The new three-part Netflix documentary, Killer Sally, which charts the story of Sally McNeil, a successful bodybuilder and mother of two, has us all gripped. The series follows Sally’s rise to notoriety and her unhealthy relationship with her husband, Ray McNeil – a fellow bodybuilder, who she shot dead on Valentine’s Day in 1996, something she has always maintained was an act of self-defence (despite being found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury).
However, this case is far from clear cut – later on, Sally McNeil was released from prison in 2020 following a parole hearing and now, in the new documentary, she is speaking out for the first time and again alleges that Ray was unfaithful and abusive. She claims he was fuelled by steroid-induced rage when he apparently attacked her on the date of his death. It is also alleged that Ray was abusive towards her two children, son John and daughter Shantina, from a previous marriage.
So, in full, what’s the true story behind the Sally McNeil shooting? Where is Sally McNeil now? And who are Sally McNeil’s children?
What happened in the Sally McNeil case?
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sally was raised in a violent household and in the docu-series explains how she believed abuse in the home was, sadly, par for the course. Having grown used to defending herself, she went on to make her name in the bodybuilding world in the 1980s and became a US marine. Ironically, after being dismissed from the military, Sally focussed on a wrestling career and adopted the name ‘Killer Sally’ – long before shooting her husband, Ray McNeil, on Valentine’s Day in 1996. (Lyrica)
After meeting fellow bodybuilding fanatic Ray, the pair swiftly tied the knot in 1987, but early into the marriage, Ray cheated on Sally, who by this point had found herself discharged from active service. To make money, Sally then began a career in ‘muscle worship’ as ‘Killer Sally’, where she claims she’d wrestle ten men and earn $3,000 for each match.
As for how her nickname became eerily accurate, it’s said that Sally shot her husband Ray twice on 14 February 1995, exactly eight years after their first meeting, causing him to die instantly. When the case went to trial, the jury found her guilty of second-degree murder and she was sentenced to nineteen years to life – however, Sally has always maintained she shot Ray in self-defence, alleging he was abusive and strangling her at the time of his death. Her son, John, who was nine at the time of Ray’s death, has publicly backed Sally on her allegations of abuse. In the documentary series, Killer Sally, he even says, “I remember how tortuous it used to be to have to sit there and watch him abuse my sister and to know that I was next.” Shantina was just eleven-years-old when Ray was killed.
During the 911 call Sally made on the day of Ray’s death, she told the operator, “I just shot my husband because he beat me up.” She has long alleged that Ray was consistently violent, fuelled by anabolic steroids that he purchased using the money she was bringing in from her wrestling career.
In the documentary, Sally says, “He said that I was inferior and he was the superior bodybuilder and everything should go towards him. From the start, I wasn’t good enough. I was never good enough. Ray felt as though he was the most important person in the family. He was trying to get me to give up my dream so I could support him.” The series also features a friend of Ray’s, who recounts the time Ray blinded a man in a fight.
Where is Sally McNeil now?
Now aged 60, Sally has served her full sentence and is a free woman. She lives in northern California.
Who are Sally McNeil’s children?
Sally’s son, John, from a previous relationship, also appears in the Killer Sally docu-series and claims that Ray would regular be physically violent towards him and his sister, Shantina. He was just nine years old when his mother was imprisoned and just like Sally, both her children later went on to join the military in some capacity. Both are now parents themselves.
After Sally was convicted, John and Shantina spent time in a care home before being raised by their maternal grandparents. John says that now, looking back, he wishes he could have done more for his mother. After a period of not speaking to one another, the pair now share a close relationship, and John is also regularly in touch with his sister, Shantina, with whom he is also very close.
Via Cosmopolitan UK