A new article on the Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly murder case

[Kane]

A few days ago, there was an article about the 1988 murders of Shane Stewart and Sally McNally. Although there hasn't been any new developments lately, the investigators have not given up on the case.

As mentioned in the article, Shane's father, Marshall Stewart, attended counseling sessions at a few support groups in the years following Shane's death. But he still copes with the grief (and even guilt) over his son's death, as well as the burden of not knowing who killed his son.

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010...investigators/

[kadrmas15]

The one thing, well there was more than one, but the big one that stuck out at me about this segment. The parents, both Shane's dad and Sally's mom both did very good jobs acting in the segment. I say that because to me, you could tell it was more than heartfelt, might sound corny but they were in essence putting their grief on display for all of us. It was very sad and very touching to see that.

This has always been a case that stood out to me and that I have wanted to see solved. I do agree with Marshall Stewart that the person or persons that did this probably are still in the San Angelo area and certainly were from there originally or had lived in the area for a substantial period of time. They were very familiar with the area.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by kadrmas15

The one thing, well there was more than one, but the big one that stuck out at me about this segment. The parents, both Shane's dad and Sally's mom both did very good jobs acting in the segment. I say that because to me, you could tell it was more than heartfelt, might sound corny but they were in essence putting their grief on display for all of us. It was very sad and very touching to see that.

This has always been a case that stood out to me and that I have wanted to see solved. I do agree with Marshall Stewart that the person or persons that did this probably are still in the San Angelo area and certainly were from there originally or had lived in the area for a substantial period of time. They were very familiar with the area.

I too think the murder victims' parents did well in the segment. But whenever I heard Marshall Stewart speak, I kept thinking of Emilio Estevez because he sounded like him.

Anyway, as for Pat Wade, although I have no doubt that she loved her daughter Sally, there was an acknowledgement of some issues between them. As you'll recall from the segment, a friend of Sally's claimed that Sally always called her own mother "Pat", instead of "Mom" or "Mother", adding that Sally was resentful about her father's absence and blamed it on Pat.

Those remarks have always stood out in my mind and, needless to say, the fact that her father wasn't around was very difficult for Sally. Evidently, being devoid of her father was something she never recovered from.

[kadrmas15]

You know Kane, comparing Marshall Stewart's voice to Emilo Estevez's voice is one I had never thought of before. However Estevez does have a similar sounding voice. But another thing that struck me was not only Marshall Stewart and Pat Wade's acting which they did a very good job of taking their real anguish and putting out in front of us, which, I will say, it was like they were presenting their lives on TV, it was just the real deal and I remember watching that segment and being literally speechless. Again that might sound corny but it is just, it was/is obvious they were very genuine in their performances.

But yes the other big one was, yes, there were issues that were obvious between Pat Wade and Sally. It is sad and tragic to say the least they were not able to rectify the issues before Sally was murdered. Yes from the sounds of it, Sally and her dad were close before her parents divorced and she (Sally) blamed her mom for the fact that her dad was no longer around in her life.

[crystaldawn]

Marshall Stewart was one of those people on UM I immediately liked. He had a pleasant, very down to earth quality and it was obvious he truly loved his son. Its too bad no one has ever been arrested for the crime because I have a feeling its one of those stories (like Jennifer Pratt) where several people know who's responsible but don't want to come forward.

[youngUMfan]

Can someone tell me about this case? I don't believe I have ever seen it. Is it available on a certain website?

[soilentgreen]

This was on Topix. Post # 14 talks alleges that Sally McNelly's driver's license was found in the possession of two guys that were acquainted with her (possibly the evidence that Marshall Stewart mentions in the article?) Pretty awful to have individuals linked to the victims without any legal way to prove it.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/san-...1LN5QAVPVNUP32

I never put stock in the cult angle that was emphasized on the segment. This seemed like a killing over drugs/criminal activities. Stewart and McNelly had also notified the police of a gun that may have been used in a crime.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by kadrmas15

But yes the other big one was, yes, there were issues that were obvious between Pat Wade and Sally. It is sad and tragic to say the least they were not able to rectify the issues before Sally was murdered. Yes from the sounds of it, Sally and her dad were close before her parents divorced and she (Sally) blamed her mom for the fact that her dad was no longer around in her life.

I agree. Losing a child is horrible, but the fact that Sally died while her personal issues with Pat were unresolved must have added to Pat's anguish. It seemed to me that if Pat did in fact do something to bring about the split, it certainly caused Sally enough grief to harbor ill feelings toward her.

Of course, I am not trying to find fault with Pat or anyone else (after all, I wasn't there so I don't have all the details on how it happened and what happened). However, when parents split up, it is common for their kids to accuse one or both of them of making it happen.

[Zlatko]

Originally Posted by soilentgreen

This was on Topix. Post # 14 talks alleges that Sally McNelly's driver's license was found in the possession of two guys that were acquainted with her (possibly the evidence that Marshall Stewart mentions in the article?) Pretty awful to have individuals linked to the victims without any legal way to prove it.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/san-...1LN5QAVPVNUP32

I never put stock in the cult angle that was emphasized on the segment. This seemed like a killing over drugs/criminal activities. Stewart and McNelly had also notified the police of a gun that may have been used in a crime.

Yes, the whole satanic cult aspect was overblown in this case. It's very possible that Shane and Sally were involved in some sort of criminal activity though. It'd be interesting to see if there are any other details about the group Sally and Shane were involved with.

This seems to be one of those cases in which the suspects are well known in the town, yet no one wants to talk for fear of reprisal.

[JannTosh]

Originally Posted by Zlatko

Yes, the whole satanic cult aspect was overblown in this case. It's very possible that Shane and Sally were involved in some sort of criminal activity though. It'd be interesting to see if there are any other details about the group Sally and Shane were involved with.

This seems to be one of those cases in which the suspects are well known in the town, yet no one wants to talk for fear of reprisal.

actually didn't Sally's friend attend a meeting with her? Looks like the satanic cult actually existed in this case

[hostedbyrobertstack]

The thing I am wondering after reading the articles, is that Sally was 18 and Shane was 16...but they lived together in an apartment. Not that that's terribly uncommon, but I am also interested to know why they both "left" the area of San Angelo separately for several months (where did they go, especially at the age of 16?) and then they came back the 4th of July weekend and spent that weekend together. That is the part that has me confused a bit and I'd love to find out more about.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by JannTosh

actually didn't Sally's friend attend a meeting with her? Looks like the satanic cult actually existed in this case

Yes, her friend Helen accompanied her to one meeting, was creeped out and left immediately.

The cult members are literally the only suspects in this case. When Shane and Sally turned the gun in to the police officer, Sally mentioned that the member who owned that gun had many more (although, this being Texas, that may not seem out of the ordinary.) She also told the police officer that she feared what the group was going to do to her when she and Shane wanted out because of the criminal activities the group was doing.

Fast forward to a week prior to her death when Sally calls Helen on the phone and says, "I think these people are going to kill me."

Also, the man who was on his boat and who was the last to see Shane and Sally alive heard Sally yelling at the people who confronted them, something to the extent of, 'we're not going back with you, we're not a part of that anymore.'

Lifetime cut out a ton of footage from this segment, which included Shane's father confronting one of the cult members who had bruises on his face just days after Shane and Sally disappeared. And a short interview with an investigator who said the cult members remain suspects but they don't have enough info to present to a Grand Jury.

[soilentgreen]

This 2014 article mentions a suspect:

“In the last week we have had two major developments; we have tracked down a person of interest to a foreign country, with the assistance of the [United States] Department of State, and we’ve also exhumed the body--the remains of Shane Stewart--for DNA purposes. Those samples have been taken to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) lab in Lubbock, and we are awaiting results.

Originally Posted by hostedbyrobertstack

The thing I am wondering after reading the articles, is that Sally was 18 and Shane was 16...but they lived together in an apartment. Not that that's terribly uncommon, but I am also interested to know why they both "left" the area of San Angelo separately for several months (where did they go, especially at the age of 16?) and then they came back the 4th of July weekend and spent that weekend together. That is the part that has me confused a bit and I'd love to find out more about.

I've had the same questions. The article I posted below mentions that Sally was planning on entering the Navy later that year.

Originally Posted by JannTosh

actually didn't Sally's friend attend a meeting with her? Looks like the satanic cult actually existed in this case

As DynoGuy said, Sally and her friend attended a party where people were allegedly engaging in occult activities (if, judging by the UM segment, you think playing ouija is an occult or satanic activity). The claims of a cult seem more like rumors and conjecture at this point. A 2013 article states that investigators don't believe that the rumors at the time of cult activity or animal mutilation were the reason for the murders. A group of dabblers who were involved in criminal activities, who then murdered Shane and Sally in part for something that they witnessed or knew about? Very possible.

[Latka Gravas]

Re: the unsolved death of these two TX teens, it sounds like they do have at least one suspect regarding this - but no proof.

As others have said, I do think the "cult" angle was extremely overblown here. Those of us who were around in the '80's & early '90's probably remember how there seemed to be a lot of these "cults" around. But, in this case especially - I suspect there wasn't a whole lot of validity to these claims.

Originally Posted by hostedbyrobertstack

....Not that that's terribly uncommon, but I am also interested to know why they both "left" the area of San Angelo separately for several months (where did they go, especially at the age of 16?) and then they came back the 4th of July weekend and spent that weekend together. That is the part that has me confused a bit and I'd love to find out more about.

I was wondering about this as well. The segment mentioned that both kids moved away (separately) from the SA area for four months, but then both came back home around the July 4th timeframe. And, not having seen each other for 4 months at that point - they hooked up, and then disappeared that day (or the next). My impression from watching the segment was that they left the SA area because they wanted to distance themselves from the criminal activity that they were getting inadvertently pulled into. But, that's just speculation on my part, since reason that they left was never mentioned. And, to follow-up on the above - where do two teens go for four months, especially when this happened during the school year & they were both presumably still in high school?! Did they get jobs in another part of TX, or another state?! Did they move in with relatives?!

Ultimately, it sounds like their coming back to the SA area that July 4th holiday led to their demise. Very sad.

[marlins3]

Originally Posted by Latka Gravas

Re: the unsolved death of these two TX teens, it sounds like they do have at least one suspect regarding this - but no proof.

As others have said, I do think the "cult" angle was extremely overblown here. Those of us who were around in the '80's & early '90's probably remember how there seemed to be a lot of these "cults" around. But, in this case especially - I suspect there wasn't a whole lot of validity to these claims.



I was wondering about this as well. The segment mentioned that both kids moved away (separately) from the SA area for four months, but then both came back home around the July 4th timeframe. And, not having seen each other for 4 months at that point - they hooked up, and then disappeared that day (or the next). My impression from watching the segment was that they left the SA area because they wanted to distance themselves from the criminal activity that they were getting inadvertently pulled into. But, that's just speculation on my part, since reason that they left was never mentioned. And, to follow-up on the above - where do two teen go for four months, especially when this happened during the school year & they were both presumably still in high school?! Did they get jobs in another part of TX, or another state?! Did they move in with relatives?!

Ultimately, it sounds like their coming back to the SA area that July 4th holiday led to their demise. Very sad.

I forgot they were 16 when they left SA.