A YouTuber who used a prerecorded livestream in an attempt to create a false livestream has been sentenced to 31yrs imprisonment for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
The attack occurred in December 2022 at McNally’s home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Prosecutors said McCullagh carried out a brutal assault that resulted in her death.
During sentencing on June 3, McCullagh reportedly showed no emotion as the court handed down its judgment.
“You planned this murder in remorseless detail,” the judge said. “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.”
The court heard that while the attack was taking place, a prerecorded video of McCullagh playing Grand Theft Auto was being broadcast on his YouTube channel to make it appear as though he was spending the evening at home, approximately 17 miles away.
Recorded several days earlier, the video showed him wearing a Santa hat, eating snacks, drinking Guinness, and interacting as though the broadcast were live.
“I am not leaving the house tonight,” he said in the recording.
Prosecutors described the deception as an elaborate attempt to mislead investigators.
Assistant Director of the Public Prosecution Service, Catherine Kierans, said: “I’ve never seen a case like this in terms of domestic murder with such a level of premeditation, planning, thinking of every possible aspect, the wearing of a disguise, the forensic awareness, the framing of the ex-partner.”
She described the fake livestream as an “elaborate charade.”
Following the discovery of McNally’s body, police initially arrested McCullagh but later released him after learning of the apparent livestream. He reportedly suggested that a former boyfriend may have been responsible for the crime.
The court heard that McCullagh attended McNally’s wake and was welcomed by her grieving family, who believed he was mourning her loss. He was even allowed private time beside her coffin.
However, investigators later determined that the supposed livestream had been prerecorded. McCullagh was subsequently rearrested and charged with murder.
Evidence presented during the five-week trial revealed that he allegedly wore a disguise and gloves while travelling to McNally’s home on the night of the attack.
The judge also concluded that McCullagh intended to kill both McNally and their unborn child.
In his sentencing remarks, the judge noted that McCullagh continued to present himself as a grieving partner in the days following the killing.
“When he first arrived at the house on Christmas Day, during Natalie’s wake, the family brought him in and comforted him. They allowed him to spend extensive time alone with Natalie, ostensibly to grieve for her.”
The court also heard that McCullagh later returned to the family home after leaving behind a mobile phone that had allegedly been recording conversations, apparently to determine whether family members suspected him.
Prosecutor Catherine Kierans described the act as particularly disturbing and paid tribute to McNally.
“She had everything to live for, a very intelligent woman, vibrant, full of life, full of excitement about her little baby coming,” she said.
Speaking outside court, McNally’s father, Noel McNally, thanked investigators and prosecutors for securing justice for his daughter.
He said: “Today is not a celebration of the sentence handed down, as Bernadette, my boys and myself are serving a life sentence since the murder of our beloved Natalie, but hopefully it will serve as a deterrent to help stop violence against women and girls in this country.”