Virginia McCullough, a 36-year-old British woman, has been sentenced for the m*rder of her parents, whose bodies she lived with for four years. On October 11 in Chelmsford, England, McCullough was sentenced for the 2019 k!llings of her father, John, 70, and her mother, Lois, 71. She poisoned her father with prescription medication and later f*tally stabbed her mother in the chest.
The m*rders, which took place in June 2019, remained undiscovered until 2023 when concerns arose after her parents missed several medical appointments. A subsequent police investigation led officers to McCullough, who upon their arrival remarked, “Cheer up, at least you’ve caught the bad guy.”
She admitted to concealing their bodies in the house and directed police to the knife used in her mother’s m*rder. When asked about her mother’s location, McCullough responded, “Upstairs there are about five wardrobes, it’s behind the bed at the back, next to the sink. It’s the second one.”
After the ki!lings, McCullough misled friends and neighbors, claiming her parents had either moved away or were on extended vacations.
Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC told the court that McCullough had created a ‘makeshift tomb’ for her father, covering him with blankets and photographs. Her mother’s body was wrapped in a sleeping bag and hidden in a closet.
McCullough received a life sentence, with a minimum of 36 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutor Nicola Rice called the case “truly disturbing,” highlighting McCullough’s cold manipulation and the deceit she maintained for years. “McCullough callously and viciously killed both of her parents, hiding their bodies in makeshift tombs. For four years, she deceived family, medical staff, financial institutions, and police, all while spending her parents’ money and accumulating debts in their names.”
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby described McCullough as “an intelligent manipulator who chose to ki!l her parents callously, with no regard for them or those who now suffer from their loss.”