On October 11, 2024, a woman from the United Kingdom was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 36 years for murdering her parents. Virginia McCullough, 36, had lived alongside her parents’ concealed bodies in their home in Essex, UK, for four years, spending their pensions during that time.
McCullough confessed to the crime at Chelmsford Crown Court, admitting to the murder of her parents, John McCullough, aged 70, and Lois McCullough, aged 71, in June 2019. The murder took place in their family home in Great Baddow, Essex, England.
During the trial, Prosecutor Lisa Wilding informed the court that McCullough had constructed a makeshift tomb for her father, a university teacher, out of masonry blocks. She kept the tomb in the bedroom, disguising it with blankets and photos. McCullough hid her mother’s body in a wardrobe, wrapped in a sleeping bag.
The court found that McCullough had carefully planned the murders, stockpiling prescription medications and purchasing tools to crush tablets several months before committing the crime. She poisoned her father with prescription drugs, while she poisoned her mother and inflicted fatal injuries using a hammer and knife.
In the four years that followed the murders, McCullough devised an intricate and long-lasting cover-up. She misled family members and doctors by claiming her parents were either sick or traveling, while she continued to live in the family home alongside their bodies.
McCullough profited from her crime, spending more than $186,000 from her parents’ pensions and credit cards. She spent $26,500 on online gambling, according to court documents. McCullough lived rent-free and incurred substantial credit card debts in her parents’ names, forging letters to make it appear as if they had lost money through scams.
The authorities discovered the crimes in September 2023 when the couple’s doctor expressed concern over missed appointments, prompting a police investigation. Upon her arrest, McCullough confessed to the murders and said she had started planning them in March 2019.
Mr. Justice Johnson, the presiding judge, remarked that McCullough’s actions represented a severe breach of the trust that should exist between parents and children.
He pointed out that the crimes demonstrated a high degree of premeditation and planning. McCullough had gathered a large quantity of prescription drugs, bought a knife in May 2019, and acquired tools to crush and separate tablets.
Justice Johnson characterized the crimes as deliberate acts of aggression that had been planned and prepared for over several months.
While sentencing McCullough, he expressed certainty that a significant motive for both murders was to prevent her parents from discovering her theft and deceit and to gain access to their money.