A YouTuber who murdered his pregnant girlfriend while faking a livestream alibi has been sentenced to 31 years in prison. Stephen McCullagh, 36, from Lisburn, County Antrim, was convicted of the 'cold-blooded and calculated' killing of Natalie McNally, 32, at her home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022.
Mr Justice Kinney, the trial judge at Belfast Crown Court, described the attack as 'frenzied' and 'excessive'. McCullagh stabbed, strangled and bludgeoned Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant. The judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that McCullagh intended to kill both his girlfriend and their unborn child.
To create a false alibi, McCullagh had prerecorded a video of himself playing Grand Theft Auto, which he streamed on his YouTube channel on the night of the murder. In the broadcast, he wore a Santa hat, ate snacks, drank Guinness and joked, saying 'I am not leaving the house tonight.' The recording was made four nights earlier.
After the murder, McCullagh suggested a previous boyfriend was responsible. He attended Ms McNally's wake, appearing grief-stricken, and was allowed time alone with the coffin. He later left his phone at the family home, apparently to record whether they suspected him.
Prosecutor Catherine Kierans called the case 'chilling' and praised Ms McNally as 'a very intelligent woman, vibrant, full of life'. Ms McNally's father, Noel, said the family is serving a life sentence since her murder, but hoped the sentence would deter violence against women.
