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With the commencement of a brand new season of ID's Reasonable Doubt, some interesting cases, like Rodney Patrick McNeal's, will come to light.
The series is directed by Rob Rosen and revolves around two investigators re-examining controversial murder cases in an attempt to help the families of the people convicted of the crimes. In the end, the investigators decide if they should appeal or accept the verdict once and for all.
The upcoming episode is set to revolve around Rodney Patrick McNeal, who was accused and arrested for murdering his wife and unborn child.
Trigger Warning: This article contains sensitive content.
Rodney Patrick McNeal's case: The details
ID's Reasonable Doubt is a hard-hitting, balanced, and emotional look at the US criminal justice system. The upcoming episode is titled Guiltless or Heartless? and will commence the fifth season of the show.
The official synopsis for the upcoming episode reads:
"California probation officer Rodney Patrick McNeal gets a life sentence for murdering his pregnant wife in a fit of rage; his family says the system failed him, and they can prove he was wrongfully convicted; Chris and Fatima investigate."
Reasonable Doubt revolves around retired homicide detective Chris Anderson and criminal defense attorney Fatima Silva. Together, they help families who are convinced that a loved one has been wrongfully convicted of murder.
Each week, the duo investigate a new case and are asked to decide whether the person has been wrongfully convicted or if the family needs to face the truth that their loved one is guilty as charged.
Each episode of the series sees new developments in the case, including additional witnesses and evidence. They help to either support the defendant's contention of innocence or point towards the guilty verdict being the correct one.
Ahead of the upcoming episode, here are five details about Rodney Patrick McNeal's case.
1) He was accused of murdering his own wife and unborn child
In 1997, Rodney Patrick McNeal arrived home to take his wife Debra to a doctor’s appointment. She was six months pregnant at the time. However, when he reached home, he found his wife in the bathtub of the master bedroom with a jar of pennies and clothes dumped on top of her.
According to McNeal, he tried to lift Debra out of the tub but failed. He then ran over to the neighbor's house and asked them to call 911. When the police arrived, they discovered that the house had been trashed, and saw a trail of blood from the living room to the master bedroom. It was determined that Debra had been beaten and stabbed. She was eventually killed from manual strangulation.
A jury in 2000 convicted Rodney Patrick McNeal of second-degree murder over the deaths of his wife and their unborn daughter, Samara. A judge sentenced him to 30 years to life in prison.
2) There is no actual proof of his involvement in the murder
The timeline of the events that unfolded before the incident suggested Rodney Patrick McNeal was not present at the scene when Debra was murdered.
According to phone records and eyewitnesses, he was at his office until 12:15 PM and arrived home just before 12:30 PM, just before the 911 call was placed. The police arrived at the crime scene at around 12:32 PM, which would make it impossible for Patrick to kill Debra and trash the house in that timeframe.
Along with this, the blood splatter patterns in the living room indicated that the murderer would also have Debra's blood on their clothing, or on themselves, but Patrick did not have any blood stains on him. There were unidentified hairs and fibers found on Debra that did not belong to Patrick, as per DNA testing.
3) He and his wife had domestic disputes
Based on reports, Rodney Patrick McNeal and Debra Black Crow had a volatile marriage and had the police visit their home several times due to domestic disputes. Although there were never any arrests, firearms were confiscated by police on such visits. Records also reveal that Debra had previously filed an injunction, which was denied.
Days after Debra was found murdered, Rodney Patrick McNeal had filed a $100,000 life insurance claim, claiming to be her sole beneficiary even though she had four children. The insurance company as well as law enforcement got suspicious because of the timing of the claim.
According to the California Innocence Project, Patrick’s conviction was largely based on his and Debra's history of domestic strife and they believe he was wrongly targeted because of his race.
4) His half-brother might have been involved in the murder
As per the petition presented by the California Innocent Project, Patrick’s half-brother, Jeffery "Jeff" West, killed Debra as her murder had similarities to other murders committed by Jeff. He was known to place his victims in the bathtub after killing them.
At an evidentiary hearing, Jeff's friend, Cary McGill, testified that Jeff had described Debra's murder to him. He said that he beat Debra until she was unconscious and then dragged her into the bathroom.
Rodney Patrick McNeal and Jeff's half-sister, Ebony Grant, also testified that Jeff had confessed to killing Debra and when called to the stand by the California Innocence Project, Jeff took the 5th.
5) He was a probation officer
Rodney Patrick McNeal was a probation officer in San Bernardino County, California. He had a bachelor’s degree in criminal law and knew the criminal justice system through his many years of experience.
He was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in 2000 and was sentenced to 30 years of life in prison in the California prison system. His commutation with Gov. Newsom made him eligible for parole eight years before his original sentence.
Learn more about this brutal case in the upcoming episode of Reasonable Doubt on Monday, August 8 at 10:00 PM EST on ID.
