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Stephen McCullagh Gets Life for Murder of Natalie McNally

Police cyber forensics exposed a staged YouTube “live” video that he used as an alibi.

Overview

  • A Belfast jury unanimously convicted McCullagh on Monday after just over two hours of deliberation, and the judge imposed a mandatory life sentence.
  • The case hinged on PSNI digital analysis that proved his six-hour gaming “live stream” was pre-recorded days earlier, dismantling the alibi he claimed for the December 18, 2022 killing.
  • CCTV and transport records tracked him from Lisburn to Lurgan and back by taxi, placing him at Ms McNally’s home during the attack when she was 15 weeks pregnant.
  • Following Monday’s verdict, YouTube removed his channels on Tuesday for violating its creator responsibility rules, ending any remaining monetization of his content.
  • A separate hearing in May will set his minimum prison term, as Ms McNally’s family and local lawmakers frame the case within wider efforts to confront violence against women.