The day before Ray McQueen was formally charged with the murder of his second wife, Rosslyn, his first wife, Jeanette McQueen, reported a series of violent assaults and death threats to police. Jeanette’s allegations detailed a pattern of abuse spanning their tumultuous marriage and its aftermath.

Jeanette McQueen told authorities that Ray McQueen’s violence caused physical injuries, including a black eye and a concussion. She recounted one attack shortly before he left her for Rosslyn, during which he struck her in the eye with a fist. According to Jeanette, the abuse escalated after their separation amid a contentious property dispute, with Ray allegedly physically attacking her during visits to the home where she continued to live.

During one incident, Jeanette said Ray pushed her through the driver’s side window of his car after an exchange, causing her finger to catch on the side mirror and break it. She said he responded by kicking her nearby vehicle and then physically striking her. In a separate episodes witnessed by Rosslyn, Ray reportedly knocked Jeanette to the ground multiple times, leaving her with a concussion necessitating ambulance intervention. Jeanette said Rosslyn, who was later poisoned and died in April 1986, pleaded with Ray to stop the attacks and may have called emergency services on her behalf.

Around the time the property settlement was underway, Jeanette also reported that Ray threatened to shoot her during a phone call. She said she took the threats seriously and requested police protection, indicating there were numerous other incidents she described as “minor” but distressing enough to require law enforcement oversight.

Four decades later, a former neighbour who did not previously report the incidents to police recounted an episode in which he helped Jeanette escape her home. Alan Strahan told investigators that Jeanette appeared terrified and trapped, with the gate padlocked by Ray. Strahan said he climbed over the fence, cut the lock, and helped her flee. He described her as visibly frightened and deeply troubled.

Ray McQueen was charged with Rosslyn McQueen’s murder on July 4, 1986. Rosslyn died at their rural Victorian home from strychnine poisoning, witnessing the events alongside their two-year-old daughter; she was pregnant with a second child at the time. Despite the serious charges, the case against Ray McQueen was never brought to trial. He has consistently maintained his innocence and has not been convicted in connection with Rosslyn’s death.