Sally McNeil is Not in Prison Today — Here’s When and Why She Was Released
Netflix dropped another true crime docuseries, Killer Sally, and we have everything you need to know about Sally McNeil and her time in prison. The three-part documentary is all-encompassing and includes a detailed view of the murder conviction. It also shows Sally McNeil’s release from jail in 2020. Here’s everything we know about why the parole board let Sally McNeil free from prison.
A court convicted Sally McNeil of murder on March 19, 1996
Sally McNeil, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, lived with her husband, Ray McNeil, in Oceanside, California, with two children. She admits that she shot Ray two times on Feb. 14, 1995 — once in the abdomen and once in the jaw. Her two children were nine and eleven and were present in the house when the incident happened.
However, McNeil explained that Ray continually abused her and that the shots were in self-defense. Her lawyer used a “battered woman syndrome” defense strategy; however, the prosecutors argued that she was “too strong” to be battered. One key point in the case was where the police found the second shell casing. In her defense, McNeil claimed that she had the casing in her hand; however, the officers at the crime scene found it in the bedroom — far from the kitchen.
The prosecution took advantage of the inconsistencies in her story and convicted McNeil of second-degree murder on March 19, 1996. The court sentenced her to 19 years to life. McNeil appealed the verdict numerous times until it was overturned by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals However, the State of California appealed to the US Supreme Court and reversed the decision.
No, ‘Killer Sally’ McNeil is not in prison
In the Netflix documentary Killer Sally, McNeil explains that the last and final time she went to the parole board, she had to claim she intended to kill her husband, Ray McNeil. Otherwise, she would never be free.
“Sally McNeil was released from the Central California Women’s Facility in the summer of 2020 after serving 25 years in prison,” the Netflix docuseries read in part 3.
According to the California Department of Corrections, McNeil went to her “Subsequent Suitability Hearing” on May 29, 2020. That’s when they finally granted her parole because she said what they wanted to hear.
When she left prison, McNeil lived at the Veterans Transition Center (VTC). Her first meal was from the golden arches, and she happily explained that she worked at a warehouse. She is happy to be free to eat, sleep, and work when she wants, on her terms.
Where is ‘Killer Sally’ McNeil now?
In the final minutes of Killer Sally, viewers find out that McNeil met her boyfriend, Stewart, at her VTC support group. She reflected that he did not try to control her but let her be free.
According to McNeil’s Instagram account, she married Stewart in June of 2022 and she bought a house. On July 10, 2022, she shared a photo of a dog, but that’s all the insight her social media account provides. All we know about Sally McNeil is that she is happily married today.
All three parts of Killer Sally are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
