STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. —
A 43-year-old man convicted of kidnapping and killing a homeless veteran as a teen is being granted parole, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
The district attorney’s office said Levi Oliver, of Twin Falls, Idaho “was found suitable for parole” after his second hearing with the state’s Board of Parole at Mule Creek Prison in Ione.
Oliver is serving a 25-to-life prison sentence for his role in the murder of the homeless World War II veteran.
Prosecutors said Oliver helped his mother, Terry Harrison, brother and two friends steal a car for Harrison to use to buy drugs. Oliver was 14-years-old at the time of the crime.
After the group walked by a car occupied by the war veteran, they returned to the vehicle because Oliver said he was an “easy target,” prosecutors said.
Oliver and his friend “overpowered” the veteran and held him down as Harrison drove them in the victim’s car to a park. After the group stole the veteran’s car, Oliver pushed the victim out of the car and went on to kick him several times in the head, prosecutors said.
He kicked the victim so hard that his teeth had marks from Oliver’s shoes. Oliver helped put the injured victim in the trunk of the car and they drove to a barn.
The victim tried to escape multiple times by beating on the trunk lid or pulling the brake light.
When Oliver and the group arrived at the barn, they were concerned about getting discovered and proceeded to drive into an orchard where the victim was bound, gagged and wrapped into a sheet, according to the DA’s office.
The victim was stuffed into an irrigation pipe and kicked deeper into the pipe before Oliver told one of his friends to seal the valve, prosecutors said.
Harrison, Oliver, his brother and two friends were later convicted for their roles in the murder in separate proceedings. Oliver was convicted by a jury for several crimes including first-degree murder, kidnapping during a carjacking, carjacking and robbery.
During a sentence hearing, a judge said Oliver was serious threat to the community after he discovered the victim was a vulnerable war veteran. Oliver was also on probation during the time of the murder and had previously been involved in multiple crimes.
The judge sentenced Oliver to 25 to life for the murder of the victim along with a consecutive sentence of life for the kidnapping during a carjacking charge.
While in prison, prosecutors said Oliver committed several rule violations including using and possessing prescription drugs that were not prescribed by him, possessing inmate manufactured alcohol and being involved in a fight.
Oliver appeared before the board as a youthful offender in 2020 but waived his parole suitability for three years after he recognized he needed to complete a program and was a public safety risk, prosecutors said.
On March 1, 2023, he appeared before the board again and was not granted parole due to not addressing his anger triggers, lack of programming for substance abuse and his need to go to therapy. During this hearing, Oliver said he was motivated to kill the victim to gain status in his gang and to protect himself.
Despite not completing the recommended programing, Oliver’s second parole hearing was moved up to this year after not committing violations in prison. During the hearing, the board alluded to Oliver’s youth at the time, his circumstances and that the other defendants were already released from prison.
Prosecutors argued Oliver had the most active and violent role in the murder and reflected on his own prior statements about the crime.
The board said Oliver expressed remorse and they believed he showed signs of change, and they agreed with the prison psychologist who deemed him as low risk if released.
Sometime in the next four months, Gov. Gavin Newsom will review the board’s recommendation and will determine Oliver’s parole release.
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