Stephen McCullagh, a 36-year-old YouTuber, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 31 years for murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally, in Lurgan, United Kingdom.
The YouTuber was sentenced two months after he was convicted by a jury at Belfast Crown Court in March of killing 32-year-old McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their child.
During the attack, at her home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022, she suffered stab wounds, strangulation and blows to the hand.
McCullagh concocted an alibi that he had been live-streaming himself playing computer games on his channel when McNally was murdered.
However, police experts discovered the six-hour “live stream” had actually been filmed four days before, and broadcast as live on the night of the murder.
Delivering the ruling on Wednesday, the Judge, Justice Kinney, said McCullagh presented himself to McNally’s family as “devastated, distraught and shocked” – and arrived at their home on Christmas Day for her wake.
He added that McCullagh’s falsified live stream was “integral” to his plan, saying it had been “carefully curated to appear as if it was streaming live and to provide the defendant a carefully-planned complete alibi to the murder”.
“You planned this murder in remorseless detail,” the judge added. “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 judge also said that the sentence “cannot possibly reflect the value of Natalie’s life, or indeed that of her unborn child”.
Speaking outside the court after sentencing, Ms McNally’s father Noel said his family had endured “unimaginable pain and grief over the loss of our beautiful daughter”.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, video platform giant YouTube, has removed McCullagh’s account following his murder conviction.