A woman who murdered her parents and lived alongside the bodies for four years in their family home has been jailed for life.
The remains of Lois and John McCullough, aged 71 and 70, were found in sleeping bags at their house in Great Baddow, Essex, in September 2023.
Virginia McCullough, 36, confessed to fatally poisoning her father and placing him in a “homemade mausoleum” along with stabbing her mother to death in June 2019.
On June 17, 2019, Virginia McCullough 36, from Chelmsford, England poisoned John McCullough, her father and then brutally stabbed and beat her mother Lois McCullough to death when her plan for poisoning failed.
Virginia saw murder as her only escape when she was struggling with nearly £60.000 of debt from online shopping and gambling.
Her deceit, which continued for years after the crime came to light in 2023 leading to her arrest and following life sentence.
In the months leading up to June 2019, Virginia plotted her parent’s murder, she used to slip small doses of prescription drugs into their meals to test their effects
On the night of June 17, 2019, she spiked her parent’s drinks with a lethal cocktail of drugs, following morning she found her father dead but her mother had survived
Virginia attacked her mother with a hammer and stabbed her eight times, after the death of her mother, Virginia set out to conceal bodies
The scene inside the McCullough house was brutal, Virginia placed her father’s body in a makeshift mausoleum made of breezeblocks
Her mother’s body was sealed with tape and stuffed into a wardrobe
For over four years, Virginia continued to deceive her siblings by sending texts from her mother’s phone impersonating her mother’s voice, and using pre-printed birthday cards
Virginia drained her parent’s bank accounts stealing about £150.000
According to a statement released by Essex police, On September 2023, The family’s GP grew suspicious after not meeting John and Lois for a few years despite numerous canceled appointments
When police confronted Virginia, she immediately confessed the crime in an emotionless way, her confession recorded on bodycam footage showed the horrific details of the crime
On October 11, 2024, Virginia was sentenced to a minimum of 36 years in prison
Mr Justice Johnson emphasized the premeditated nature of the crime and the betrayal of the trust placed by her parents
“This was a cold, calculated crime motivated by financial gain,” remarked Mr Justice Johnson, “Virginia’s deceit spanned years, and the brutality of the murders speaks volumes about her intentions.”
Virginia’s mental health including diagnosis of autism and personality disorder was taken into consideration, the court stated that her actions were driven mainly by financial motives
The emotional trauma on the family was painful
Lois McCullough’s brother Richard remarked “she valued money more than her parent’s lives , our family will never recover from the loss and betrayal caused by Virginia’s actions.”
