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The Barbecue Murders of California
For many adoptive families, there can be a significant period of questioning and wondering. Adopted children might wonder where they fit in. This struggle is natural.
In this case, one family struggled with much more.
The double homicide of Jim Olive, 59, and his wife Naomi, 50, shocked Marin County in 1975. This is the story of the Barbecue Murders.
Building a Family
Marlene Olive was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1959. Her mother placed her for adoption when she was a newborn, and the Olive family adopted her. They had no other children. The three moved to Ecuador where Jim pursued a marketing career.
Apparently, Marlene did not learn she was adopted until she was 10 years old. She discovered the news by reading her family’s documents.
Jim seemingly had a close relationship with his daughter, but Marlene and Naomi had a difficult time bonding. Reportedly, Naomi struggled with addiction and mental illness, which created family tension.
At the age of 14, Marlene moved with her family to San Rafael, California. There, Jim began working as a business consultant. Her entire world changed, and the sheltered life she had in Ecuador was over. Her experience in California was more permissive, and soon she was using drugs with her friends.
As Marlene grew older, she and Naomi butted heads more often, and allegedly things got physical. Marlene also began to grow angry with her father as he began to take her mother’s side. Sources suggest that Marlene also believed her father might have been reporting her friends to the authorities based on their drug dealing.
All of this culminated in Marlene’s shoplifting and the theft of her parents’ credit cards. She was also running away from home.
The Fateful Meeting
Charles Riley, known as Chuck, was born in 1955, making him 19 when he met Marlene. At the time, he was living in Santa Venetia with his parents, Joanne and Oscar. Riley dropped out of high school in his senior year and began working several jobs: pizza delivery driver, newspaper delivery man, bartender, and drug dealer.
