Fake Alibi Unravels
YouTuber Stephen McCullagh jailed 31 years for murdering pregnant partner with fake alibi
Stephen McCullagh has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years for murdering his former partner, Natalie McNally, while she was 15 weeks pregnant. The 32-year-old was killed at her home in Lurgan in December 2022, suffering dozens of injuries including stab wounds, strangulation, and blunt force trauma. McCullagh denied the murder and claimed he had been live-streaming himself playing computer games on YouTube as an alibi, but investigators found the video had been pre-recorded days earlier and broadcast as live on the night of the killing. At sentencing, the court heard McCullagh made self-contradictory accounts to probation and described the killing in terms such as “evil” and “vicious,” while also apologizing to McNally’s family. YouTube removed his account after his conviction. McCullagh will have to serve the minimum 31-year period before he can be considered for parole.
Key Points
McCullagh’s fake alibi involved a pre-recorded gaming session—reported as playing “Grand Theft Auto”—which prosecutors said he used to create the appearance of a live stream during the murder.
The court heard Natalie McNally suffered 48 separate injuries, including stab wounds to her neck and “compression injuries” as well as blunt force trauma to her head (details beyond the summary’s broad categories).
During sentencing, a probation officer reported McCullagh referred to himself as “a monster,” alongside describing the killing as “evil” and “vicious.”
After the conviction, Natalie McNally’s brother Declan McNally said: “Violence against women and girls is the shame of our society, and we must do everything possible to end it.”
Investigators determined the livestream used as an alibi was recorded four days before the killing and then broadcast as live for a six-hour stretch on 18 December 2022.
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