The father of a murdered woman remains haunted by the fact that he unknowingly allowed her killer to stay beside her body at her wake after being taken in by the 'good actor'.
In the week before Christmas 2022, Natalie McNally, an expectant mother 15 weeks into her pregnancy, was murdered by her boyfriend at home. Stephen McCullagh played the part of the devastated partner, telling a 999 operator through tears that 'someone had knocked 10 bells out of her'. But his lies soon crumbled.
As prosecuting barrister Charles MacCreanor KC would later tell the court, the expectant father in truth had committed a murder that was 'planned, calculated and premeditated, one which he (McCullagh) hoped to get away with'.
McCullagh, a YouTuber with 40,000 followers, set up a fake livestream, using six hours' worth of pre-recorded footage of himself playing videos. But as the stream, chillingly entitled 'Violent Night', played on the evening of Sunday, December 18, McCullagh, 36, made his way to Natalie's home, where he killed the 32-year-old in cold blood.
McCullagh, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted of Natalie's murder in March and has today been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 31 years. Judge Mr Justice Kinney called it a 'brutal and senseless murder'. 'You planned this murder in remorseless detail. You attacked someone you profess to love in a frenzied assault, which was characterised by its excessive and gratuitous violence. Despite that frenzy, the killing was cold-blooded and calculated'.
McCullagh showed no reaction as he was handed his sentence, wearing a grey top and trousers, and there was silence in the public gallery, where Natalie's devastated family watched the hearing.
In the days after her death, Natalie's loved ones were taken in by evil McCullagh, offering him support and sympathy and welcoming him into their homes. On Christmas Day 2022, the eve of the funeral, Natalie's grieving parents kindly allowed McCullagh to spend time alone with their daughter's body, at a wake held at the family home in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland. While McCullagh had been arrested on the evening Natalie died, by Christmas Eve, he'd been informed that he was no longer a suspect.
During the second week of the trial at Belfast Crown Court, Natalie's mother, Bernadette McNally, told of how she'd felt 'devastated' for McCullagh, who'd told her he didn't dare attend the funeral the following day as 'he didn't want to be recognised,' The Irish Times reports.
Having previously asked permission to enter their home in the town of Lurgan, McCullagh arrived wearing a suit he'd previously worn to Natalie's birthday celebrations. The jurors heard how he spent approximately 15 to 20 minutes alone with Natalie's coffin in the wake room, with others clearing out to give him time to have what they viewed then as a poignant final goodbye.
The kindhearted family, who had no idea that they'd welcomed a killer into their home, even comforted McCullagh, feeling sorry for the cloud of suspicion that hung over him. Natalie's father, Noel McNally, recalled: 'The defendant was upset and a lot of people were giving him hugs and consoling him whenever he came into the room.' He added: 'As far as we were concerned, he had nothing to do with her death and was a grieving partner and a grieving father-to-be. We always treated him with the greatest respect.'
Self-pitying McCullagh even showed the bereaved parents a generated photograph of the unborn child Natalie had been so looking forward to welcoming, yet another cruel reminder of the future he'd stolen.
The truth eventually came out, however, and the McNallys came to understand that the man they'd consoled, who'd accompanied them to Natalie's graveside, had taken the life of a much treasured daughter and sister.
In the online world, self-absorbed McCullagh sought yet more sympathy from followers. Sharing a mournful black and white photograph on Instagram, as Natalie's family marked New Year's Eve without her, he wrote: '2022 was the worst year of my life. You will never know the levels of suffering, loss, and cruelty I was subjected to, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. This year has torn my soul apart, and I don't know if it can ever be fixed. It feels permanent. I'm not ok, and I don't think I ever will fully be myself again. Nothing can help me, I've just lost too much. But I'm still here.'
Natalie's father Noel McNally said his family has been through 'unimaginable pain and grief over the loss of our beautiful daughter Natalie' over the last three-and-a-half years. Speaking outside court today, he said: 'We would like to thank everyone who has helped us to get here today, all our family and friends, the whole community of Lurgan and Craigavon, and throughout this country and beyond for all the kindness and the support that we have received. We would also like to thank the PSNI and the prosecution service for getting us to this conclusion today. Today we do not celebrate the sentence handed down as Bernadette, my three boys and myself are serving a life sentence since the murder of our beloved Natalie, but hopefully it will serve to deter and to help stop violence against women and girls in this country. With respect, we are now asking for some privacy to continue to grieve.'
This follows reports that arrogant McCullagh has been placed in the hospital wing at Maghaberry Prison for his own safety, with fellow lags putting the killer at the top of their 'hit list'. This comes as no surprise to legal expert and barrister Cynthia McFarlane, who told the Mirror: 'He has murdered not only a woman with whom he was in the course of a domestic relationship, but this was his girlfriend who was carrying his child. A pregnant woman is deemed to be an extremely vulnerable individual. They may also be those who consider that he has not only taken the life of his partner but also that of his future child. For all of those reasons, he would be at risk of harm from other prisoners.'
And while Ms McFarlane notes that McCullagh may 'welcome this protection for his own safety', she believes there are some who won't be pleased about this 'softer option' - including Natalie's family, who he so maliciously deceived. She remarked, 'I could only imagine they would expect a sentence to mean time to be served in a prison setting.'
Mr Justice Kinney said during the sentencing, 'Domestic violence is a grave reoccurring phenomenon of our society.' He added that McCullagh 'pretended to be distraught' and that 'this was not a spontaneous murder but a planned out one'.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk.
