Riley standing trial for murder of Ralph McNeill

The murder-for-hire trial of Kindall Riley in the case of Demopolis native Ralph “The Critter Man” McNeill brought new testimony to light Wednesday.

Dr. Terri Brewer, a longtime client of McNeill’s, told the Montgomery jury that McNeill told her by phone the day of his death that “a crazy man” had offered him twice his asking price to remove an animal from a trailer.

McNeill’s initial fee for the removal of an animal from a trailer near Hayneville Road in Montgomery was set at $200. McNeill later told Brewer that the individual hiring him for the job was offering $400 for the service.

McNeill was found shot and stabbed to death Jan. 18, 2011 near a trailer off Hayneville Road.

Riley along with his cousin, Jeremy Riley, former Montgomery physician David Nash and Nash’s fiancée, Serena English, are all facing charges in what prosecutors are calling a murder-for-hire scheme that stemmed from a custody dispute.

All four individuals are charged with capital murder. Kindall Riley is the only one of the four thus far to see his case go to trial.

Prosecutors showed jurors Wednesday a document revealing that McNeill had been granted joint custody of a son he had with English.

Brewer’s testimony also revealed a statement from McNeill in regards to the newly-increased offer he received the day of his death.

“In my line of work, you never know what your next adventure is going to be,” McNeill told Brewer.

Brewer said her phone call with McNeill began at 12:35 p.m. and lasted approximately 13 minutes. She testified that McNeill called her back at 1:57 p.m. After missing that call, she attempted to call him back at 2:40 p.m. and received no answer.

Authorities have stated that officers responded to the scene of McNeill’s killing at approximately 2:30 p.m.

As prosecutors continued to piece together the timeline of McNeill’s final day, they turned to Michael McDaniel, a former custodian at Eagle Landing Apartments where McNeill had set traps in the attics for raccoons.

McDaniel said McNeill was checking those traps between 11:30 a.m. and noon on the day of his death when he received a phone call.

McNeill reportedly told McDaniel after the call that he had to get to his next job, which McNeill said involved a client promising to pay cash.

The contention of prosecutors in the case is that the phone call referred to in McDaniel’s testimony ultimately lured McNeill to the trailer where he was killed.

Dr. Alfredo Paredes, senior medical examiner with the state Department of Forensic Sciences, also testified that McNeill had been stabbed multiple times in the neck and had also been shot. Paredes listed the stab wounds and one of the gunshot wounds as causes of death.

The trial will continue this week and is expected to last into next week.