Man gets life, 31‑year minimum for killing pregnant partner

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his pregnant partner in a case a judge described as meticulously planned and brutally violent. Stephen McCullagh, 36, must serve a minimum of 31 years before he can be considered for parole.

McCullagh was convicted earlier this year by a jury at Belfast Crown Court for killing Natalie McNally, 32, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their son. The attack occurred at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, on December 18, 2022. Ms. McNally suffered stab wounds to the neck, strangulation, and severe blows to the head.

During sentencing, Mr. Justice Patrick Kinney told McCullagh he had committed a brutal and senseless murder, planned in remorseless detail. The judge said the attack was a frenzied assault characterized by excessive and gratuitous violence, yet was cold-blooded and calculated, evidenced by extensive planning before and after the crime.

A central part of McCullagh’s plan was a falsified alibi. He claimed to have been livestreaming himself playing computer games on his YouTube channel at the time of the murder. Police experts discovered the six-hour stream had been recorded four days prior and broadcast as if live on...