Slain Merced brothers to be remembered at 14th annual walk for victims of violence
Marylene Riley has pledged that she will do everything she can to keep the memory of her sons alive after Michael Riley and Marlis Riley were both lost to violent deaths.
And the killings occurred less than a year apart from each other.
One of the ways Marylene Riley, 67, has kept the legacy of her sons alive is with an annual remembrance walk around the Loughborough neighborhood in Merced, where both brothers were killed.
The 14th annual Annual Riley Brothers Victims Remembrance Walk will be held at noon on Saturday, Oct. 14 in Merced.
The event will begin at the FoodMaxxx parking lot at West Olive and Meadows avenues. Community members will gather for prayers and music before embarking on the remembrance walk route, which is often adjusted to include stops at sites in the Loughborough area where others have lost their lives.
“It’s good to keep our loved ones, including my sons and other victims in Merced County, to keep their names and faces out there,” said Marylene Riley. “Especially the cases that haven’t been solved. We want to keep their family legacies alive.”
The crowd varies each year, ranging from an intimate crowd of 40 to as many as 120 attendees during past walks, according to Riley.
Memories of sons
Michael Riley was a Navy veteran and an honors student at Merced College with ambitions to someday give back to his community through pro bono legal work.
Marlis, too, was pursuing his educational aspirations, with dreams of eventually working with and mentoring youth when he was killed.
Michael died from a gunshot wound the night of Oct.7, 2008, near the sidewalk outside the Village Meadows Apartments, in the 1100 block of Loughborough Drive.
Marlis Riley, 27, suffered fatal injuries during a fight in an alleyway near Denver Avenue on Sept. 12, 2009.
In 2018, an arrest was made in Michael’s unsolved slaying, but the charges were later dropped.
Marlis’ killers also saw their murder charges dropped when they pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and were sentenced to four years in prison.
Marylene Riley says she went into a deep depression after losing both her sons in such a short period of time.
“It was terrible, unbearable,” she said. “It was a very hard time for myself and my family. I went into a very deep depression. The depression I went into is called a black hole. It was like having a tug-of-war and it took me 11 years to get to where I am today.”
Riley says her faith helped pulled her out of depression, knowing one day she’ll be reunited with her sons in heaven.
Riley says the remembrance walk has helped her continue be a voice for her sons.
“It helps me and I know it helps other families,” Riley said. If we don’t talk about our loved ones and keep their memory alive nobody else will. I want us to be their voice. As long as I’m alive, my sons are going to live.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 6:58 PM.
