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Evil daughter, 36, who murdered parents then lived with their remains for FOUR years at family home is jailed for life
Watch as eerily calm killer admits to gruesome crimes in chilling bodycam confession above
A MONSTER daughter who murdered her parents then lived with their remains for FOUR years has been jailed for life.
Virginia McCullough stabbed her mum Lois, 71, multiple times and hit her with a hammer "like someone badly playing a xylophone" at their home in Chelmsford, Essex.
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She also poisoned 70-year-old dad-of-five John using prescription medication after spiralling into debt.
McCullough then hid her dad's body in a "makeshift tomb" in a ground floor bedroom before wrapping her mum in a sleeping bag and leaving her in an upstairs wardrobe.
She lived with her parents' decomposing bodies for four years before they were discovered in September 2023.
All the while, the monster was using their bank cards to spend their hard-earned pensions - splurging £21,193 on gambling.
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McCullough, 36, has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years after previously pleading guilty to murder.
The court heard she murdered her parents "in cold blood" in the summer of 2019.
She poisoned her dad, who suffered from diabetes, then left him to die before going to bed.
The following morning, she put on gardening gloves from Wilko and struck her mum with a hammer as she sat in bed listening to the radio.
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Lois begged "what are you doing?" as she desperately tried to protect herself from the blows.
After deciding the hammer was "too messy", McCullough got a kitchen knife and stabbed Lois, who she described as a "happiness hoover", eight times in the chest and neck.
McCullough had "manipulated and abused her parents’ good will for financial gain" and lied about her own success.
She pretended to go into an imaginary office to work as a web designer when in reality, she had been unemployed since 2017.
The "compulsive liar" also claimed she suffered from debilitating thunderclap headaches to garner sympathy from her parents.
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McCullough continued her deceit after their deaths by constantly lying about her mum and dad's whereabouts in a twisted bid to cover her tracks.
The killer would claim her parents had gone on holiday and hid behind the Covid lockdown to shoo away concerned relatives.
On the the day after the fatal attack on her mum, she sent one of her four sisters a text from Lois' phone that read: "your dad and I are at the seaside in walton this week. Mum x".
In reality, she was stealing her parents' money - benefiting from more than £135,000 in total.
Police even visited the home on August 18 last year for a welfare check.
She was interviewed but officers were unaware the bodies were inside and no search was carried out as there was no indication of anything suspicious.
Her web of lies finally unravelled in September 2023 when a worried GP raised the alarm over missed appointments.
A missing person's enquiry was launched but McCullough claimed her parents were travelling and would be back in October.
Suspicious police then started a murder investigation and stormed the house to finally arrest McCullough.
They discovered a "homemade mausoleum" where John's body had been entombed.
McCullough had stacked masonry blocks together, which were secured with filler, to make the tomb then covered it with blankets and paintings.
There were also 11 layers of “plastic and other material” covering his body, which was wrapped in a sleeping bag.
Never have I seen a killer so calmly confess to their gruesome crimes
By Holly Christodoulou, Digital Court Editor
IN all my years reporting on some of the most high-profile court cases, I have never seen a confession as chilling as Virginia McCullough's.
Despite brutally murdering both her parents in cold blood there is nothing that suggests even the slightest glimpse of remorse.
I've seen bodycam arrest footage where murderers feign surprise, ask for a cigarette, break down and a fair few "you're joking" outbursts directed at police.
Most killers just continue lying in the hope their deceit will see them through to a not guilty verdict.
Never so calmly has a monster admitted to their crimes with such brutal honesty that even the cops are telling her to stop.
With her blonde bob and pink sweatshirt, you could be forgiven for thinking McCullough is simply gossiping with her neighbours about something gruesome she read in a local Facebook group.
She even signed her confession like she was signing for an Amazon package.
Chillingly, McCullough didn't flinch as she walked police past the bedroom where her dad had lain dead for four years.
McCullough seemed more bothered by the sleeves on her top than the gruesome revelation she was making.
In fact the only emotion she showed is when she mentions the bloody hammer she used to murder her defenceless mum. And even then there's not a real tear in sight.
Thank God the police - in McCullough's own words - caught the bad guy because who knows how long she would have carried on living in that house of horrors with Lois and John unable to rest in peace.
In chilling bodycam footage, the artist appeared eerily calm as she told officers “I’ll cooperate”.
She then pointed her cuffed hands down the hallway and asked police: "Can we go in there for a second just so I can tell you something?
“I need to tell you something about what’s upstairs on the top floor as well.”
The officers and McCullough made their way past a wooden door, where the killer said: “My dad’s body is in there”.
As the group stood in a separate room, she was asked about her mum but explained it’s a “little bit more complicated”.
McCullough told the officers they could find her Lois’ body in a wardrobe “behind the bed at the back next to a sink”.
She added: “I did know this would kind of come eventually. It’s proper that I serve my punishment.”
The killer later told police: "Cheer up, at least you caught the bad guy.
“I deserve to get whatever’s coming sentence-wise because that’s the right thing to do and that might give me a bit of peace.”
McCullough later showed her first hint of emotion while revealing the "most grisly detail” to police.
Voice cracking, the monster said: “So on the ground floor underneath the stairs, there’s a few like storage boxes and things and in the middle, I think it’s in both boxes or in a bag or something…if you want to shush after this I will but every bit helps…it’s a hammer.
“Yeah, I know. I know but I’m trying to help so you find everything. It will still have blood on it. It’s rusted but will still have traces on it.”
The court was told Professor Nigel Blackwood, the psychiatrist who assessed McCullough, found her behaviour following the horror was "more typically found in psychopathic personalities".
This was due to her "lack of emotional empathy, together with the callous nature of the fatal assaults".
He said that while she had traits of autism spectrum disorder she “knew what she was doing was wrong”.
John and Lois' devastated family pay tribute
In a joint statement, the family of John and Lois said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Essex Police, and in particular the Major Investigation Team for their tireless work in trying to achieve the best possible justice for our beloved parents.
“We would also like to thank other specialist services for their invaluable contribution to this investigation, and to everyone who has supported our family over the last year.
“Our Dad was caring and hardworking and he had a passion for education and writing. He worked tirelessly in his career in university education, which spanned many years.
“Dad enjoyed lots of hobbies, with particular favourites being golf and snooker. As we think of Dad, we remember the numerous jokes he used to tell us and the laughs he gave us.
“Our Mum was kind, caring and thoughtful. Mum delighted in her grandchildren.
“She had friends from around the world through her penfriend hobby, many of whom she had written to for several decades. Mum had a passion for history, and maintained a keen interest in the royal family.
“Mum and Dad loved their trips to the seaside together, where they enjoyed many walks and visited lots of different attractions.
“Their love for the seaside was so great, they were hoping to move to the coast in their retirement years. Mum and Dad always enjoyed the time they spent with us, family was their pride and joy.
“Our family has been left devastated and heartbroken at the deaths of our parents who were taken from us so cruelly.
“As we try to move forward with our lives, we will remember the happy times we enjoyed with them.
“Our Mum and Dad are forever in our hearts, and are loved and missed beyond any measure.
“We request privacy as we continue to grieve the loss of our dear parents.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby from Essex Police, said McCullough murdered her parents "in the interest of self-preservation and personal gain".
He added: "McCullough lied about almost every aspect of her life, maintaining a charade to deceive everyone close to her and clearly taking advantage of her parents’ good will.
“She is an intelligent manipulator who chose to kill her parents callously, without a thought for them or those who continue to suffer as a result of their loss.
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“The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public.
“It therefore follows that the wider family of John and Lois, understandably, could never have guessed or anticipated that McCullough would be capable of undertaking these murders before committing herself to this level of deceit."
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