Rodney Patrick McNeal

Rodney Patrick McNeal was convicted of murdering his wife even considering ample evidence that he was not home at the time of her murder.  Based on phone records and eyewitness testimony, Patrick was at his office until 12:15 p.m. on the day of the murder, arriving home just before 12:30 p.m., shortly before he called 911. The first police officers arrived at the scene at about 12:32 p.m. making it impossible for Patrick to have killed his wife and ransacked their house in that timeframe. Further, the blood spatter patterns in the living room indicated that whoever beat and killed his wife would have had her blood on their clothing. Patrick had no blood on him nor on his clothing. Finally, there were unidentified hairs and fibers found on the victim. 

 

In the post-conviction process, evidence came forward that Patrick’s brother had confessed to the murder and had committed a similar murder in Nevada. Nonetheless, Patrick’s petition to reverse his conviction was denied.  On October 28, 2022, Patrick was released on parole after 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.  For more information about Patrick’s case go to:  

https://californiainnocenceproject.org/read-their-stories/rodney-patrick-mcneal/