YouTuber who faked livestream while murdering pregnant girlfriend jailed for life

YouTuber who faked livestream while murdering pregnant girlfriend jailed for life Stephen McCullagh, 36, has been jailed for 31 years after being found guilty of murdering Natalie McNally while pretending to play online videogames. A YouTuber who faked a livestream of himself gaming at home to cover for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend has been jailed for 31 years. Stephen McCullagh, 36, was found guilty of murdering 32-year-old Natalie McNally at her home on Silverwood Green in Lurgan, County Antrim, on December 18, 2022. She was 15 weeks pregnant with his baby at the time of death. McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, initially denied the charge but was convicted by a jury during the fifth week of his trial . The jury, made up of six men and six women, reached their verdict after two hours of deliberation. During the trial, the court heard how McCullagh created a fake livestream of himself playing Grand Theft Auto Online at the time of the murder as a 'perfect alibi' for the killing. The stream, which had been advertised as a surprise event on his social media channels, started at 6pm on December 18, opened with McCullagh wearing a Santa hat, welcoming viewers and discussing the challenges of broadcasting live, saying he did not know how long it would last. To cover his tracks, McCullagh claimed that due to ‘technical difficulties’ he would not be able to respond to messages in the live chat and would be unable to use his phone. McCullagh also joked about drinking and driving in the game while pouring himself a Guiness, adding: "In the game by the way, I’m not leaving the house tonight." The staged livestream was an “integral” part of his plan of murder McNally, a judge told McCullagh during his sentencing at Belfast Crown Court, adding that 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”. McCullagh mounted a “concerted effort” to pass the blame for murdering Natalie McNally to her ex-boyfriend, a judge has said. Trial judge Mr Justice Kinney, who is delivering sentencing remarks at Belfast Crown Court, also highlighted that McCullagh spent time with Ms McNally’s family in the aftermath of her death. The judge said McCullagh presented to the family as “devastated, distraught and shocked”. “When he first arrived at the house on Christmas Day, during Natalie’s wake, the family brought him in and comforted him,” said the judge. “They allowed him to spend extensive time alone with Natalie, ostensibly to grieve for her.” The judge said when considering the tariff he assessed McCullagh’s culpability as “extremely high”, describing the murder as a “brutal and frenzied attack”. Setting the tariff, the judge said it was “difficult to find words” to describe the “abhorrence” of his murder of Natalie McNally. “The defendant did not just kill Natalie McNally, her unborn child also died as a result of the murderous assault,” he said. “The defendant was fully aware that Natalie was pregnant. He intended to kill her and he knew that her baby, at such an early stage of the pregnancy, would have no chance of surviving the attack.” Stephen McCullagh gave no reaction as he was told he must serve 31 years before he can be considered eligible for release by the Parole Board for the murder of his pregnant partner Natalie McNally. There was silence in the public gallery filled with Ms McNally’s family and friends as they watched McCullagh being led from the dock following the hearing at Belfast Crown Court. As the door closed behind McCullagh, many in the public gallery turned and hugged each other.