Man 'Put on an Act' to Conceal Murder of Pregnant Girlfriend, Court Hears
A man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend Natalie McNally deliberately "put on an act" to cover his tracks, including making a tearful 999 call and faking a video game livestream, Belfast Crown Court has been told. Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed in her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, a week before Christmas in 2022.
Prosecution Alleges Premeditated and Calculated Murder
Prosecuting barrister Charles MacCreanor KC described the killing as "planned, calculated and pre-meditated, one which he (McCullagh) hoped to get away with." He outlined how Ms McNally, aged 32, died from compression of her neck, suggestive of fingertips grasping, along with three stab wounds to her neck from a bladed weapon and five lacerations to her head from heavy blows. Any of these injuries alone could have been fatal, the court heard.
Her time of death was estimated between 8:50 pm and 9:30 pm on Sunday, December 18, 2022. McCullagh, known online as Votesaxon07, allegedly concocted a "cover story" that he had been livestreaming himself playing video games for six hours that evening. However, the prosecution contends he pre-recorded the footage and instead took a bus to Ms McNally's home to commit the murder.
CCTV Evidence and Alleged Disguise
CCTV and bus footage shown in court depicted a man wearing a beanie hat with a "mop of black hair" underneath, his face mostly covered, boarding a bus in Dunmurray and alighting in Lurgan before walking toward Ms McNally's house. The prosecution suggested the hair bore a resemblance to a wig McCullagh had previously worn in an Instagram post as part of a costume.
After the murder, McCullagh may have changed clothes and taken a taxi back to his Lisburn home, with footage showing a figure entering a taxi dropped off near his residence around 11 pm. Police examination of his devices revealed searches for bus times to Lurgan and that he unlocked his phone minutes after the taxi departed.
Distressed 999 Call and First Responder Accounts
McCullagh's 999 call on the night of Monday, December 19, was played in court, where he sounded audibly upset and sobbed while requesting emergency services. He claimed the last time he saw Ms McNally was on Sunday afternoon. Mr MacCreanor asserted, "On the prosecution case, this call is false, it's an act, it's put on by him, part of his plan to do the murder and get away with it."
Paramedic Graham Thompson, the first witness, described finding Ms McNally lying pale at the top of the stairs with "a lot of blood lost" and her hands and lips purple-blue. A "visibly upset" McCullagh was performing CPR, but Thompson had to instruct him to stop as resuscitation was hopeless. Constable Archibald recalled McCullagh as "visibly distraught and crying," repeatedly asking, "Why my Natalie, why my Natalie, and who would do such a thing?" She noted this seemed odd since the death was not yet confirmed as suspicious.
Constable Feeley, another first responder, observed a knife about three to four feet behind Ms McNally's body and a large amount of blood on the walls and into the living room. He described McCullagh as "distraught, overcome with grief, crying and nearly falling about the place."
Defence and Ongoing Trial
During police interviews, McCullagh responded to allegations by saying, "It seems that the suspect did take a taxi to my house, I have no idea who this person was, but I think that is it obvious that the true killer of Natalie has left a clear circumstantial trail to link me to the murder." He suggested the perpetrator could have jumped the fence after entering his property.
The trial, before Judge Mr Justice Patrick Kinney, involves a jury of six men and six women and is expected to last around five weeks. Family and friends of Ms McNally watched from the public gallery as proceedings began on Monday morning. The case will continue on Tuesday.
