A woman from the United Kingdom, Virginia McCullough, labeled as an “intelligent manipulator,” has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 36 years, after carrying out the cold-blooded murders of her parents and living alongside their decomposing bodies for four years while continuing to spend their money.
McCullough, 36, began her chilling crime in June 2019 by poisoning her father, John McCullough, 70, with prescription drugs she had crushed and secretly mixed into his alcoholic drinks.
The following day, she brutally attacked her 71-year-old mother, Lois McCullough, first beating her with a hammer before fatally stabbing her.
Their bodies were hidden inside makeshift tombs at their home in Great Baddow, Essex.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that, following the murders, McCullough embarked on an elaborate scheme of deceit, telling repeated lies to relatives, doctors, and friends to explain her parents’ prolonged absence.
She canceled family events, frequently claiming her parents were unwell or away on lengthy holidays, all while amassing debts by using their credit cards and continuing to collect their pensions.
Concerns were raised about the couple’s wellbeing in September 2023 by their GP, who had not seen them for some time.
Essex County Council’s safeguarding team alerted the police after the GP reported that John McCullough had failed to pick up his prescribed medication and attend scheduled appointments. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that McCullough had been canceling appointments, offering various excuses to explain her father’s absence.
The police initially launched a missing persons investigation, with McCullough lying to officers, claiming her parents were traveling and would return in October.
However, the investigation quickly escalated into a murder inquiry, and on September 15, 2023, when officers forced entry into the family home, McCullough confessed that her parents’ bodies were inside and that she had killed them.
She had previously pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to murdering her parents between June 17 and June 20, 2019. Sentencing took place at the same court, where chilling details of her calculated actions were revealed.
In police bodycam footage released during the investigation, McCullough, handcuffed, admitted, “I did know that this would kind of come eventually. It’s proper that I serve my punishment.”
She confessed to slipping something into her father’s drink before hiding his body under a bed on the ground floor, while her mother’s body was placed in an upstairs wardrobe.
After being arrested on suspicion of double murder, she disturbingly remarked to an officer, “Cheer up, at least you’ve caught the bad guy,” before adding, “I know I don’t seem 100% evil.”
At the police station, she disclosed the locations of the murder weapons, describing a kitchen knife as a “murder weapon” and a hammer, which she chillingly noted “will still have blood on it.”
During sentencing, Mr. Justice Johnson described how McCullough had “span and maintained” an “elaborate, extensive and enduring web of deceit” over a period of years.
He emphasized the premeditated nature of her crimes, highlighting that McCullough had, over several months, collected a significant amount of prescription medication. In May 2019, she purchased a knife along with tools for crushing tablets—clear signs of her calculated intent.
“These were considered acts of aggression following months of thought and planning,” the judge stated.
Essex Police later uncovered documents at the McCullough home that revealed the depth of her deceit. According to investigators, these documents painted a portrait of a woman desperate to keep her parents in the dark about the vast financial hole she was sinking into.
She provided her parents with false assurances about her career and future, all while draining their accounts.
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby of Essex Police described McCullough’s actions as cold-blooded and meticulously planned, stating, “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.”
He added that McCullough had maintained a charade, lying about nearly every aspect of her life, and took advantage of her parents’ trust and goodwill.
Kirby noted that the case shocked even experienced detectives. “The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public,” he said, expressing sympathy for the wider family left devastated by the double murder.
Nicola Rice, a specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), echoed similar sentiments, stating that McCullough had “callously and viciously killed both of her parents before concealing their bodies in makeshift tombs.” She added, “This was a truly disturbing case, which has left behind it a trail of devastation.”
The gruesome details of the case and McCullough’s heartless actions have left an indelible mark on all those involved with family and friends now seeking to begin long process of healing after such an unimaginable betrayal.
