she has still not entirely escaped her black past. For everyone involved, the story is a tragedy, with no real winners."

http://chipsfromdovetail.blogspot.co...ene-olive.html

hope it answers your question

StevieLynn · #3 08-07-2007, 04:29 AM

I read that book when it came out many years ago. Very sad story. I always felt kind of sorry for Chuck. If only those two would have never met.

Mishell1383 · #4 08-07-2007, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieLynn

I read that book when it came out many years ago. Very sad story. I always felt kind of sorry for Chuck. If only those two would have never met.

That was exactly my feeling! You could tell he was kind of well... outcast? Geeky? Not to be out of line, and he finally found a girl that he loved and thought cared about him. And she manipulated him and than she gets away with it. I think she should have been convicted of murder in the first just for her powers of mind over him. She might not have actually committed the act of murder but she sure as heck had a strong, strong part in it.

StevieLynn · #5 08-09-2007, 03:38 AM

You know even though she didn't commit the actual murders I feel she was the more guilty one. I believe that Chuck would never have killed if it wasn't for Marlene. (I'm not excusing him, he is guilty of murder) And I believe that Marlene would have found someone to kill her parents if Chuck wouldn't do it.
Have you ever seen any pictures of them? I've searched all over and can't find anything.

Mishell1383 · #6 08-09-2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieLynn

You know even though she didn't commit the actual murders I feel she was the more guilty one. I believe that Chuck would never have killed if it wasn't for Marlene. (I'm not excusing him, he is guilty of murder) And I believe that Marlene would have found someone to kill her parents if Chuck wouldn't do it.
Have you ever seen any pictures of them? I've searched all over and can't find anything.

I totally 100% agree. She probably chose him to begin with because he was easily persuaded. No I haven't seen any pictures, I was going to ask you the same thing! LOL I saw a picture and thoguht it was her but than soon realized it was an actress playing her. I'm going to keep looking I'm dying to see what they look like. Let me know if you find anything too!

mrs gates · #7 08-11-2007, 10:11 AM

I also believe that Chuck was duped into his relationship with Marlene and that he would have never done anything of this nature if he hadn't met her. I just finished re-reading the book again and I still find myself wondering if in-fact truly did she kill her mom and get him to take the blame or did he really kill both of them? I think he truly feared for his life when he saw her dad and he felt he had no other way out-otherwise, he would have pulled the gun out of the paper bag.

What do you all think?

Mishell1383 · #8 08-11-2007, 10:24 AM

I think he did in fact kill her mother and than had to kill the father. If he got snapped back into reality after the murdering of the mom he had to "save" himself and kill the dad.

I think that Marlene had total and utter control over him. I think Marlene is a sick person. And I wish she got the same repercussions as he did. I think he was somewhat of a lost soul and wanted to be accepted, hence selling drugs, (everyone wants you around when you have drugs) and the fact that he never had a girlfriend. Until he met Marlene and fell totally in love with her and was absolutely infatuated.

She found what she needed, a pawn to listen to her every word and act on it. I think she got off way to easy and Chuck himelf was a victim, but he got the correct punishment for his actions, I'm just a little bothered Marlene got off so easily. imo

mrs gates · #9 08-11-2007, 10:36 AM

I always thought that but upon reading it again and being older now, the hypnotism sessions later in the case bother me. I still haven't figured it all out totally. But, I am with you, I believe that Marlene got off way too easily. It is a shame that blended sentences cannot be used more by placing them in a juvenile facility until they become of age and then transferring them to an adult facility. I have no doubt that in todays society with her being 16 or so, they would have sentenced her as an adult and she would have been put away for a very long time. It would have only been just.

I felt so sorry for Chuck in the book when she went to visit him. He had to just watch her go and know that she had gotten away with her part. I cannot imagine how it would feel to see someone that had caused you to be put in prison for life and they just walk in and out like nothing ever happened.

Mishell1383 · #10 08-11-2007, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrs gates

I always thought that but upon reading it again and being older now, the hypnotism sessions later in the case bother me. I still haven't figured it all out totally. But, I am with you, I believe that Marlene got off way too easily. It is a shame that blended sentences cannot be used more by placing them in a juvenile facility until they become of age and then transferring them to an adult facility. I have no doubt that in todays society with her being 16 or so, they would have sentenced her as an adult and she would have been put away for a very long time. It would have only been just.

I felt so sorry for Chuck in the book when she went to visit him. He had to just watch her go and know that she had gotten away with her part. I cannot imagine how it would feel to see someone that had caused you to be put in prison for life and they just walk in and out like nothing ever happened.

I couldn't agree more. I also agree if she was 16 today she would have been tried as an adult, and I think more charges would have been brought against her. Unfortunatly this is the way it goes and the wy it has to be.

StevieLynn · #11 08-18-2007, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mishell1383

I couldn't agree more. I also agree if she was 16 today she would have been tried as an adult, and I think more charges would have been brought against her. Unfortunatly this is the way it goes and the wy it has to be.

That is so true. I think we all agree this is a very sad case. 2 people dead for no reason. A young man's life ruined and a girl that got away with it. Now I have to get that book and read it again. It's been many years since I read it. I'm very frustrated, I can't find any pictures of them anywhere. I'll keep looking.
Also I have read on a site that says Chuck died, but read on other sites where he is still alive. More research for me.

mrs gates · #12 08-18-2007, 12:29 PM

As far as I can tell, Chuck is still alive. However, to search for an inmate through the California system, you must have their inmate number as well as their date of birth, I think. I have tried before and seem to not have much success. I have even tried to find a website for the author of the book but have not had much success there either-I was hoping that he could shed some light on where they are or what is happening. Chuck should be getting ready to gain some sort of parole-or at least hearings. I cannot imagine spending my entire life behind bars for someone else-was it really worth it?

CrimeSleuth75 · #13 09-29-2007, 01:32 AM

Thanks to your posts I discovered Marlene's Kern County arrest. I guess Marlene is serving time. You would think that after escaping murder charges, she would have stayed out of trouble. I would love to see her mugshot!

Go to: http://www.co.kern.ca.us/courts/crim...e_info_cal.asp

Use the "Search Cases/Criminal History by Defendant Name"

As for photos of Marlene and Chuck, I found one of each when I searched the microfilm of the Independent Journal. The December 10, 1975, pg. 4 has a photo of Marlene and a photo of Chuck with his attorneys walking up the driveway of 353 Hibiscus, pg. 1 also has a photo of Chuck. The photo of Marlene shows a round-faced girl with deep-set eyes. She looks "drugged out" in the photo. I would post the photo but I'm afraid it would fall under the message board rules for copyrighted material. The drawings by Marlene McCarty look just like Marlene, the one of Chuck not so much. If your library has interlibrary loan services, I would recommend getting the reel. The articles are quite interesting.

I was always hoping A&E's City Confidential would explore this case for an episode. After all, here we are thirty years later, and we are still fascinated by it. Plus, wouldn't it be interesting to find out what Marlene's life has been like?

Take care.

Pseudo-nim · #14 01-14-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrs gates

Does anyone have any information about the child killers Marlene Olive and Chuck Riley? The two killed Marlene's parents in around 1976 in San Marin County. Chuck's sentence was commuted from the death penalty to life in prison. Marlene spent some time incarcerated as a juvenile and then was released. She had been involved in drugs and as late as 2003-04 had charges leveled against her for check fraud and drugs. Does anyone know what has happened since then? Will Chuck be serving his sentence with no possibility of parole or will he receive it after a determined amount of time?

hello mrs gates. i'm new here but your post caught my attention.
as a 'person of interest' in the case i may be able to help you 9although it's been a very long time).
i helped Mr Levine research the book, spending many, many summer hours in his old VW Bug in the late 70's driving him around the relative sites in Marin, and even visiting Chuck together at San Quentin.

i last spoke with Chuck a little over a year ago. for many years every time his parole hearing would come up the reporter who covered the case for the Independent Journal (Mary Liedecker(sp?)) would drive down to SLO to wage her campaign against his being released. but the latest glitch, as far as i know, is strictly clerical.
since Chuck's sentence was commuted from death to life due to a change in California law (an not anything specifically related to the crime), he and the others death row inmates at that time (approximatey 38, i believe) have fallen througfh the cracks, so to speak. apparently this occured when all the old records were computerized a number of years ago, the result being that he has not been elligible for a few years.
this seems like an easy enough fix, but the wheels of the system turn quite slowly. however, as i stated, this informnation is about a year and a half old, so hopefully some progress has been made by now.

if there is anything else you would like to know about the case, i will gladly do what i can to jog this rapidly fading memory bank.

CrimeSleuth75 · #15 09-09-2009, 07:55 PM

Here are some links to articles which recently surfaced during a Google search:

Marlene Olive Forging Case 1992

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-03-...1_bogus-checks

Bad Blood Book Review from 1982

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...6996%2C5287914

janedo · #16 09-28-2009, 03:23 PM

I too never forgot this story. Even though I went on to read hundreds of other true crime stories, this one stayed with me.

I found this article from Marin Magazine, issue November 2008.

As of the writing, both Chuck and Marlene were in prison. Chuck was still serving his original life sentence, and Marlene, who has been in and out of jail for decades on a variety of drug and check fraud charges, was back in.

The article is worth a read, especially the part describing the time when Marlene visited Chuck in jail in 1981.

Interesting to note -- the author of Bad Blood, Richard M. Levine, has been out of touch with his publisher and off the radar for years now.

http://www.marinmagazine.com/Marin-M...-Local-Murder/