Stephen McCullagh faces a murder charge over the death of Natalie McNally at her Silverwood Green home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022. The 36-year-old from Lisburn denies killing the 32-year-old, who was 15 weeks pregnant with his child. The trial at Belfast Crown Court is in its second week before a jury of six men and six women.

McCullagh discovered McNally's body at her home on 19 December 2022. He contacted emergency services at about 9.50pm after receiving no response at the door, which was unlocked. He performed CPR until police and ambulance crews arrived around 10.05pm. Police arrested him at 11.45pm that night on suspicion of murder.

In a police interview at Musgrave station on 20 December 2022 from 4.05pm to 4.45pm, McCullagh confirmed his relationship with McNally but gave no comment to most questions on his whereabouts on 18 December, her diabetes, and his visit to her home. On his solicitor's advice, he described issues with McNally's former partner. The couple had separated about nine months earlier, and the man had lived with her at the Silverwood Green address.

McCullagh said the ex-partner contacted her via private number calls at night and emails after she blocked him. The messages contained insults about her appearance and sectarian references, which distressed her. Calls occurred repeatedly around midnight on 15 December; she took the first thinking it might relate to work before silencing her phone. McCullagh called the man aggressive but said he knew no name, background, or police report details and had no knowledge of prior violence.

A computer file named after a timeline for McNally was created at 10.45pm on 20 December 2022, saved past midnight, and accessed on 27 December. It recorded McCullagh seeing McNally last at 1pm on 18 December when she left his home. He purchased alcohol that afternoon and conducted a livestream of video games from 6pm while consuming drink until after midnight, then responded to her message before sleeping at 2.30am. On 19 December, he worked from 6pm, noted her lack of reply, and checked her home.

The file detailed entering the house, finding her upstairs with substantial blood present, her body cold with no pulse and face in a dog bowl. McCullagh was released at 7.34pm after the interview and cleared of suspicion four days later.