‘Killer Sally’: Sally McNeil’s Account of Her Husband’s Murder Does Not Fully Make Sense
Killer Sally is one of Netflix‘s latest true crime documentaries. It tells the story of Sally McNeil, who killed her husband in 1995. She confessed to the murder, but parts of her story don’t make sense.
Sally McNeil murder her husband Ray in 1995, pleading self-defense
McNeil, a professional bodybuilder and amateur wrestler, was married to Ray, a fellow bodybuilder. As Screen Rant explains, Ray was physically abusive, and she kept a sawed-off shotgun in the home to protect her and her children, who were from a previous marriage.
According to her, on Valentine’s Day 1995, Ray went out. Worried about where he was, or if he was with another woman, McNeil started preparing to go out and find him. While she was getting ready, Ray came home and the two started arguing.
She claims the fight escalated to a physical attack and that Ray was choking and beating her. McNeil managed to get away and ran to the bedroom, where she kept the shotgun. She fired one round into her husband’s stomach, but he kept coming at her.
McNeil then fired another round at his face, which brought him to the ground. She then called 911 and Ray was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Certain inconsistencies in Sally McNeil’s story
At first glance, the case appears open and shut. McNeil immediately confessed to shooting her husband and readily told police how it happened. However, certain evidence arose during McNeil’s trial that made some question if the event leading up to the murder truly happened the way she described.
For example, some were puzzled by her body language in tapes of her police interview. Many said that she appeared too calm and collected for someone who had just shot her husband, even if he was attacking her at the time.
Another item brought up during the trial were Ray’s injuries. After a forensics team studied his gunshot wounds, it was concluded that, following the trajectory of the bullets, McNeil must have fired one of the shots while he was on the ground.
There was also blood splatter on their living room lamp. According to McNeil, Ray chased her into their bedroom, so it didn’t make sense that there would be blood in the living room.
Many who watched Killer Sally came away feeling that McNeil was treated unfairly by the justice system. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. McNeil was released on parole in 2020.
Why was Sally McNeil’s DNA not found on her husband’s body?
Even though many thought the sentence was too severe for someone who was acting in self-defense, others have wondered if McNeil truly was trying to defend herself from her attacking husband.
Something not mentioned in Killer Sally was the DNA testing that took place. None of McNeil’s DNA was found on Ray’s body, which doesn’t match her story. According to her, they were fighting and he had his hands around her neck. If this was the case, McNeil’s DNA would be found on Ray’s hands and body.
RELATED: Sally McNeil: Wrestling ‘Wall Street Guys to Garbage Workers’ Earned Her $300 an Hour
