A verdict has finally been reached in regards to the murder of Natalie McNally. The 32-year-old 15-week-pregnant woman was killed at her home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, on December 18, 2022, all at the hands of her boyfriend, the 36-year-old man Stephen McCullagh, who claimed to have had an alibi as he was streaming himself playing video games during the time period when McNally was supposedly murdered.
As per Sky News, McCullagh stated he was livestreaming and therefore could not have been the person to have killed McNally, however it has now been discovered that McCullagh actually played a pre-recorded livestream during the time he was supposedly 'live', making his alibi moot.
It's said that the livestream was actually recorded four days in advance of the night of the murder, and following this being reported, YouTube removed McCullagh's account from the platform.
Judge Mr. Justice Kinney who was handling the sentencing of McCullagh also mentioned that this showed clear intent and a plan to murder McNally, describing the situation in the following wording:
"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, as evidenced by the extensive planning leading up to the murder and your actions afterwards. Your behaviour towards the McNally family showed your absolute determination to cover your tracks."
The report also notes that despite these terrible actions, McCullagh appeared at McNally's wake, being held on Christmas Day 2022 at her family's house, leaving the family "devastated, distraught and shocked".
McCullagh has since been handed a sentence of a minimum of 31 years in prison, a jail for life sentence.