Was Killer Sally punished for not fitting the typical victim profile?

Source: LADbible

Sally McNeil had a history of getting abused not just by her husband but before that poor Sally suffered abuse from her stepfather. Being abused almost all her life violence became something she was accustomed to. That level of abuse might even force someone to assume that this level of violence is a very normal thing. One of Ray’s friends who testified against Sally in the murder trial stated that this level of constant abuse throughout Sally’s life might have added to her violent demeanor. 

It is proven that physical abuse for an elongated period can lead to PTSD and I wouldn’t be shocked if Sally would have been diagnosed with the same. This can also result in Sally developing an aggressive and over-protective demeanor because she was concerned for her and her children’s safety. But the time was different and the public and the jury didn't see a mother who was scared for her and her children’s safety. Why? Because it was the 90s and women of domestic abuse were supposed to be small and timid women. But when they saw Sally they saw an ex-marine who was built like a tank.

Throughout the trial, Sally’s toughened appearance played a crucial role against her. Sally’s upfront personality also played a huge role in her. Sally did not beat around the bushes and was straightforward with what happened that night, and admitted she shot her husband. Where Sally went wrong was she trusted the justice system to give her a fair trial in the court of law. But she soon found out people only saw Killer Sally when they saw her and she realized she needed a lawyer at her side to tell her side of the story. The jury of that era was used to seeing victims of abuse as emotional and broken but Sally on the surface did not look as “broken” as the jury expected despite facing abuse her entire life.

Not looking “broken” enough does not mean a person is not a victim of domestic abuse. Fast forward to 2022 we know victims of domestic violence come in every shape and size but it was not the case back then. Adding on to all these, many of Ray came forward and testified against Sally. Ray’s friends painted Sally to be a very aggressive and controlling woman. But there is always a bigger picture in place. Ray was on multiple steroids which led to increased aggression and on top of that Ray was a serial cheater. 

Sally McNeil has gone through a lot, even after being a loving wife and giving up so much for Ray, she was rewarded with infidelity and abuse from her husband. Just because she was a bodybuilder doesn’t mean she was not a scared broken woman, her husband was twice her size and jacked up on steroids. Ray in his steroid-filled rage was violent towards Sally and her children many times so it was not a matter of if Sally would fight back, it was “when”. But her appearance changed the whole story and the views of the people. If she were a small skinny woman shaking in her boots, do you think the jury might have given a different verdict? What do you think? Comment down below.