A YouTuber who murdered his pregnant partner while faking a livestream alibi has been sentenced to 31 years in prison. Stephen McCullagh, 36, from Lisburn, County Antrim, showed no emotion as he was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for the killing of Natalie McNally.
The judge, Mr Justice Kinney, described the murder as 'cold-blooded and calculated'. McCullagh stabbed, strangled and bludgeoned Ms McNally, 32, at her home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022. She was 15 weeks pregnant.
While the attack took place, a prerecorded video of McCullagh playing Grand Theft Auto streamed on his YouTube channel to create the impression he was at his own home 17 miles away. The recording, made four nights earlier, showed him wearing a Santa hat and joking that he was not leaving the house.
Prosecutor Catherine Kierans called the alibi an 'elaborate charade' and said the case was unprecedented in its level of premeditation. McCullagh had worn a disguise and gloves, and later tried to frame an ex-partner. After the murder, he attended Ms McNally's wake, appearing grief-stricken, and was allowed time alone with her coffin.
The judge noted McCullagh had also placed Ms McNally's face in a dog bowl after the attack, in an effort to humiliate her. He said McCullagh intended to kill both his girlfriend and their unborn child. Outside court, Ms McNally's father Noel spoke of the family's 'unimaginable pain' and hoped the sentence would deter violence against women.
