A YouTuber has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 31 years after murdering his pregnant girlfriend and falsely claiming he was live-streaming a video game to provide an alibi.

Stephen McCullagh, 36, was found guilty by a jury at Belfast Crown Court, United Kingdom in March of killing 32-year-old Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their child.

The court heard that during the fatal attack at her home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022, Ms McNally suffered stab wounds, strangulation, and injuries to her hand.

McCullagh later fabricated an alibi, claiming he was live-streaming himself playing computer games on his YouTube channel at the time of the killing.

However, police experts later established that the six-hour “live stream” had in fact been recorded four days earlier and then broadcast as though it were happening in real time on the night of the murder.
Speaking outside court after McCullagh was convicted, Natalie McNally’s brother, Declan McNally, said, “Violence against women and girls is the shame of our society, and we must do everything possible to end it.”

Following the conviction, YouTube removed McCullagh’s channel from its platform.

Handing down sentence, Mr Justice Kinney said McCullagh had presented himself to Ms McNally’s family as “devastated, distraught and shocked,” even visiting their home on Christmas Day for her wake.

He added that McCullagh’s falsified live stream was “integral” to his plan, describing it as “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,” adding that no punishment could fully account for the loss suffered by her family.