| Barbecue murders | |
|---|---|
 Charles "Chuck" Riley at the time of his arrest for murder in 1976 | |
| Location | 353 Hibiscus Way, Terra Linda, San Rafael, California, U.S. |
| Date | June 21, 1975 |
Attack type | Double-murder, parricide, beating, stabbing, suffocation, shooting |
| Victims | Naomi Eleanor Wagner Olive and James Fenton Olive II |
| Perpetrators | Charles David Riley and Marlene Louise Olive |
| Verdict | Guilty on all counts |
| Convictions | Riley: First-degree murder (2 counts) Marlene: Aiding and abetting and accessory to homicides[a] |
| Sentence | Riley: Death; commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole (released after 40 years) Marlene: Confinement of 3 to 6 years in a juvenile facility (released after 4 years) |
The barbecue murders, also known as the BBQ murders, refers to a 1975 double murder in Marin County, California, United States. Business consultant James "Jim" Olive and his wife Naomi were murdered in their home by their 16-year-old adopted daughter Marlene and her 20-year-old boyfriend Charles "Chuck" Riley, who then attempted to dispose of the bodies by burning them in a barbecue pit at a nearby campground. Riley was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and received a sentence of death, which was later changed to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. Marlene, tried as a juvenile, received a sentence of three to six years in a California Youth Authority juvenile facility, from which she was released at age 21 having served a little over four years.[1][2][3][4]
The case gained worldwide attention because of the perpetrators' ages, the details of the crime, and the wide disparity in sentencing between the two perpetrators. [1][3] Riley and Olive have also been the subjects of continuing coverage in connection with his repeated bids for parole[5] and her subsequent convictions for numerous other crimes.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b Levine, Richard M. (1982). Bad Blood: A Family Murder in Marin County. New York City: Random House. ISBN 978-0394508870.
- ^ Marcus, Greil (November 1982). "Books: Suburban Death Trip". California. Beverly Hills, California: New West Communications Corp. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ a b Wood, Jim (November 2008). "A Local Murder: Terra Linda Was the Setting for a Real-Life 1975 Crime". Marin Magazine. Sausalito, California: Lisa Shanower. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
The case drew worldwide attention.
- ^ "Please Kill For Me". Killer Kids. Season 3 (LMN). Episode 12. 2014-07-14. LMN.
- ^ Egelko, Bob (2014-05-24). "Court Says 1975 Killer of Two in Marin Should Be Released". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, California. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ Connelly, Michael (1992-03-09). "Authorities Arrest Suspected 'Queen' of Forgery Ring". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. VCB6. Retrieved 2016-02-06.