Sally McNeil

Sally McNeil (born 1960) — aka Killer McNeil[1] — is a former professional American bodybuilder who, on March 19, 1996, was convicted of second degree murder in the 1995 Valentine's Day shooting death of her husband and fellow bodybuilder, Ray McNeil. Sally McNeil was sentenced 19 years to life for her conviction.[1][2][3]

After numerous appeals on a variety of grounds, including improper jury instructions, McNeil's conviction was initially overturned by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals[4] which resulted in the granting of a writ of habeas corpus. The State of California then appealed to the US Supreme Court which reversed the 9th Circuit's ruling and remanded the case back to that same venue for further action.[5][6] Relying on information and instructions from the SCOTUS opinion,[7] the 9th Circuit reconsidered the matter and on March 29, 2005 issued their opinion ruling in favor of the State and reinstating McNeil's original conviction.[8]

McNeil served in the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, reaching the rank of Sergeant.[1] She won the U.S. Armed Services Physique Championship twice in the late 1980s.

McNeil is serving her sentence at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California.[1]. McNeil was last denied parole in February 2019. Her next suitability hearing for parole is in early 2022 when she will be 61 years old.