Virginia McCullough jailed after killing parents and living with bodies

Summary

Virginia McCullough is sentenced to life with a minimum term of 36 years for murdering her parents, with judge Mr Justice Johnson telling her: "You think more of money than you do of humanity."
Lois and John McCullough were killed in 2019, but their bodies were not found at their home in Essex until 2023
Their daughter continued to live at the house, where she made a makeshift tomb for her dad's body and hid her mum's in a wardrobe
McCullough, 36, benefitted financially to the tune of nearly £150,000, with detectives saying they uncovered "vast levels of deceit, betrayal and fraud"
Her wider family said they had been left devastated by the deaths of their parents, who were taken "so cruelly"

Live Reporting

Reporting from Chelmsford Crown Court: Lewis Adams; Page editor: Andrew Woodger

McCullough pleaded guilty in Julypublished at 10:49 British Summer Time
Image source, Essex Police
Image caption,
A custody mugshot of McCullough was released after she admitted her offending
McCullough is back at Chelmsford Crown Court where, in July, she admitted two counts of murder.
She appeared at that hearing via a video link from HMP Peterborough and replied "guilty" to both charges.
Police later revealed she had fatally poisoned her father with prescription medication. McCullough went on to stab her mother to death after beating her with a hammer.
How did John and Lois McCullough die?published at 10:43 British Summer Time
Image source, Family handout
Image caption,
Lois McCullough was 71 when she died, while Mr McCullough was aged 70
An inquest into the deaths of John McCullough, 70, and his wife Lois, 71, was opened and adjourned in October 2023.
The hearing was told Mrs McCullough's provisional cause of death was from "stab wounds to the chest".
The cause of death for Mr McCullough remained unknown at the time, but Essex Police later said he was fatally poisoned.
Mrs McCullough was also poisoned by her daughter but this was not fatal, police added.
Courtroom is opened ahead of sentencingpublished at 10:38 British Summer Time
Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Crown Court
We have just been allowed into courtroom seven here at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Such is the interest in the case, the court has had to allocate extra seating to facilitate the volume of journalists in attendance.
The public gallery is also packed with people, including some who knew the McCullough family.
How was McCullough arrested?published at 10:37 British Summer Time
Concerns were first raised about John and Lois McCullough by the GP at their registered practice, who said Mr McCullough had not picked up his prescription for a while.
A missing persons inquiry was started by Essex Police as a result, and their investigation saw them question Virginia McCullough.
Image source, Essex Police
Image caption,
Bodycam footage released by Essex Police captured the moment McCullough was arrested
Officers became suspicious of Virginia McCullough when she continued to tell them her parents were on a trip away from the area.
After the inconsistencies in her account continued over days, police executed a warrant at the family home on Pump Hill, Great Baddow, on the outskirts of Chelmsford.
While there, McCullough confessed to what she had done.
Woman who murdered her parents to be sentencedpublished at 10:25 British Summer Time
Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Crown Court
A woman who admitted murdering her parents and living with their bodies for four years is to be sentenced later.
Virginia McCullough, a 36-year-old from Great Baddow, near Chelmsford in Essex, was arrested after a missing persons inquiry turned into a murder investigation.
Police were met by McCullough when they raided the family home on Pump Hill and she directed officers to the bodies of her parents - John and Lois McCullough.
She is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court this morning, by judge Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson.
A warning that the content coming from the courtroom could contain some distressing details.
We'll be bringing you updates from the sentencing when proceedings get under way shortly. Stick with us.