Daughter killed parents and lived with their bodies for four years

Virginia McCullough, 36, was today jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years for the murders of John and Lois McCullough, who were both in their 70s

A woman who lived with her deceased parents' bodies for four years has been sentenced to life imprisonment for their murders. Virginia McCullough confessed to the killings of John and Lois McCullough, both in their 70s.

McCullough, 36, burdened by debt, is believed to have killed her parents out of fear they would reveal the credit card fraud she had committed in their names. The defendant, from Chelmsford, Essex, admitted to murdering the couple between June 17, 2019, and June 20, 2019.

The evil killer was informed she would serve a minimum of 36 years in prison. For over four years, McCullough exploited her parents' bank accounts, using the Covid pandemic as a cover to hide their murders from relatives and collect their pensions while their bodies decayed.

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She hid John's body in a "homemade mausoleum" constructed from B&Q bricks under his bed in the downstairs study of their ordinary three-bedroom terraced house. Lois' body was wrapped in plastic sheeting and a sleeping bag before being sealed in a wardrobe in an upstairs bedroom of the property.

Det Supt Rob Kirby of Essex Police commented: "Virginia McCullough murdered her parents in cold blood. Her actions were considered meticulous and carried out in such a way as to conceal what she had done for as long as possible. These were the actions of someone who had taken time to plan and carry out the murder of her parents in the interest of self-preservation and personal gain, before living within meters of the bodies of her two victims for a number of years."

"Throughout the course of our investigation, we have built a picture of the vast levels of deceit, betrayal and fraud she engaged in. It was on a shocking and monumental scale. McCullough lied about almost every aspect of her life, maintaining a charade to deceive everyone close to her and clearly taking advantage of her parents' goodwill. She is an intelligent manipulator who chose to kill her parents callously, without a thought for them or those who continue to suffer as a result of their loss."

"The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public. It therefore follows that the wider family of John and Lois, understandably, could never have guessed or anticipated that McCullough would be capable of undertaking these murders before committing herself to this level of deceit. They have been left utterly devastated by the circumstances of this case and they continue to feel the loss of John and Lois each and every day."

Today at Chelmsford Crown Court, during McCullough's sentencing, the prosecution revealed that she had murdered her parents four years ago in 2019 and exploited their finances, netting roughly £170,000 through credit cards and pensions. In a sinister admission to police following her capture, McCullough recounted how she poisoned her father with a "cocktail of prescription drugs" laced in his Guinness, red wine, and brandy.

She drugged Lois with a sleep medication, but when it failed to end her life, and Lois awakened to find her husband deceased, rigid with post-mortem stiffness, McCullough realised she had to eliminate her mother as well.

The attack occurred while her mother lay vulnerable in bed, listening to tunes, as detailed in court. McCullough described the scene to the officers: "I did go upstairs, I didn't really have a plan as such. I had a rough idea of what I might do. So I had Wilkos garden gloves, I had a kitchen knife and I had a hammer. I went into my mother's only wearing the gloves."

"I had the hammer and the knife was still in my room. I knew I was going to be arrested for the murder of my father and I was going to go to prison. I looked at her and she looked so innocent. She was just listening to the radio, she was not doing anything. I went in with the hammer probably about four times. I went in three times maybe to build up the gumption, I knew I had to get it done. I raised the hammer a couple of times, I didn't do anything. I raised it a final time and I struck a blow.."

"She didn't pass... She turned over and said, 'What are you doing? ' That's when I hesitated for 20 seconds because she was staring at me in disbelief... I realised the hammer was not going to work. I didn't want her to suffer, I wanted her to be like my father, but my mother didn't drink...""I left the room, I took off one of the garden gloves... I got the knife, which was from Lakeland, it was a large kitchen knife. I didn't have much time, she was still awake, she didn't say anything, other than, 'What are you doing?'"

Following the stabbing, McCullough recounted: "I took her hand... she stopped moving and then that's when she just passed. I kissed her hand. That's when I came to the realisation I had killed them both. Then I just went for a wander around the house for a little bit."

In the aftermath of the murders, McCullough - who has been diagnosed with paranoia and autism - ventured into Chelmsford town centre, using her father's credit card to purchase plastic gloves and sleeping bags. She also paid a visit to the GP on the afternoon of June 18, having phoned them beforehand, speaking quietly and tearfully, saying "Sorry, I love you daddy."

Two days after the killing, she placed an order with B&Q for 40 building blocks, cement, and sharp sand, and a month later, she ordered additional items, including a step ladder, paper roll, and gorilla tape.

Ms Wilding disclosed that John, Lois, and Virginia were in debt at the time of their deaths. She stated: "It's clear the defendant was actively engaged in fraud and deception well before the killings. Following the killings her attention switched to deceiving the outside world. She, amongst other things, continued to receive John's teacher's pension and spend it. Transcripts from calls even show her masquerading as her father. She used their credit cards and opened further accounts in their names. At the time of their deaths the family were all in debt."

Financial sleuths found she had plundered their credit cards and kept claiming their pensions, frittering away over £20,000 on online betting sites.

She wove a complex tapestry of falsehoods to pilfer their funds, pleading for loans while feigning employment but alleging non-payment due to her firm being hit by Chinese cyber-attacks. She even concocted bogus emails from the Financial Conduct Authority to her parents, suggesting they were due over £160,000 in PPI compensation.

Yet, when her financial "blackhole" grew too vast, she devised a plan to murder them. Chelmsford Crown Court was told how for months she stockpiled her own prescription drugs and acquired a kitchen knife from Lakeland and gardening gloves from Wilkos, despite her claims of holding various jobs, all the while she was covertly jobless.

When she was taken into custody, she falsely alleged her parents were abusive, claiming they "were not the easiest to live with, not always kind and they were smacked as children". However, these accusations were refuted by McCullough's siblings, who condemned them as "lies and a disgusting misrepresentation of our family".

In her defence, Christine Agnew KC told the court that McCullough's quick admission of guilt was a move to "prevent distress to John and Lois's family". Agnew detailed that McCullough was the primary caregiver for her elderly parents, both of whom suffered from physical and mental health issues, noting "life was not straightforward".

Nonetheless, Agnew conveyed that "[McCullough] does not want to inflict any further pain upon her siblings and recognises that she has hurt and damaged them to the extent that they will never recover."

The Honourable Mr Justice Johnson pointed out during sentencing that McCullough did not kill in a situation of "last resort", but sparked by the imminent exposure of her financial wrongdoings. He declared: "You say you felt trapped and you wanted to be free from them. The reality is that you were trapped by your own dishonesty. You must have known that your lies and dishonesty were about to be discovered."

Following the sentencing, a statement from John and Lois's family read: "Our family has been left devastated and heartbroken at the deaths of our parents who were taken from us so cruelly. As we try to move forward with our lives, we will remember the happy times we enjoyed with them. Our mum and dad are forever in our hearts, and are loved and missed beyond any measure."