The YouTuber who tried to get away with murder by ‘live streaming’ Grand Theft Auto
A meticulously planned alibi designed to plant Stephen McCullagh almost 20 miles away at his home in Lisburn is at the heart of the murder trial over the death of his pregnant partner Natalie McNally.
Ms McNally, 32, was brutally attacked and murdered at her Lurgan home on Silverwood Green between 8.50pm and 9.30pm on Sunday, December 18, 2022, just a week before Christmas.
Natalie McNally, 32, was 15 weeks pregnant when she was brutally murdered.
It was revealed that at the exact time of the murder, McCullagh, known online as ‘votesaxon07’, was drinking alcohol and live-streaming himself to an online audience by playing computer games. Portions of this six-hour live broadcast were presented during his trial at Belfast Crown Court.
Promoted on social media as the “Night of Violence Christmas Live Game Stream” and scheduled to begin at 6pm on December 18, the broadcast opened with McCullagh greeting the audience wearing a Santa hat. He discussed the difficulties of publishing and stated that he was not sure how long it would last. He also informed viewers that technical issues would prevent him from responding to live chat, advising them to “chat among themselves” and adding that he would not be using his phone.
He described Grand Theft Auto as one of his childhood favourites, and joked that he would drink and drive while pouring himself a Guinness, but added: “I’m not leaving the house tonight in the game, by the way.”
He considered taking time off work over Christmas and said he was looking forward to spending time with loved ones, adding: “It’s going to be a really good Christmas this year.”
The report continued, with McCullagh saying he hadn’t had a drink in months and drinking most of it: “I could drink this stuff like water.”
Then he started drinking Baileys.
As the broadcast continued, McCullagh said: “I’m a very angry player by the way.”
He later appeared to become drunk, yelling “die, why don’t you die” at one of the characters during a violent part of the play, and referred to himself as “angry with his tits”.
He also said he “realized I was a very angry drunk” but added: “I’m a total sweetheart in real life.
“I don’t have many loved ones in my life, but I love the ones I love with all my heart.”
It was an excuse he hoped would be beyond the comprehension of most in the virtual gaming world, but was denied by the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s cybercrime unit.
The hearing was told that examination of McCullagh’s devices provided extensive evidence that they were pre-recorded and recorded as a video file on December 14.
After he was re-arrested in January, McCullagh admitted to police in a prepared statement that he had pre-recorded the footage.
The statement said Ms. McNally had consumed alcohol and slept most of the night the night she was killed.
McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, was convicted by a jury in the fifth week of the trial at Belfast Crown Court.
The jury, consisting of six men and six women, reached its decision after two hours of deliberations.
McCullagh stood expressionless in the dock among prison staff as the verdict was read.
Ms. McNally’s family and friends filled the public gallery behind the dock to cheer after the verdict was announced.
Timeline of important events:
– 7 August 2022: Stephen McCullagh sent his first WhatsApp message to Natalie McNally after contacting online dating app Bumble. Her first message was: “Hey Nat, this is the weird robot from Bumble,” and they discussed meeting for their first date later that week.
Over the next 133 days, the two would exchange hundreds of messages.
– October: McCullagh meets Mrs. McNally’s family for the first time.
– November: The McNally family was told the couple were expecting a baby.
– 14/15 December: McCullagh is pre-recording the Fierce Night Christmas Live Game Stream. The six hour and four minute gaming session shows McCullagh playing Grand Theft Auto, drinking alcohol, swearing and at one point repeatedly yelling at a character in the game to die. During the session, McCullagh repeatedly mentions that the program will be broadcast live on Sunday, December 18th.
– 16/17 December: McCullagh tells his friends that he will be broadcasting a live gaming session on Sunday evening.
– December 18: Mrs McNally is at McCullagh’s home in Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, researching timetables for a bus from Dunmurry to Lurgan and then a train from Lurgan to Lisburn. Mrs McNally then leaves the McCullagh home to go to her parents’ house to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France, before returning to her own home in Silverwood Green, Lurgan.
16:00: McCullagh runs an ad about the “live” game session on YouTube.
17.57: McCullagh sent a message to Ms McNally saying he was “heading off for the night”. He replies: “Good luck, I can check out your live stream later.”
6pm: The pre-recorded live broadcast begins. McCullagh’s phone becomes disabled.
18.36: CCTV captured a man walking with a bag near McCullagh’s home. The prosecutor at the trial said the man was McCullagh.
19.36: Bus security cameras show the man, whose face was covered, traveling from Dunmurry to Lurgan. After getting off the bus at Lurgan, she is followed by a series of cameras as she moves down Market Street towards William Street, Lough Road and Silverwood Green, where Ms McNally lives.
20.24: Ms. McNally logs on to YouTube to watch part of McCullagh’s live game session.
20.51: McCullagh enters Mrs. McNally’s house.
21.31: McCullagh leaves Mrs. McNally’s house.
21.49: CCTV shows a man getting into a taxi near Fa Joe’s pub in Lurgan.
23.12: The taxi arrives at McCullagh’s home in Woodlands, Lisburn. He is seen on CCTV throwing two items over the fence.
23.16: McCullagh’s phone is unlocked and activated.
– December 19:
12.05: The recording of the game broadcast is stopped manually.
12:08: McCullagh texts Ms. McNally.
17.05: McCullagh asked Ms. McNally: “Are you okay?” he messaged.
17.25: “I’m a little worried, let me know you’re safe,” he texts.
18.55: McCullagh orders a KFC.
21.07: He sent a message to Ms McNally saying he was “very concerned right now”.
21.59: McCullagh arrives at Miss McNally’s home in Lurgan and makes a 10-minute call to 999. “Please come as soon as possible, she’s pregnant, she’s cold,” he says to the emergency room. The person handling the call asks himself the following question: “Is the patient breathing?” and she tearfully replies, “No, he’s gone,” adding, “there’s blood everywhere.” The call handler said Ms. McNally was 15 weeks pregnant.
The hearing heard the victim suffered a “terrible beating”. Charles MacCreanor KC said: “Three stabs to the neck, multiple traumatic blows to the head. Injuries to the neck consistent with strangulation and suffocation. I’m sorry to say, his face was stuck in the dog bowl like an animal.”
McCullagh is questioned by police about the death. He told police in his first interview that he was livestreaming the time of her death and that he believed Ms McNally’s ex-boyfriend was “the only person who could have hurt her”.
The police asked him: “Did you have anything to do with Natalie’s death?” he asked. to which the reply was: “No comment”. His lawyer tells him: “I’m sorry, I think you can answer that.” “No, no, no comment,” McCullagh told police.
– December 20:
7.34: McCullagh is released by the police.
– December 24: The McNally family was told McCullagh was no longer a suspect in the murder.
– December 25: McCullagh attends Mrs. McNally’s funeral at her parents’ home on Christmas Day.
– January 26, 2023: McCullagh visits the McNally family home again. When he leaves the house, he leaves his phone behind and records the family’s conversation for 39 minutes. He then returns to get the phone.
– January 28: More than 1,000 people attended a rally in Lurgan in memory of Ms McNally. McCullagh attends the event. A video montage of Ms. McNally’s photographs is played and the crowd is told that it was put together by “Natalie’s loving partner” McCullagh.
– January 31: McCullagh was arrested again by the police.
– February 1: During the police interview, McCullagh answered a series of questions about Ms McNally’s murder with “no comment”. For the first time, he encounters evidence that the gaming session was pre-recorded. A detective told him his devices were examined and there was no user-generated activity during the hours he claimed to be livestreaming. He replies: “It’s literally impossible because you can see it on YouTube.”
Following the interview, McCullagh made a statement to police, saying the gaming session had been pre-recorded.
He added: “I think it is clear that Natalie’s real killer left a clear circumstantial trail that would link me to the murder.”
– February 2: Stephen McCullagh is accused of murdering Natalie McNally.
– February 23, 2026: McCullagh is on trial at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of Natalie McNally.
– March 23: McCullagh was found guilty by the jury.
