‘Killer Sally’: Sally McNeil’s Children Also Followed in Her Military Footsteps
Netflix’s Killer Sally dived into the nitty gritty details leading up to the murder and how a Marine and amateur bodybuilder first met Ray McNeil. Sally McNeil was a prolific murder case due to her and her husband’s image as professional bodybuilders. Involved in the murder case were Sally’s two children, and Killer Sally revealed how they both got involved in the military.
Sally McNeil joined the Marines after running out of money
Killer Sally shares with audiences the backstory of Sally’s life before the tragic murder of her husband, Ray McNeil. Before getting involved in professional bodybuilding, she was a Marine. After her third year of college, Saran ran out of money and decided to enlist like her brother and uncle. During her time with the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, she became a Sergeant.
While in the Marines, she met her first husband and had three children. She later divorced him for abuse and transferred to Camp Pendleton, where she participated in the U.S. Armed Services Physique Championship. But Sally had a history of violence long before the murder. Killer Sally dives into her hot streak but was also demoted from her Sergeant position while in the Marines. It was due to her poor behavior, anger issues, and violence that led to her discharge from the military.
Before her discharge, she met Ray McNeil. She fell for their shared interests as Marines and professional bodybuilders. After Sally served her sentence for the murder of Ray, she got help from the Veterans Transition Center support group, where she met her current husband.
Throughout Killer Sally, audiences learned that her children, John and Shantina, were often present. Killer Sally revealed that both of Sally’s children enlisted in the military, and Shantina followed in her footsteps in another way.
Shantina joined the military after high school in ‘Killer Sally’
It may have surprised audiences when Killer Sally revealed that both Shantina Lowden and John Jr. Lowden served in the military. The docuseries explored life after Ray’s murder and how it affected them. Shantina enlisted in the military after high school. “I deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division to Irag,” said Shantina.
But her story is equally as heartbreaking as her mother’s in a specific way. Not only did Shantina deal with PTSD from combat, but she was also a victim of abuse. While stationed in Iraq, her ex physically abused her for three years. She explained that her unit was unaware of it.
“I could never understand why my mom did not leave. But when I found myself in a situation like that, I kind of stayed for the same reasons,” explained Shantina. Like her mother, Shantina wanted to be loved and realized how the cycle was repeating. Luckily, Shatina cut off the relationship.
According to Women’s Health Mag, Shantina now works as an IT network administrator for the Defense Logistics Agency.
Jonh opens up about his military experiences and violence in ‘Killer Sally’
Like Shantina, John also followed in Sally’s footsteps and joined the military. “I had five combat tours in Afghanistan. I had deployed so much and I’d fought so much that I just mentally couldn’t do it no more,” said John. When filming Killer Sally, John explained he was in drug and alcohol treatment and treatment for combat PTSD.
John opened up about life after the military in Killer Sally and explained that he had fallen into drugs after discharge. Audiences were left brokenhearted as John said he had mistreated his wife. He says it is one of his biggest regrets. Between the violence he had seen growing up with Ray’s abuse, the murder, and his combat tours, “my entire life has been violence.”
He currently lives in Texas and attended his mother’s wedding to her now-husband.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
