Stephen McCullagh, 36, was told at Belfast Crown Court on 3 June 2026 that he must serve at least 31 years in prison before he can be considered for parole. Mr Justice Kinney imposed the tariff for the murder of Natalie McNally, who was 32 and 15 weeks pregnant with the couple's son, Dean.

Ms McNally was beaten, strangled and stabbed in her home at Silverwood Green, Lurgan, on the evening of 18 December 2022. Mr Justice Kinney described the killing as a brutal and senseless murder planned in remorseless detail. He said the attack was cold-blooded and calculated, with excessive and gratuitous violence.

McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, had denied murder, claiming he was livestreaming a gaming session on YouTube at the time. Police cyber crime experts determined the six-hour stream, titled "The Violent Night Christmas Live Gaming Stream", had been pre-recorded several days earlier. The judge called it an integral part of the murder plan, carefully curated to provide a complete alibi.

After the killing, McCullagh sought to blame Ms McNally's ex-boyfriend. He spent time with the McNally family in the aftermath, presenting himself as devastated. He attended her wake on Christmas Day, where the family comforted him and allowed him time alone with her coffin. He also went to a memorial rally in Lurgan in January 2023, where a video tribute he had produced was played.

CCTV evidence charted a man travelling by bus from Dunmurry to Lurgan on the evening of the attack. The same figure was seen walking to Ms McNally's home and later returning by taxi to McCullagh's address. McCullagh's phone was inactive during the time of the killing and reactivated after his return. He was initially arrested at the scene on 19 December 2022 after making a 999 call reporting the body, but was released on the basis of the alibi. He was re-arrested on 31 January 2023 after forensic examination of his computer disproved the livestream claim, and charged with murder the next day.

At a sentencing hearing in May, the court heard McCullagh made contradictory statements to his probation officer, initially insisting he was not guilty before later describing the murder as evil and vicious and referring to himself as a monster.

Catherine Kierans, head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit, said after the hearing that the case marked the conclusion of proceedings against a calculating murderer. She said McCullagh had shown no remorse and that the level of premeditation, including the wearing of a disguise, forensic awareness, framing of an innocent person and covert recording of the bereaved family, was exceptional in a domestic murder case. Neil McGuinness, the PSNI senior investigating officer, described it as a tragic case of domestic homicide and said hundreds of house-to-house enquiries and thousands of hours of CCTV were analysed.

Noel McNally, Natalie's father, said outside court that his family had been serving a life sentence since the murder. He thanked the PSNI, the prosecution service, and the community of Lurgan and Craigavon for their support. He said the sentence was not a cause for celebration but expressed hope it would serve as a deterrent against violence towards women and girls. The family requested privacy as they continue to grieve.