NBC Dateline: Who is Robert Neulander and where is he now?

Dateline's true crime episode this Friday titled Return to Shalimar House is based on the murder of Leslie Neulander. (Image via Twitter/@syracusedotcom)
Dateline's true crime episode this Friday titled Return to Shalimar House is based on the murder of Leslie Neulander. (Image via Twitter/@syracusedotcom)

What seemed like a beautiful marriage between Leslie Neulander and Robert Neulander completely changed its course on September 17, 2012. Leslie was found profusely bleeding on the bathroom floor, which eventually led to her demise.

Her death was initially considered an accident after she slipped and banged her head on the blunt shower bench. However, in the wake of fresh suspicion and new evidence, the cause of death was amended to homicide by assault. The perpetrator was none other than the person she shared her life with and the one who discovered her bleeding on the bathroom floor, her husband Dr. Robert Neulander.

NBC Dateline's true-crime episode this Friday, May 20, titled The House on Shalimar Way, will showcase the story of this horrible homicide for a second time, with many additional details.

Let's get into the details of what happened to the murderous gynecologist and where he is now.


Who was Robert Neulander and where does he presently reside?

Dr. Robert Neulander was one of the most well-known gynecologists in the Syracuse area of New York in the early 2010s, where he lived with his wife, Leslie Neulander. They had two children, Ari and Jenna. The couple's family also consisted of Emily and Brian, who were Robert's children from his first marriage.

The Neulanders were well-known in their community for their generosity. So, it did not come as a surprise when the family received a lot of media attention after Leslie's death.

Dr. Robert Neulander reportedly said that he went for a jog at Green Lakes State Park nearby that morning and brought his wife her morning coffee when he returned. He simply placed the cup on her nightstand and left when he heard the shower start.

When he discovered that Leslie hadn't come out of the shower even after an hour, he went to check on her, only to find her lying on the shower floor. He said that he started CPR and then tried to contact 911, but the bathroom phone was out of service. So Mr. Neulander raced to their daughter Jenna's room and called for her to do the same. When Jenna heard her father's call for help on September 17, 2012, she accepted everything he claimed. However, it was too late.

As time passed and the investigation continued, the evidence led to Dr. Robert Neulander being suspected of abusing and murdering his wife. He was finally arrested and charged with Leslie Neulander's murder more than two years after she died. As it turned out, their marriage had been strained in recent years, and his once-booming practice had not been performing as well due to insurance concerns.

Dr. Robert Neulander was detained in custody until his trial in March 2015, based on the date of the occurrence and the evidence of Leslie's injuries and blood spatters in the couple's bedroom. He was found guilty of his wife's murder in 2015 after eight days of testimony and three days of discussion, and sentenced to 20 years in state prison in Onondaga County. However, he maintained his innocence and challenged his conviction, which was finally overturned in the summer of 2018. He was given a fresh trial.

In March 2022, Neulander was found guilty of murder for the second time in court. A second jury convicted him of being guilty of murdering his wife, Leslie Neulander, and attempting to cover it up by claiming she had fallen in the bathroom, as per the evidence of blood on their bedroom walls. He was sentenced to another twenty years in the state prison of Onondaga County. The 71-year-old former gynecologist currently resides therein.

Don't forget to watch The House on Shalimar Way this Friday, May 20, 2022, at 9/8c exclusively on NBC.

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