Viswa Vanapalli
Netflix’s three-part docuseries titled ‘Killer Sally’ focuses on what happened at an apartment in Oceanside, California, on Valentine’s Day in 1995. Sally McNeil fired a shotgun at her husband, Ray McNeil, twice, killing him. In the subsequent investigation, she claimed self-defense but was ultimately convicted of the murder. But before everything happened, Sally talked about how she made a living and provided for the family since she was the breadwinner at the time. So, if you’re curious about her current net worth, here’s what we know.
How Did Sally McNeil Earn Her Money?
Sally McNeil was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, but grew up in a violent and abusive household. On the show, it was mentioned that her birth father kicked her mother in the stomach when she was pregnant with Sally. After that, her mother married a man named Richard Dale Dempsey, who was also abusive toward her. As the abuse continued, it became a norm for Sally. But to get away from it all and garner approval, she turned to sports and athletics while in school.
Sally was a gifted athlete, taking part in diving and cross-country running. Eventually, she enrolled at a college in Pennsylvania to pursue her dream of becoming a gym teacher. But with just one semester left, Sally ran out of money, and as per the show, her parents didn’t help her. As a result, she dropped out of college and followed in the footsteps of her brother and uncle; she joined the Marine Corps.
During that time, Sally started bodybuilding and added, “I was trying to get bigger, so I was stronger, to be able to protect myself.” In February 1987, she participated in an amateur competition, placing fourth. Soon after, Sally met Ray McNeil, a bodybuilder himself, resulting in a whirlwind romance. The couple married in 1987. By then, Sally had already divorced her first husband, whom she claimed was abusive. She had two children from that marriage, John and Shantina.
By 1990, Sally was demoted and not allowed to re-enlist, leading to her looking for other career options. At that point, Ray had decided to go pro, while Sally chose to support him. She began a career in muscle worship, where men would pay to wrestle with her. That made her good money, and she said, “If I wrestled 10 of them, that’s $3000.” Furthermore, Sally appeared in a few wrestling videos where she billed herself as “Killer Sally.”
During that time, Sally also participated in amateur competitions like the USA Championships, the North American Championships, and the NPC Nationals. She did reasonably well but realized she made more money through the wrestling videos and muscle worship. Sally claimed that in 1993, she spent about $24,000 of her money to help Ray’s career. On the show, Sally even talked about traveling to Tijuana, Mexico, to buy steroids and how she took the kids with her on these trips.
However, her marriage to Ray was filled with violence and arguments. She added, “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.”
Sally accused Ray of punching her on the third day of their marriage and said that the pattern continued in the years that followed. Apart from choking her, Sally noted that Ray had forced himself upon her sexually and cheated on her. All of this culminated on February 14, 1995, when Sally claimed she shot Ray after he attacked her. While she was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, she was released in 2020. Since then, Sally has remarried and embarked upon her next phase in life.
Sally McNeil’s Net Worth
While it’s quite possible that Sally’s net worth was in the millions when she has at the peak of her career, it has since dwindled owing to her time in prison. She took up a job at a warehouse after her release, and from what we can tell, her current net worth is probably close to $500,000.
Read More: Why Did Sally McNeil Kill Her Husband?
