Virginia McCullough said ‘I know I don’t seem 100% evil’ while bodies were upstairs

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A highly intelligent individual took the lives of her parents in a brutal manner, concealed their remains in improvised graves, and lived with their corpses for four years.

Virginia McCullough, 36, administered prescription drugs to her 70-year-old father, John McCullough, leading to his poisoning, and shortly thereafter, she fatally stabbed her 71-year-old mother, Lois McCullough.

She subsequently deceived them regarding where they were and used up their funds.

On Friday, Judge Mr. Justice Johnson sentenced McCullough, from Chelmsford, Essex, to life in prison, requiring a minimum of 36 years behind bars at Chelmsford Crown Court. This decision follows her earlier admission of guilt for the murders that occurred between June 17 and June 20, 2019, during a previous court appearance in the same location.

Richard Butcher, the brother of Lois McCullough, expressed in a victim impact statement that his niece, who is the defendant, poses a significant threat and that the situation has shaken his belief in the goodness of people.

McCullough secretly drugged her father, a university lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, by crushing his prescription pills and mixing them into his alcoholic beverages. The following day, she attacked her mother with a hammer and ultimately killed her with a stab wound.

During the sentencing hearing, it was revealed that she concealed their bodies in improvised graves at her family's residence in Pump Hill and then fabricated numerous stories to disguise her actions.

She accumulated significant credit card debt using her parents' names, and even after they passed away, she kept using their retirement funds.

The court was informed that she called off family plans and often informed doctors and relatives that her parents were either unwell, on vacation, or away for extended periods.

In September 2023, a doctor from their local clinic expressed worries about the well-being of Mr. and Mrs. McCullough, leading Essex County Council's safeguarding team to pass these concerns on to the police.

The doctor hadn't met with the couple in a while and mentioned that Mr. McCullough hadn't picked up his prescriptions or gone to his planned appointments.

It was discovered that McCullough often canceled meetings, giving various reasons to account for her father's absence.

Authorities reported that an inquiry into a missing person was started at first, and McCullough provided false information to the police, stating that her parents were away on a trip and wouldn't be back until October.

The case turned into a homicide investigation, and on September 15, 2023, officers broke into the house. McCullough admitted that her parents' bodies were inside and that she was the one who had killed them.

In video captured by police body cameras, a restrained McCullough mentioned to the officers, “I was aware that something like this would probably happen eventually.”

"I deserve to face the consequences of my actions."

She confessed that she had added something to her father's drink, then placed his body beneath a bed on the first floor. As for her mother's body, she stored it in a wardrobe upstairs.

After being taken into custody on suspicion of committing double murder, McCullough remarked to an officer, “Hey, look on the bright side—you’ve caught the real criminal.”

She remarked, "I realize I might not come across as completely malevolent."

At the police station, she informed the officers about the location of a kitchen knife, referring to it as a "weapon of murder," along with a hammer that she claimed "would still have blood on it."

Essex Police stated that the documents discovered at the location painted a picture of a woman who was desperately trying to hide the extent of her financial troubles from her parents. She provided them with misleading reassurances about her job and her future opportunities.

In delivering the sentence, the judge informed the defendant that she was nearly £60,000 in debt prior to the murders. He described how she had weaved an intricate and long-lasting web of lies over the course of several months and years.

Mr. Justice Johnson characterized her behavior as a severe breach of the bond that ought to exist between parents and their children.

He mentioned, “I believe a significant reason behind all the murders was to prevent your parents from finding out that you had been deceiving them and stealing from them, as well as to take money that was meant for them.”

McCullough, sporting shoulder-length dyed blonde hair and dressed in a purple top, acknowledged the judge with a nod before being escorted from the secure area to the holding cells.

Christine Agnew KC, speaking on behalf of McCullough, informed the court that the defendant stated, “I feel happier in prison than I did when I was free.”

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby from Essex Police stated, “Virginia McCullough took the lives of her parents without any remorse.”

She acted thoughtfully and carefully, ensuring that her actions were executed in a way that would keep her deeds hidden for as long as she could.

These actions indicate that she meticulously plotted and executed the murder of her parents for her own protection and benefit. Remarkably, she lived just a short distance away from the remains of her two victims for several years afterwards.

During our investigation, we've uncovered the extensive deception, betrayal, and dishonesty she was involved in.

It was of an unprecedented and astonishing magnitude.

McCullough fabricated nearly every detail of her life, creating a facade to mislead those around her and clearly exploiting her parents' kindness.

"She is a clever manipulator who heartlessly decided to end her parents' lives, showing no regard for them or for the pain experienced by those who are still affected by their absence."

Nicola Rice, a prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: “McCullough brutally and mercilessly murdered both of her parents and then hid their bodies in improvised graves inside their house.”

Over the following four years, she deceived and misled her family, healthcare workers, banks, and the authorities. She used her parents' funds irresponsibly and built up substantial debts in their names.

She remarked, "This was an incredibly troubling situation that has caused significant anguish, and I can only wish that the sentence handed down today will assist those who loved and supported Lois and John in their healing process."