Modesto Man Gets 40-to-Life for Fatally Shooting His Wife in 2016
Above: Steven Oliver’s 2016 booking photo | Modesto PD
A Stanislaus County man has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of his wife in 2016.
According to a press release by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, Steven Floyd Oliver, a 68-year-old resident of Modesto, received a sentence of 40 years-to-life in state prison for the murder of his wife, Sylvia Oliver. The crime took place on November 17, 2016.
The sentencing took place on May 9, following four days of testimony.
Officers from the Modesto Police Department responded to a 911 call made by Steven’s daughter, prompting them to conduct a welfare check at the Oliver residence. Upon arrival, Steven informed the officers that his wife had awakened him, urging him to shoot her. Oliver reportedly told responding officers, “I was trying to go to sleep. My wife woke me up and said ‘shoot me,’ and I did. She’s laying on the floor.”
As Sylvia was kneeling in prayer, Steven held a rifle to her forehead and pulled the trigger. Following the incident, Steven was taken into custody, and during the subsequent investigation, reportedly provided inconsistent accounts of what had happened.
According to CBS News, Oliver later claimed that he hadn’t known the gun was loaded before he pulled the trigger. He then reportedly claimed that his wife had put the gun to her own head, then later claimed that he had fired a warning shot near his wife’s head and hadn’t known there was another round in the chamber.
Responding officers had noted that Oliver smelled of alcohol and displayed signs of intoxication.
Despite his conflicting accounts of the events, a jury ultimately found him guilty of second-degree murder.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Carrie M. Stephens handed down the maximum penalty available – 40 years-to-life in state prison. The prosecution, led by Deputy District Attorneys Melissa Chichportich and Fawn Smolak, presented the case against Oliver, securing the conviction.
