Woman jailed for killing parents and hiding bodies

A "manipulative" pistillate who murdered her parents and lived alongside the bodies for 4 years successful their household location has been jailed for life.

The remains of Lois and John McCullough, aged 71 and 70, were recovered successful sleeping bags astatine their location successful Great Baddow, Essex, successful September 2023.

Virginia McCullough, 36, admitted fatally poisoning her begetter - and placing him successful a "homemade mausoleum" - and stabbing her parent to decease successful June 2019.

The defendant, who told constabulary "cheer up, astatine slightest you've caught the atrocious guy", volition person to service a minimum word of 36 years earlier being considered for release.

She ran up ample debts connected recognition cards successful her parents' names and aft their deaths she continued to walk their pensions.

Essex Police said documents astatine the couple's location "built a representation of a pistillate who was trying desperately to support her parents from discovering the extent of the fiscal achromatic spread she continued to dig, portion giving them mendacious assurances astir her employment and aboriginal prospects".

McCollough, who antecedently admitted 2 counts of murder, was sentenced astatine Chelmsford Crown Court but she showed nary emotion arsenic she was sent down.

Det Supt Rob Kirby, caput of large transgression astatine Essex Police, said the lawsuit had "shocked and horrified" adjacent the force's astir experienced execution detectives.

He said McCullough had created a "web of lies" that was "on a shocking and monumental scale".

A missing persons' probe was launched successful September 2023 aft Mr and Mrs McCullough's GP raised concerns astir not proceeding from them.

Police became suspicious of the couple's girl owed to her changeless excuses for her parents whereabouts and aboriginal executed a warrant astatine the household home.

Bodyworn footage showed McCullough admit the murders to arresting officers and told them: "Cheer up, astatine slightest you've caught the atrocious guy".

She confessed to constabulary however she created a "cocktail of drugs" to poison her parents connected 17 June 2019 - days aft utilizing her begetter arsenic a "guinea pig" to trial the concoction.

McCullough poisoned her begetter with medicine medicine that she crushed and enactment into his alcoholic drinks, authoritative Lisa Wilding KC said.

The effects were fatal for Mr McCullough, but Mrs McCullough was fixed a weaker dose and was simply sedated.

McCollough past bushed her parent with a hammer and stabbed her aggregate times successful the thorax with a room weapon arsenic she listened to the vigor successful furniture the pursuing morning.

She had decided to execution her parent retired of fearfulness she mightiness find retired what happened to Mr McCullough.

The tribunal heard however Mr McCullough's assemblage had been stashed distant successful a "homemade mausoleum" of masonry blocks successful his study.

Mrs McCullough's assemblage was found wrapped successful a sleeping bag successful an upstairs wardrobe.

McCullough told police: "When I was hitting her it was similar idiosyncratic severely playing the xylophone, it was willy-nilly."

Following the murders, the suspect went into Chelmsford metropolis centre and purchased integrative gloves and sleeping bags connected her father's slope card.

Having concealed the bodies, McCullough would spell connected to persistently prevarication astir her parents' whereabouts, cancel household arrangements and archer doctors and friends her parents they were unwell oregon connected holiday, Ms Wilding said.

"Covid restrictions were a changeable of luck for this suspect successful pursuing the deception that her parents were inactive alive," the authoritative added.

The tribunal heard 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 wealth appears to person been frittered distant and not spent connected costly oregon lavish items," Ms Wilding said, including £21,000 connected online gambling betwixt 2019 and 2023.

Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, sentencing, said to McCullough: "You deliberation much of wealth than you bash of humanity.

"Your parents were entitled to consciousness harmless successful their ain beds and their ain home, and they were entitled to consciousness harmless with their daughter.

"You, nevertheless, made a full, conscious and deliberate determination to execution each of your parents."

Speaking aft the sentencing, Det Supt Rob Kirby said McCullough was "an intelligent and adept manipulator".