Walk to remember victims of violence set for Saturday in Merced

In October 2008, Michael Riley was gunned down outside a Merced apartment building. Less than a year later, his younger brother was slain, too.

On Saturday, their mother will lead a walk to honor the memories of the two young men and other victims of violence.

Marylene Riley said she finds comfort in the annual Riley Brothers Victims’ Remembrance Walk, which has gathered between 50 and 100 supporters in years past.

“It means a lot to me,” she said. “It helps me as I go through this grieving process.”

The walk, she said, is meant to help keep alive the names and faces of her sons and other victims of violence.

Michael Riley, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was a 29-year-old honor student at Merced College when he was shot to death the night of Oct. 7, 2008, outside Village Meadows Apartments, in the 1100 block of Loughborough Drive. According to his family, he planned to transfer to either California State University, Stanislaus, or UC Berkeley with the goal of getting a Harvard law degree.

On Sept. 12, 2009, Marylene Riley’s 27-year-old son, Marlis, was killed after a fight with two men, Nicholas Terrill Rhodes, 27, and Donald Emory Watts, 40, at a residence in the 1400 block of Conestoga Drive. Both men pleaded no contest to charges of involuntary manslaughter and were sentenced to four years in prison.

The slaying of the elder brother remains unsolved and the motive unknown. Marylene Riley said she is hopeful authorities will find those responsible for her son’s death. “I believe in my heart that they’ll get caught,” she said. “Hopefully while I’m living.”

Saturday’s march will begin at noon at the FoodMaxx parking lot on Olive Avenue and continue along Meadows Avenue. A prayer will be read at the sites where the brothers were killed. Riley said stops will be made for other victims of violence who died in the Loughborough area. Those unable to walk may drive alongside the procession.

Riley said she would like to see the peace walk replicated in other parts of the county. She said she has been contacted by another family hoping to organize a similar event in south Merced.

“Violence needs to stop,” Riley said. “We need to spread love, kindness and consideration.”

People who have lost someone to violence in the Loughborough neighborhood and would like to be added to the list of stops during the walk can contact Riley at 209-631-5484.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Walk to remember victims of violence set for Saturday in Merced."