YouTuber Jailed for Premeditated Murder of Pregnant Girlfriend, Elaborate Alibi Unravels

Their relationship lasted 133 days. It began on a dating app in the summer of 2022 and ended the week before Christmas when Natalie McNally (32) was murdered in her County Armagh home by Stephen McCullagh (36). She was 15 weeks pregnant with his child, a baby boy who was to be named Dean, and had suffered a “horrendous and savage beating,” prosecutors said. On Monday, March 23, 2026, a jury unanimously found McCullagh guilty of her murder after a trial lasting five weeks at Belfast Crown Court. McCullagh was sentenced to life imprisonment.

A Planned and Calculated Attack

The crime was a “planned, calculated, premeditated murder” which McCullagh “hoped to get away with,” jurors were told. An “elaborate” alibi – a six-hour YouTube gaming session that he claimed was live but was, in fact, pre-recorded – was initially accepted by police, with McCullagh told he was no longer a suspect. So convincing was his deception that Natalie McNally’s parents welcomed him into their home for her wake on Christmas night, where he spent 20 minutes alone with her remains.

Deception After the Murder

For weeks after her murder, McCullagh played the grieving partner and father-to-be, telling McNally’s family of his excitement about the baby, their plans for the future, and his feelings for Natalie. Ann Anderson, an aunt of McNally’s, recounted a conversation where McCullagh said, “He treated her like a princess.”

The Investigation and Arrest

McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, Co Antrim, denied the charge of murder from the moment of his initial arrest the night after McNally’s death on December 18, 2022. He declined to testify during the high-profile case, and the defense offered no evidence. Throughout the trial, McCullagh claimed an ex-boyfriend had murdered her.

Evidence of Motive and the Fatal Assault

Prosecutors presented evidence suggesting a motive, noting “flirty” messages between McNally and other males found on her phone, which may have “enraged” McCullagh, who had access to her device. Natalie McNally, a marketing executive at transport company Translink and a law graduate, loved animals and enjoyed reading, music, and traveling with her family.

The jury agreed with the prosecution’s case that McCullagh beat, strangled, and stabbed her to death and “peddled a false alibi” whereas carrying out the murder, then falsely claimed to have discovered her body. He raised the alarm with a “false” emergency call to police.

“It’s an act, it’s put on by him, part of his plan to do the murder and get away with it,” prosecutor Charles MacCreanor told the trial.

The 999 Call and Crime Scene

During the 10-minute emergency call made at 9:55 pm on December 19, 2022, McCullagh was heard sobbing as he asked for paramedics, stating, “Please reach as soon as you can; she’s pregnant, she’s cold. There’s blood everywhere.” Police attending the scene described finding a dog bowl filled with blood beside McNally’s head, “It looked almost like it had been used to collect the blood,” one officer stated.

The Unraveling of the Alibi

The prosecution detailed the extent of McNally’s injuries, including three stab wounds to her neck, blunt-force trauma to her head, and compression of her neck. The pathologist indicated the foetus likely died as a result of the assault. Photographs of McNally’s body were deemed too graphic to show the jury.

McCullagh and McNally met on the dating app Bumble, beginning messaging on August 7, 2022, and having their first date in Belfast shortly after. On December 18th, she left for her parents’ home after watching the World Cup final with her father. McCullagh was captured on a neighbor’s doorbell camera waving her off. Later, she messaged him about the World Cup result, and he responded, stating he was going to stream a gaming session.

The “Violent Night Christmas Live Gaming Stream”

Her last message to him was sent at 5:59 pm: “Good luck. I might have a peek at your live stream later.” Police analysis showed she logged on to watch him at 8:24 pm, just as McCullagh was traveling to her house to kill her. The footage showed McCullagh drinking and wearing a Santa hat while playing Grand Theft Auto, announcing, “I’m not leaving the house tonight.” He continued to message McNally, telling her, “I love you and I don’t want to do anything to hurt or upset you” at 4:09 pm on December 19th, claiming he was “getting a little worried” when she didn’t reply.

Rearrest and Continued Deception

McCullagh was initially released due to the false alibi, but was rearrested in late January 2023 after cyber-experts discovered the livestream was pre-recorded. In the interim, he visited the McNally family home and attended her wake, showing her mother Bernadette an engagement ring and an image of what their baby, Dean, might have looked like. He accompanied the family to a vigil organized by Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill to call for an complete to violence against women and girls, presenting himself as Natalie’s partner and showing people a baby scan.

Family Testimony and the Verdict

Natalie McNally’s cousin, Gavin Haddock, described McCullagh saying, “I should have been there to protect Natalie. No man would have got past me.” The prosecution argued McCullagh traveled by bus to McNally’s house, then returned home by taxi, changing clothes and disguising himself with a wig. CCTV footage tracked his movements.

The jury reached their verdict after just over two hours of deliberation. Cheers erupted in the public gallery when the verdict was read out. Addressing McCullagh, the trial judge, Mr Justice Kinney, stated the offense carries a life sentence. A tariff hearing will be held on May 15, 2026.