A Belfast Crown Court jury is hearing how a man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend allegedly constructed an elaborate digital alibi, broadcasting a pre-recorded gaming session as a live stream to cover a journey to commit what prosecutors describe as a “planned, calculated and premeditated” killing.
Stephen McCullagh, 36, from Lisburn, County Antrim, denies murdering 32-year-old Natalie McNally, who was found dead at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, in December 2022. The prosecution alleges he hoped to “get away with” the brutal crime.
The Alleged Alibi
Central to the case is the claim that McCullagh, a part-time assistant audience editor for the Belfast Telegraph, recorded a six-hour session of himself playing Grand Theft Auto and Robot Wars on the nights of 14 and 15 December. Prosecutors say he then broadcast it on the evening of 18 December on his YouTube channel, Votesaxon07, which had some 37,000 subscribers and featured content on Doctor Who, toy reviews, and a series called “Antweight Anarchy”.
The broadcast was designed to create the impression he was at home live-streaming, while in fact, the prosecution alleges, he was 17 miles away. Detective Constable Matthews, a digital forensic analyst, told the court that examination of McCullagh’s computer and software “provided extensive evidence indicating that the broadcast was prerecorded and later streamed as a live event”. The video file was recorded on 14 December, deleted in the early hours of 19 December, and then removed from the computer’s recycle bin, the analyst said.
Segments shown to the jury depicted McCullagh wearing a Santa hat, drinking Guinness and Baileys, and telling viewers he had “wanted to do a live stream for some time”. He claimed he could not check the live chat due to an old computer and stated, “I am not leaving the house tonight.” After his arrest, when confronted with the evidence, McCullagh made a statement admitting the video was recorded several nights before the murder, having initially denied it was pre-recorded.
The Killing and Its Aftermath
The prosecution alleges that on the evening of 18 December 2022—the night of the FIFA World Cup final—McCullagh disguised himself, took a bus to Lurgan, walked to Ms McNally’s home, killed her, and took a taxi back. State pathologist Dr James Lyness testified that Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant, suffered a “prolonged assault” involving stab wounds to the neck, strangulation, and heavy blows to the head. The cause of death was compression of the neck, stab wounds to the neck, and blunt force trauma to the head, with the fetus also likely dying as a result.
A small black-handled knife, which police believe may have been the murder weapon, was found at the scene, along with a silver dog bowl that appeared to have collected blood. The following day, McCullagh went to the house and made a 999 call claiming he had discovered his girlfriend’s body. At the scene, he initially told police that Ms McNally’s ex-partner was responsible.
Trial Proceedings and Investigation
The trial before Mr Justice Patrick Kinney began on Monday, 17 February 2026, with a jury of six men and six women sworn in. It is expected to last five weeks. In the days after the murder, McCullagh reportedly left his phone at Ms McNally’s family home while it was recording, adding to the evidence gathered by police, who also seized a car from an address in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area.
The case, which has attracted significant attention, prompted a £20,000 reward from Crimestoppers for information and was described as “truly evil” by YouTuber Charlie “MoistCr1TiKaL” White in an online discussion. The court continues to hear evidence in a case that hinges on the intersection of digital deception and violent crime.
