A British woman who murdered her parents and then lived with the bodies for four years while lying about their whereabouts has learned her fate.
Virginia McCullough, 36, was sentenced on Oct. 11 to life in prison for the 2019 killings of her parents, John and Lois McCullough, according to a statement from Essex Police. She’s expected to serve a minimum of 36 years before being eligible for parole.
In June, Virginia pleaded guilty to two counts of murder at Chelmsford Crown Court, according to police.
John, 70, and Lois, 71, were poisoned with prescription medication in their home in Great Baddow, Essex, in June 2019. John died as a result of the poisoning while Lois was also struck with a hammer and fatally stabbed, police said.
According to The Guardian, prosecutor Lisa Wilding said in court that Virginia “built a makeshift tomb” for her father, a university lecturer. John’s “tomb” was kept in the bedroom and was covered in blankets and pictures, Wilding reportedly said.
Wilding added, per the outlet, that Virginia wrapped Lois’ body in a sleeping bag and left her in the wardrobe in the upstairs bedroom.
Lois and John McCullough.
Essex Police
However, authorities didn’t learn about the deaths for four years, because Virginia “meticulously” covered up the murders in the “interest of self-preservation and personal gain,” Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby said in the statement.
“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,” Kirby added. “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.”
Authorities said Virginia went to “substantial lengths” to conceal the bodies and took great effort to keep family and friends away from the property throughout the years. According to police, Virginia told “persistent lies” about her parents’ whereabouts, canceling family arrangements and frequently telling people her parents were unwell, on vacation or away on long trips.
“The curtains were always drawn and you couldn’t see if anybody was in the house,” longtime neighbor Phil Sargeant recalled to BBC. “She’d come across as quite pleasant; she was funny, she was irreverent as well,” he said of Virginia. “She had a dark sense of humor.”
In September 2023, the Essex County Council’s safeguarding team contacted Essex Police, reporting that the couple’s doctor was worried for their well-being after not seeing them for some time, per the statement.
The doctor explained that John had failed to pick up his medication and attend scheduled appointments. “It was further revealed [Virginia] frequently canceled appointments, using a range of excuses to explain her father’s absence,” police said.
Soon after, authorities launched a missing persons investigation. When they initially spoke with Virginia, police said she lied to officers, claiming her parents were traveling and would be returning that October.
As the investigation progressed, authorities searched the couple’s home, where they claim Virginia “instantly confessed” to police that her parents’ bodies were in the house and that she had killed them, per the statement.
Documents found at the house showed Virginia had run up large debts on credit cards in her parents’ names, according to police. After their deaths, she continued to spend their pensions, police said.
Virginia claimed nearly $200,000 through the pensions and their credit cards while spending nearly $30,000 on online gambling in the years following her parents’ deaths, BBC reported, citing authorities.
“The documents uncovered at the address built a picture of a woman who was trying desperately to keep her parents from discovering the depth of the financial black hole she continued to dig, while giving them false assurances about her employment and future prospects,” the police statement read.
In a joint statement shared by police following the announcement of Virginia’s sentencing, the family of John and Lois said they have been “left devastated and heartbroken at the deaths of our parents who were taken from us so cruelly.”
“Dad enjoyed lots of hobbies, with particular favourites being golf and snooker,” the statement read. “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.”
The family added, “As we try to move forward with our lives, we will remember the happy times we enjoyed with them.”
