Killer Sally retells the story of bodybuilder Sally McNeil, who shot her husband on the night of Valentine’s Day back in 1995. The limited docuseries is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Sally McNeil, her friends, her family, and the lawyers sit down to talk about the events that transpired to the death of Sally’s husband, Ray McNeil.
Sally, who took bodybuilding as a hobby while in the Marines back in 1987, met Ray during her time there. Sally was instantly attracted to him and saw him as someone who could be a stepfather to her kids.
Ray McNeil, himself, was pretty much impressed by Sally’s physique. After two months of dating, they got married.
Ray certainly had big dreams in his mind. He left the Marines to pursue bodybuilding professionally in hopes of winning Mr. Olympia in the near future.
Though Ray was a giant, strong man, he was quite insecure when he got to these bodybuilding competitions. He eventually found out about the secret to this business, which is steroids, and opted to use them along with Sally.
Arguments began at home, with him feeling that Sally was inferior to him. He thought of himself as the superior bodybuilder.
Sally believed that Ray wanted her to give up her dream so that she could support him. She loved him a lot and wanted the same amount of dedication in return. Thus, she became the bread earner of the family.
The bodybuilding business certainly didn’t have much money in it, and that’s when Sally came across a form of wrestling business where men wanted to be wrestled by women.
She acted in these videos and earned enough money to run a family. This way, Ray came close to being Mr. Olympia but ended up landing in 15th place.
The gentle giant everyone knew had his own fair share of demons, and the loss took a toll on him. He physically abused Sally for years. He hit her and often choked her.
The abuse came to a point where Sally went inside the bedroom to bring a shotgun out and shoot Ray twice on the very occasion of Valentine’s Day.
The investigation into the case did open up about Ray’s abuse but also disclosed Sally’s aggressive behavior. The media and prosecutor painted her as a killer, not a battered woman.
While some turned in support of Sally, some of Ray’s friends talked about her jealous nature and how she had gone violent against the women who came close to Ray.
Killer Sally ending explained in detail:
What were the proofs against Sally?
The autopsy of Ray McNeil’s body suggested that he was shot once on the body and then on his face. Sally had claimed that after the first shot, Ray came at her.
Afraid that he would choke her again, she reloaded the shotgun to shoot him while he was standing up in the living room.
If she had really done that, the shell from the shotgun should’ve been there in the living room, but it was in the bedroom, where the ammo is. To load the shotgun again, she needs to release the previous shell.
She must’ve reloaded there in the bedroom and then gone into the living room. The way the blood was spattered on the lamp near Ray’s body says that he was on the ground. Therefore, he wasn’t coming at her.
This proves that she premeditatedly went back to get another bullet to shoot Ray.
Was Sally guilty of Ray’s murder?
Sally’s neighbor, Peggy Hook, testified in support of Sally. Over the years, she had seen bruises, broken arms, and broken noses on Sally while she was married to Ray.
With the wrestling videos she was featured in and the fact that she was a big bodybuilder and a Marine, the DA made her out to be a monster.
The jury declares their verdict and finds Sally guilty of second-degree murder.
Where is Sally McNeil now?
Sally McNeil served 25 years in prison, missing out on some of the biggest moments of her kids’ lives. She was released from the Central California Women’s Facility in the summer of 2020.
After getting out of prison, she lived at the Veterans Transitional Center, a place meant to welcome homeless veterans back into society.
She got a job there at the warehouse and soon found herself reuniting with her kids.
Sally also fell in love again with a man named Stewart. This relationship turned out to be unlike the ones she had before. He allows her to be who she is. Sally took her time before being serious about this.
She saw a future in him, and they eventually got married.
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