UMVA has learned that Stephen McCullagh, a YouTuber, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 31 years for the brutal murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally.
The heinous crime took place on December 18, 2022, at Natalie's home in Lurgan, where she was beaten, strangled, and stabbed to death while 15 weeks pregnant with a baby boy. McCullagh's actions were described as "brutal and senseless" by the court, and his behavior was characterized by "excessive and gratuitous violence".
During the trial, it was revealed that McCullagh had planned the murder in "remorseless detail" and had used a pre-recorded YouTube livestream as a false alibi. The prosecution described the case as "unprecedented" in its level of premeditation, with McCullagh showing a "shocking" level of calculation and planning.
The court heard that McCullagh had sent hundreds of messages to Natalie over 133 days, and had even accessed her phone to see her conversations with other men. He had also met Natalie's family and had been told that she was pregnant, yet still went ahead with the murder.
After the murder, McCullagh attempted to frame Natalie's ex-partner for the crime, and even attended a wake for Natalie at her parents' home on Christmas Day. He was eventually arrested and charged with the murder, and was found guilty by the jury in March.
The judge, Justice Kinney, described McCullagh's actions as "cold-blooded and calculated", and said that the sentence passed "cannot possibly reflect the value of Natalie's life, or indeed that of her unborn child". The prosecution had described the murder as a "horrendous" crime, with Natalie suffering a "horrendous beating" including three stab wounds to the neck and multiple traumatic blows to the head.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the case has been described as one of the most shocking examples of domestic violence and premeditated murder in recent history. The level of planning and calculation involved in the crime has been described as "off the scale" by prosecutors.
The McNally family has been left to pick up the pieces after the tragic loss of their loved one. Natalie's parents, Bernie and Noel McNally, were present in court as McCullagh was sentenced, and have spoken out about the devastating impact of his actions on their family.
