A senior prosecutor has stated that she has never encountered a domestic murder with such a high level of premeditation as in the killing of Natalie McNally. Catherine Kierans, assistant director in the Public Prosecution Service's serious crime unit, described the experience of watching YouTuber Stephen McCullagh's fake livestream gaming session as 'absolutely chilling.'
The Case Details
McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, was found guilty by a jury at Belfast Crown Court earlier this year after a five-week trial. He had denied the murder of his partner, Natalie McNally. The sentencing tariff hearing took place on Wednesday. Ms McNally, 32, was 15 weeks pregnant with their son when she was murdered at her home in Lurgan in December 2022.
Prosecutor's Perspective
Ms Kierans advised charging McCullagh with murder in 2023 and led the prosecution team. She described the case as 'very unusual.' She said: 'At the heart of it was the brutal murder of a very young woman who was pregnant, and that is unusual in society. I know there's a lot of talk about domestic violence, but we're not so immune that a murder doesn't still shock and horrify everybody.'
She added: 'We're dealing with a domestic murder, then you've got these really unusual features, the level of planning, the premeditation here was off the scale. An absolutely calculated murder planned at least for several days in advance, probably longer.'
The Fake Alibi
One of the most notable aspects was McCullagh's use of a six-hour YouTube video as his alibi. He claimed he was livestreaming at the time of the murder. Ms Kierans explained: 'He maintained that lie for several weeks through a lot of police interviews until finally police experts were able to discern that this was not a live video, he had pre-recorded it and played it out on that Sunday, the 18th of December. Once police had cracked that, even McCullagh had to accept then that it was not a live recording.'
Despite this, McCullagh maintained his innocence, blaming Natalie's ex-partner.
Unprecedented in Experience
Ms Kierans, a lawyer for 27 years, said she had never seen a case like this. She noted: 'The most insidious aspect, which was the ingratiating himself with the bereaved family and spying on them, recording their private conversation, really shocking aspects to this case.'
Evidence Strength
Although the case was circumstantial, Ms Kierans was confident of conviction. She highlighted the CCTV evidence: 'Through meticulous work, police had analysed thousands of hours of CCTV and were able to piece together the journey that the murderer had taken from Dunmurry all the way to Lurgan, then all the way out to Natalie's home, and then retrace that person all the way back through until they got a taxi to McCullagh's house.'
Further evidence showed McCullagh disposing of rubbish in a bin scheduled for collection the next morning and his phone activating after being inactive all afternoon.
The Chilling Video
Ms Kierans described the 'violent night' Christmas gaming stream: 'I found the six-hour video to be absolutely chilling, because we know that it was made as an alibi with this murder in the planning. And in that video there are so many references to the date, the times, the distance from Christmas, McCullagh's plans for the Monday, everything about it suggested that it had been made on the Sunday, the 18th of December, and not several days earlier.'
She added: 'In terms of the content of the video, even calling it the 'violent night' Christmas... We will never know, because McCullagh has not explained himself, but we have to assume that everything in that video is intentional and deliberate, and so these apparent references to murder, to Natalie, that they are intentional, and that's really chilling, because you think there's a level of brazenness, there's a level of enjoyment, potentially. So, it's really, really sinister.'
Remembering Natalie
Ms Kierans emphasised: 'Natalie was pregnant, she had everything to live for, a very intelligent woman, vibrant, full of life, full of excitement about her little baby coming, and we never lost sight of that. We're just so pleased that we got justice for her family.'
She commended the bravery of McNally's parents and brothers, who attended every court appearance. 'The dignified and respectful way in which they engaged with the criminal justice system, while also dealing with devastating loss and grief, is remarkable. I know this was not easy for them, but their courage and resilience are testimony to them as a family and their love for Natalie.'
