Matthew David Riley's wife admitted on the witness stand today that she lied several times to law enforcement officials who were investigating the stabbing deaths of his parents.
"I was protecting him," Jannilin Overton said of her 33-year-old husband, who is now on trial for murder in the killing of his parents, Steven Riley, 54, and his wife, Linda Riley, 53.
Assistant Public Defender David Lynch had Overton recount the lies in an attempt to undermine her credibility. She testified Wednesday he had left their Auburn apartment at 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2008, the day authorities believe Riley's parents were killed. She had originally told investigators he was home in bed with her all night.
Overton said she tried to "cover up" for her husband. She said she continued to mislead police and prosecutors through Riley's December 2009 preliminary hearing. She testified Wednesday she finally told authorities the truth last year as part of her recovery process from drug addiction.
The Sacramento D.A.'s office has given her immunity from prosecution for lying in her preliminary hearing testimony in exchange for her taking the witness stand in the Riley trial.









About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.