Why a woman murdered her parents and then lived with their bodies

Virginia McCullough knew wherefore the constabulary had smashed done her beforehand door, but portion of her wondered wherefore it took them truthful agelong to observe she had murdered her parents. "Cheer up, astatine slightest you've caught the atrocious guy," she calmly told the officers handcuffing her. Neighbours thought John and Lois McCullough had retired to the seaside, but the world was they were callously poisoned by their daughter. Why did she bash it?

The goings-on wrong the McCullough household location successful Great Baddow adjacent Chelmsford, Essex, were becoming progressively secretive successful 2019.

Relatives were asked to enactment distant and friends were told Mr and Mrs McCullough had retired to the Clacton country connected Essex's sunshine coast.

The gruesome world was precise different. It would beryllium 4 years earlier anyone recovered retired the horrors that took spot down closed doors connected Pump Hill.

John McCullough, a retired concern studies lecturer, had been fatally poisoned and the 70-year-old's assemblage was hidden successful a crudely-built tomb made retired of breeze blocks and blankets.

The corpse of his 71-year-old wife, Lois, was stashed down sleeping bags and duvets successful an upstairs wardrobe.

Mrs McCullough had been battered with a hammer and stabbed, but she excessively had besides been poisoned with medicine medicine administered by her daughter.

Virginia McCullough, 36, was handed a beingness condemnation astatine Chelmsford Crown Court for their murders, to service a minimum of 36 years, connected Friday.

"The curtains were ever drawn and you couldn't spot if anybody was successful the house," said Phil Sargeant, who lived adjacent doorway to the McCulloughs for 20 years.

"They were conscionable similar shadows, they'd determination precise rapidly from A to B."

Mr Sargeant present knows wherefore determination was specified secrecy astatine his neighbours' house.

"I find it rather hard adjacent to accidental that Virginia murdered her parents oregon killed her parents," helium added.

"She’d travel crossed arsenic rather pleasant; she was funny, she was irreverent arsenic well. She had a acheronian consciousness of humour."

In September 2023, Essex Police took a telephone from Essex County Council's safeguarding team.

A GP astatine Mr and Mrs McCullough's registered signifier had raised a interest for their welfare, having not seen them for immoderate time.

Their absences had been explained by their daughter, who offered a scope of excuses for each assignment she cancelled connected her parents' behalf.

Conveniently for her, the state had been successful Covid-enforced lockdowns for a ample play of clip they had not been seen.

But erstwhile constabulary spoke to McCullough, it became wide thing was not adding up - wherefore were her parents ever retired of the area?

Alan Thomson, who rented a tv to the McCulloughs, besides had his suspicions.

It followed a telephone telephone from McCullough, abruptly cancelling the rental connected her parents' behalf.

When Mr Thomson's unit arrived astatine the household location to prime it up, they were told they could not participate the spot - and the TV was already prepared by the beforehand door.

"I got the feeling possibly she was a spot of a fantasist, but nary mode would I person thought she’d beryllium a murderer," helium said.

When constabulary raided the property, it was not the archetypal clip they had visited.

Weeks anterior to the find of the bodies, McCullough invited officers wrong to sermon an allegation of an battle against her.

Only she knew the intent of this call, but immoderate believed she was investigating the water.

Ultimately, the battle allegation came to nothing.

McCullough was much forthcoming when officers returned successful September 2023.

"I did cognize that this time would travel eventually," she confessed.

"I merit to get what's coming, sentence-wise, due to the fact that that's the close happening to bash and past that mightiness springiness maine a spot of peace."

Documents recovered wrong the spot painted a representation of a pistillate desperately trying to support her parents from discovering a fiscal achromatic spread she had dug.

Abusing their goodwill, she had been surviving rent free, spending their wealth and racking up ample recognition paper debts successful their names.

Forged letters showed McCullough had been tricking her parents into reasoning they had mislaid wealth done scams. In reality, it was wealth "frittered away" by their daughter.

To them, she was well-qualified, suitably employed and moving hard towards becoming an creator - a aboriginal she claimed would besides bring fiscal benefits for her parents.

Instead, she was reaping the fiscal rewards of manipulating, abusing and taking vantage of her parents' kindness.

In total, McCullough benefited from £149,697 arsenic a effect of murdering her parents - combined from their pensions and spending connected their recognition cards, arsenic good arsenic selling assets.

The tribunal besides heard she spent £21,000 connected online gambling betwixt 2019 and 2023.

Her lies - and the fearfulness of being exposed - yet led to her cruelly sidesplitting her parents.

Paul Hastings, a greengrocer astatine the Vineyards buying centre adjacent their home, had besides noticed their disappearance.

He was told by McCullough that her parents, who utilized to acquisition goods from his shop, were nary longer surviving successful Great Baddow.

Mr Hastings said her peculiar quality meant she could accidental things without arousing overmuch suspicion.

"She came successful to the store and said 'The constabulary are aft me, they deliberation I killed my mum and dad'," Mr Hastings said.

"I thought 'That’s a spot odd' but didn’t deliberation thing other of it, I conscionable thought it was her eccentric nature."

He explained McCullough would sometimes sojourn his store 4 times a day, earlier disappearing for the adjacent fortnight.

Debbie Pollard said McCullough would sojourn the angiosperm store she ran and bombard her with nutrient and presents.

"We knew she was unusual but I would ne'er person dreamt she would ever beryllium susceptible of doing what she really did," she said.

"She’s really lived successful that location each those years with her mum and dad’s remains successful determination - that horrifies me. Horrifies me."

Both Mr Hastings and Ms Pollard some said McCullough had besides pretended to beryllium pregnant, adjacent creating a fake bump nether her clothing.

Throughout her sentencing connected Friday, McCullough stared astatine the floor, emotionless.

It was lone erstwhile she listened backmost to her interrogation with police, describing however she murdered her mother, that she began to weep.

"She looked truthful innocent; she was conscionable sat determination listening to the radio," McCullough told the officers.

"I did spell successful 3 times to physique up immoderate gumption but I knew I had to get it done and can’t hesitate.

"She was conscionable staring astatine maine successful disbelief."

Det Supt Rob Kirby, from Essex Police, said her different composed absorption successful tribunal was emblematic of the "considered, meticulous" murderer she was.

"Throughout the people of our investigation, we person built a representation of the immense levels of deceit, betrayal and fraud she engaged in," helium said.

"It was connected a shocking and monumental scale.

"McCullough lied astir about each facet of her life, maintaining a charade to deceive everyone adjacent to her and intelligibly taking vantage of her parents’ bully will.

“She is an intelligent and adept manipulator who chose to termination her parents callously and without a thought for them oregon those who proceed to endure arsenic a effect of their loss."