Natalie McNally murder: Key events leading to jailing of her killer
Stephen McCullagh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Natalie McNally on December 18 2022 at her home in Lurgan.– August 7 2022: Stephen McCullagh sends his first WhatsApp message to Natalie McNally after they made contact on the online dating app Bumble. His first message read “Hey Nat, it’s that robot weirdo from Bumble” and they discussed meeting for their first date that week.Over the next 133 days the two were to exchange hundreds of messages. The prosecution in McCullagh’s murder trial said that he had also accessed Ms McNally’s phone and saw messages she had exchanged with other men.– October: McCullagh meets Ms McNally’s family for the first time.– November: The McNally family are told that the couple are expecting a baby. Natalie McNally’s parents Noel (second from left) Bernie McNally (third from left), brother Brendan (left), and brother Niall (fifth from left) outside Belfast Crown Court (PA)– December 14/15: McCullagh pre-records The Violent Night Christmas Live Gaming Stream. The six hour and four minute gaming session shows McCullagh playing Grand Theft Auto while drinking alcohol, swearing and at one point repeatedly shouting at a character in the game to die. During the session McCullagh makes repeated mention that it is being broadcast live on the Sunday (December 18).– December 16/17: McCullagh tells friends he will broadcast a gaming session live on Sunday evening.– December 18: Ms McNally is in McCullagh’s home in Woodland Gardens in Lisburn while he is searching timetables for a bus from Dunmurry to Lurgan and a later train from Lurgan back to Lisburn. Ms McNally later leaves McCullagh’s house to go to her parents’ home to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France before returning to her own house at Silverwood Green in Lurgan.
4pm: McCullagh posts an advert on YouTube about his “live” gaming session.
5.57pm: McCullagh messages Ms McNally saying that he is “off to stream the night away”. She replies: “Good luck, I might have a peek at your livestream later.”
6pm: The pre-recorded livestream begins. McCullagh’s telephone becomes inactive.
6.36pm: A man is captured on CCTV walking with a bag close to McCullagh’s house. The prosecution in the trial said the man was McCullagh. Stephen McCullagh has been jailed (PA)
7.36pm: Bus CCTV shows the man with his face covered travelling from Dunmurry to Lurgan. After getting off the bus in Lurgan, he is tracked on a number of cameras travelling down Market Street towards William Street, Lough Road and into Silverwood Green, where Ms McNally lives.
8.24pm: Ms McNally logs in to YouTube to watch part of McCullagh’s livestream gaming session.
8.51pm: McCullagh enters Ms McNally’s house.
9.31pm: McCullagh leaves Ms McNally’s house.
9.49pm: A man is seen on CCTV getting into a taxi near Fa Joe’s bar in Lurgan.
11.12pm: The taxi arrives at McCullagh’s house at Woodlands in Lisburn. He is seen on CCTV throwing two items over a hedge.
11.16pm: McCullagh’s phone is unlocked and becomes active.– December 19:
12.05am: The recording of the gaming broadcast is manually stopped.
12.08am: McCullagh messages Ms McNally.
5.05pm: McCullagh messages Ms McNally “Are you ok?”.
5.25pm: He messages “Getting a little worried, let me know you are safe”.
6.55pm: McCullagh orders a KFC.
9.07pm: He messages Ms McNally stating he is “very concerned now”. Natalie McNally was murdered in December 2022 (PA)
9.59pm: McCullagh arrives at Ms McNally’s house in Lurgan and makes a 10-minute 999 call. He tells emergency services “Please come as soon as you can, she’s pregnant, she’s cold”. He is asked by the call handler: “Is the patient breathing?” and responds tearfully “No, she’s gone”, adding “there’s blood everywhere”. He tells the call handler Ms McNally was 15 weeks’ pregnant.The trial heard that the victim had suffered a “horrendous beating”. Prosecutor Charles MacCreanor KC said: “Three stabs to the neck, multiple traumatic blows to her head. Injuries consistent with throttling and choking of her neck. I’m sorry to say it, left with her face in a dog bowl, like an animal”.McCullagh is questioned by police about the death. In his initial interview he tells police he was doing a livestream at the time of her death and that he believes Ms McNally’s ex-boyfriend is the “only one that would harm her”.He is asked by police “Had you anything whatsoever to do with the death of Natalie?” to which he replied: “No comment”. His solicitor tells him: “Sorry, I think you could answer that.” McCullagh tells police “No, no, no comment.”
– December 20:
7.34am: McCullagh is released by police.– December 24: The McNally family are told McCullagh is no longer a suspect for the murder.– December 25: McCullagh attends a wake for Ms McNally at her parents’ home on Christmas Day.– January 26 2023: McCullagh visits the McNally family home again. When he departs the house, he leaves his phone behind and makes a 39-minute recording of the family speaking. He returns later to retrieve the phone.
– January 28: More than 1,000 people attend a rally in Lurgan in memory of Ms McNally. McCullagh attends the event. A video montage of images of Ms McNally is played and the crowd is told it was put together by McCullagh, “Natalie’s loving partner”.
– January 31: McCullagh is arrested again by police.
– February 1: During police interview McCullagh replies “no comment” to a series of questions about Ms McNally’s murder. He is confronted for the first time with evidence that his gaming session had been pre-recorded. A detective tells him that his devices had been examined and there was no user generated activity during the hours when he claimed to be broadcasting live. He answers: “That is literally impossible because you can see it on YouTube.”Following the interview McCullagh provides a statement to police in which he says the gaming session had been pre-recorded.He added: “I think it is obvious the true killer of Natalie has left a clear circumstantial trail to link me to the murder.”
– February 2: McCullagh is charged with the murder of Ms McNally.
– February 23 2026: McCullagh goes on trial for the murder of Ms McNally at Belfast Crown Court.
– March 23: McCullagh is found guilty by the jury.
– June 3: McCullagh is told he must serve at least 31 years in jail before he can be considered for release.
