Topline: Prosecutors said Marcy Oglesby secretly mixed eye drops into Richard Young’s food and drinks for months before his death in 2021.
Published: October 29, 2025 8:35 am ET
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Marcy Oglesby
(via Knox County Jail)
GALESBURG, IL — An Illinois woman will likely spend the rest of her life in prison after being sentenced Monday to 50 years for poisoning her longtime boyfriend, a former police chief whose remains were discovered inside a storage unit nearly a year after his death.
According to WMBD, 53-year-old Marcy L. Oglesby was convicted earlier this year of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery in the 2021 death of Richard Young, the former Maquon police chief and her partner of nearly three decades.
Knox County Circuit Judge Andrew Doyle delivered the sentence following a brief hearing, giving Oglesby credit for 326 days already served in jail. Under Illinois law, she must serve the full term without the possibility of early release.
Prosecutors said Oglesby slowly poisoned Young by mixing eye drops and other medications into his food and drinks over several months during the summer of 2021, until his death on Nov. 1, 2021, according to KWQC.
His body was not found until October 2022, when investigators discovered his decomposed remains inside a storage locker in Maquon, across the street from the home he shared with Oglesby.
At sentencing, Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby described the crime as particularly cruel, telling the court, “She killed a man who loved her and who cared for her for nearly 30 years, and she didn’t just kill him. She poisoned him and watched him suffer.”
Oglesby, who maintained her innocence, addressed the court before sentencing. “My allocution today will have to take a slightly different path because I respectfully disagree with the court’s findings, and I will not be referencing a murder that did not happen,” she said, according to KWQC. “He didn’t go into that box immediately. I put him back to bed and continued to talk to him for three days.”
The case spanned more than two years of legal wrangling. As WMBD reported, Oglesby was first charged with concealment of a homicidal death, and though a Knox County judge initially dismissed the murder charges on speedy-trial grounds, an appellate court later reinstated them. She had also pleaded guilty in May 2023 to forgery and unlawful possession of a weapon related to Young’s death and received credit for time already served in jail on those charges.
Friends and community members remembered Young as a dedicated public servant and neighbor.
“He was a good member, an awesome member of the community, and he would do anything for anyone,” said Todd Mason, a longtime friend, to KWQC. Another friend, Natalie Mason, told the station, “Rick was always there for everyone. It didn’t matter if you were friend or foe. He stood watch over our community for many, many years, and he was a good man who deserved more than what he got.”
Oglesby will follow her prison term with three years of supervised release, according to WGIL.
She is scheduled to return to court Nov. 6 for a hearing on a motion for a new trial — a procedural step required before any appeal can proceed.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Woman Gets 50 Years for Killing Former Police Chief Boyfriend with Eye Drops
Prosecutors said Marcy Oglesby secretly mixed eye drops into Richard Young’s food and drinks for months before his death in 2021.
By Jacob Charles
Published: October 29, 2025 8:35 am ET
Marcy Oglesby
(via Knox County Jail)
GALESBURG, IL — An Illinois woman will likely spend the rest of her life in prison after being sentenced Monday to 50 years for poisoning her longtime boyfriend, a former police chief whose remains were discovered inside a storage unit nearly a year after his death.
According to WMBD, 53-year-old Marcy L. Oglesby was convicted earlier this year of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery in the 2021 death of Richard Young, the former Maquon police chief and her partner of nearly three decades.
Knox County Circuit Judge Andrew Doyle delivered the sentence following a brief hearing, giving Oglesby credit for 326 days already served in jail. Under Illinois law, she must serve the full term without the possibility of early release.
Prosecutors said Oglesby slowly poisoned Young by mixing eye drops and other medications into his food and drinks over several months during the summer of 2021, until his death on Nov. 1, 2021, according to KWQC.
His body was not found until October 2022, when investigators discovered his decomposed remains inside a storage locker in Maquon, across the street from the home he shared with Oglesby.
At sentencing, Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby described the crime as particularly cruel, telling the court, “She killed a man who loved her and who cared for her for nearly 30 years, and she didn’t just kill him. She poisoned him and watched him suffer.”
Oglesby, who maintained her innocence, addressed the court before sentencing. “My allocution today will have to take a slightly different path because I respectfully disagree with the court’s findings, and I will not be referencing a murder that did not happen,” she said, according to KWQC. “He didn’t go into that box immediately. I put him back to bed and continued to talk to him for three days.”
The case spanned more than two years of legal wrangling. As WMBD reported, Oglesby was first charged with concealment of a homicidal death, and though a Knox County judge initially dismissed the murder charges on speedy-trial grounds, an appellate court later reinstated them. She had also pleaded guilty in May 2023 to forgery and unlawful possession of a weapon related to Young’s death and received credit for time already served in jail on those charges.
Friends and community members remembered Young as a dedicated public servant and neighbor.
“He was a good member, an awesome member of the community, and he would do anything for anyone,” said Todd Mason, a longtime friend, to KWQC. Another friend, Natalie Mason, told the station, “Rick was always there for everyone. It didn’t matter if you were friend or foe. He stood watch over our community for many, many years, and he was a good man who deserved more than what he got.”
Oglesby will follow her prison term with three years of supervised release, according to WGIL.
She is scheduled to return to court Nov. 6 for a hearing on a motion for a new trial — a procedural step required before any appeal can proceed.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Woman Gets 50 Years for Killing Former Police Chief Boyfriend with Eye Drops
Prosecutors said Marcy Oglesby secretly mixed eye drops into Richard Young’s food and drinks for months before his death in 2021.
By Jacob Charles
Published: October 29, 2025 8:35 am ET
Marcy Oglesby
(via Knox County Jail)
GALESBURG, IL — An Illinois woman will likely spend the rest of her life in prison after being sentenced Monday to 50 years for poisoning her longtime boyfriend, a former police chief whose remains were discovered inside a storage unit nearly a year after his death.
According to WMBD, 53-year-old Marcy L. Oglesby was convicted earlier this year of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery in the 2021 death of Richard Young, the former Maquon police chief and her partner of nearly three decades.
Knox County Circuit Judge Andrew Doyle delivered the sentence following a brief hearing, giving Oglesby credit for 326 days already served in jail. Under Illinois law, she must serve the full term without the possibility of early release.
Prosecutors said Oglesby slowly poisoned Young by mixing eye drops and other medications into his food and drinks over several months during the summer of 2021, until his death on Nov. 1, 2021, according to KWQC.
His body was not found until October 2022, when investigators discovered his decomposed remains inside a storage locker in Maquon, across the street from the home he shared with Oglesby.
At sentencing, Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby described the crime as particularly cruel, telling the court, “She killed a man who loved her and who cared for her for nearly 30 years, and she didn’t just kill him. She poisoned him and watched him suffer.”
Oglesby, who maintained her innocence, addressed the court before sentencing. “My allocution today will have to take a slightly different path because I respectfully disagree with the court’s findings, and I will not be referencing a murder that did not happen,” she said, according to KWQC. “He didn’t go into that box immediately. I put him back to bed and continued to talk to him for three days.”
The case spanned more than two years of legal wrangling. As WMBD reported, Oglesby was first charged with concealment of a homicidal death, and though a Knox County judge initially dismissed the murder charges on speedy-trial grounds, an appellate court later reinstated them. She had also pleaded guilty in May 2023 to forgery and unlawful possession of a weapon related to Young’s death and received credit for time already served in jail on those charges.
Friends and community members remembered Young as a dedicated public servant and neighbor.
“He was a good member, an awesome member of the community, and he would do anything for anyone,” said Todd Mason, a longtime friend, to KWQC. Another friend, Natalie Mason, told the station, “Rick was always there for everyone. It didn’t matter if you were friend or foe. He stood watch over our community for many, many years, and he was a good man who deserved more than what he got.”
Oglesby will follow her prison term with three years of supervised release, according to WGIL.
She is scheduled to return to court Nov. 6 for a hearing on a motion for a new trial — a procedural step required before any appeal can proceed.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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