LEIGH PENMAN
In part one of this story, Sally recalled her life with husband Ray and gave us some insight into the trauma and abuse she was subjected to throughout their marriage. Now in part two Sally reflects on that fateful night when she shot Ray and talks about prison life and her hopes for the future.
So, continuing from where we left off, the final confrontation between Ray and yourself is often trivialized and your actions are said to have been triggered by the cost of a chicken he was cooking for dinner. There must have been more to it than that. Can you tell us exactly what went on during that fateful night…..?
“On that night Ray attacked me, I did not provoke the incident. He started yelling at me because I was in the bathroom putting on make-up. I am allowed to put on make-up if I want to go out to a night club. He did not want me to go out to a club because I might meet somebody and leave him. That is what initiated the incident. Somehow the DA changed the story around…”
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Of course there are many people who would say “why didn’t you just call the cops?” instead of resorting to shooting him…
“With all the steroids Ray was on he created the Frankenstein effect. He was inhuman and he would do whatever it took to stop me from calling the cops. If I would have been able to get to a phone and press charges he would have missed the Florida Pro Invitational. He was four weeks out from that show so he was full of anabolic steroids.
“My children witnessed what happened. He would have killed them too. My daughter testified on my behalf, kids don’t lie. The D.A. said….’Look at her, what a beautiful daughter. Ray is not her biological father; any daughter would lie for their mother.’ He couldn’t trip her up because she didn’t lie, so without addressing her he called her a liar.”
How do you feel you were treated in court?
“Everything that was positive about being a marine was used against me. I served my country honorably. Now when it was time to defend myself I was considered a murderer. Being a marine is what saved my life. There was no way I was going to end up like those five wives that were killed by their husbands when they came back from Afghanistan. I bet their wives were not choking the daylights out of them or trying to break their necks…..I wonder what became of those five army men suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
After shooting Ray you gave the gun to a neighbor and called 911 to report the incident. This may be considered unusual by some since many people would have just ran at that point….
“Running is a sign of guilt. I faced the music. I believed in the justice system at that point, however the DA didn’t want to hear the truth, he just wanted to win at all costs. My children suffered because of that. I might as well have let Ray kill me that night…my children lost their mom anyway. Even though I survived, I still lost my life with my children whom I love dearly.”
The fact that there were finger nail marks on your neck on the night of the shooting could have indicated self-defense. However, on exhuming Ray’s body it was found that his finger nails were too short to have inflicted damage. It was therefore ‘presumed’ that the marks were self-inflicted. Could you tell us more about this?
“Do you think I would just lie there and let Ray choke me to death? If the finger nail marks were mine they were from me trying to get Ray’s hands from around my neck. Did you know that there were circular scratches on the back of my neck? I have no idea why this was never mentioned. It shows that a scuffle occurred and Ray had me down on the floor.”
Little is made of the abuse you suffered at Ray’s hands. A culmination of repeated events of abuse would make anyone want to retaliate. Do you feel that you have been unfairly treated by the legal system in this respect?
“Yes, I was given an unfair trial. I had a Battered Woman Syndrome expert testify that it was a classic case of a woman suffering from BWS which stems from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was not able to use the fact that Ray had 5 different steroids in his toxicology report. They said there was no medical evidence to prove that steroids cause ‘roid rage’. Steroids are a class 3 drug; it is against the law to use them without prescription. If you get caught with steroids you get arrested just as if you had coke, meth, heroin, pot, opiates, crack etc.
“People committed purgery on the witness stand…that is a fact. Ray cruelly beat me for eight years, over 400 beatings got swept under the rug and, as always, Ray blamed me for his abuse towards me. I did not provoke Ray to beat me. I pleaded with him NOT to beat me. I would try to run to get away. On one occasion I jumped out of a second story window…I got hurt but he jumped out of the window after me and beat me unmercifully for running from him and making him jump out of the window.
“There was no escape from Ray. He had world class speed. He could run 40 yards in 4.3. He could bench 505lbs. What could I do against that?”
How are you adapting to prison life? What is helping you get through this difficult time?
“I have adapted to prison life, but I will never fit in. The Marine Corps prepared me for prison life. I have discipline and respect for authority.
“When I first came to prison everybody wanted to fight the bodybuilder and get a nitch on their belt saying they beat up the bodybuilder…but the bodybuilder was refusing to fight! I could have put them in a headlock and it would have been all over. If somebody attacks you and you defend yourself and a C.O. catches you fighting, you get written up for mutual combat. After the D.A.screamed to the media that I am the most violent person he ever tried, I saw the writing on the wall. If I protected myself and beat these women down I would be put in front of the parole board. There would be no report that the 5’ 10”, 280lbs ‘she cow’ attacked me for my personal belongings. I would never be able to be granted parole. Now I can’t even put up my hands to protect myself from violent attacks. At least with Ray I could put my hands up and try to protect my face and teeth or possibly get to the phone and call the police. Here, if you call for help you could get a write-up for behavior that could lead to violence.
“What has helped me get through prison is the hope of a successful appeal, my family and the love of my children. Also friends I made in the wrestling world and a few from the bodybuilding world. Most bodybuilders turned on me because their ugly secret was revealed about the abuse of steroids and the violence it can lead to. Nobody in the bodybuilding world is going to admit that steroids make them aggressive because if they do their career in bodybuilding is gone. In Ray’s case, he had violent tendencies, the steroids simply magnified them.”
Are you able to exercise in prison?
“They took the weights away in 1997 because the men were getting too big for the C.O.’s to handle. They have pull-up bars, dip bars, ab wheel roller and a push up bar. There is also a track where we can run.
“I weigh 145lbs right now. I am still a lean mean fighting machine!!! I have made my own weights with 1 and 2 ½ gallon jugs filled with water and pebbles. I have to exercise for physical therapy because Ray destroyed my back and right shoulder. He partially tore my rotator cuff over in Japan because it took me too long to come back from doing the wash. He yanked me down to the ground by my right hand to gain control of me to choke me out and put fear in me that he could kill me at any time.”
Do you have any idea when you may finally be released?
“In California it is very very hard to be granted a parole date. The politicians use us as political pawns to show the public that they are tough on crime, so that they can get re-elected. There is no self defense law in California, not like in other states. If I was living in Texas or Pennsylvania I would not have received a murder sentence. I took Ray’s life and know I deserve to do prison time.”
What are your goals for your life after prison and will you ever compete again?
“My goals in life for now are focused on gaining my freedom and being re-united with my family. I will be too old to compete when I get out. I am not too old to stay in shape though. I can train people. I have my mind, so I can teach people how to wrestle and make good wrestling videos.”
Sally McNeil welcomes letters from readers. You can send them to:
Sally M. McNeil
W# 62688
VSPW D1- 5-3 LOW
PO Box 92
Chowchilla
CA 93610 0092
LEIGH PENMAN
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