'Cheer up, you caught the bad guy': Moment callous daughter confesses to murdering parents as she is jailed for life
11 October 2024, 16:05 | Updated: 11 October 2024, 16:27
Astonishing moment woman confesses to Essex Police that she killed her parents
This is the moment a callous daughter who killed her parents and hid their bodies in their own home for four years calmly confesses her shocking crime to police.
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Cold-hearted Virginia McCullough was arrested last year four years after murdering her parents John, 71, and Lois, 70, at their home in Pump Hill, Chelmsford. Today, she was sentenced to life.
The 36-year-old went to extensive lengths to conceal her actions, with police describing her as an "intelligent manipulator".
She also blew away £150,000 of cash in their name for a gambling addiction.
Shocking body-worn camera footage just released by Essex Police shows the moment she was finally caught after her father's GP raised the alarm over missed appointments - at which point she confessed on the spot.
The video, released today after the sentencing, shows the remorseless killer telling officers how she killed and hid her parents in flippant detail.
At one point she tells a shocked officer to "cheer up" because he caught a killer.
She said: "I did know that this would come, eventually. It's proper that I serve my punishment, so, yeah."
To cover her tracks, Virginia McCullough told persistent lies about their whereabouts, frequently telling doctors and relatives her parents were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips, Essex Police added.
Her actions were uncovered after her parents' GPs raised concerns over missed appointments and police forced entry to the home on September 15 2023.
In the moments afterwards, she confessed to what she had done, the force added.
McCullough "built a makeshift tomb" for her father, who had worked as a university lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC told the court.
The structure, in a ground floor room of the family home, which had been Mr McCullough's bedroom and study, was "composed with masonry blocks stacked together".
It formed a "rectangular tomb" and was "covered with multiple blankets, and a number of pictures and paintings over the top", Ms Wilding said.
She concealed the body of her mother, wrapped in a sleeping bag, within a wardrobe in her mother's bedroom on the top floor of the property," the barrister said.
Documents found at the property showed she had run up large debts on credit cards in her parents’ names.
After their deaths, she continued to spend their pensions.
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 prosecutor said the defendant "engaged in online gambling" and spent £21,193 in transactions related to gambling between June 1 2018 and September 14 2023.
Ms Wilding said that McCullough "made arrangements to ensure that she continued to enjoy the benefit of the pensions that continued to be paid in their names" after the deaths of her parents.
The prosecutor said McCullough "benefited from" £59,664.01 from the state pension and £76,334.58 from Mr McCullough's Teacher's Pension between June 18 2019 and September 15 2023.
Ms Wilding said money appeared to have been "frittered away and the investigation has not revealed any expenditure on expensive, luxury or extravagant items".
'Missed beyond any measure'
In a joint statement, the family of John and Lois said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Essex Police, and in particular the Major Investigation Team for their tireless work in trying to achieve the best possible justice for our beloved parents.
“We would also like to thank other specialist services for their invaluable contribution to this investigation, and to everyone who has supported our family over the last year.
“Our Dad was caring and hardworking and he had a passion for education and writing. He worked tirelessly in his career in university education, which spanned many years.
“Dad enjoyed lots of hobbies, with particular favourites being golf and snooker.
“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.
“She had friends from around the world through her penfriend hobby, many of whom she had written to for several decades. Mum had a passion for history, and maintained a keen interest in the royal family.
“Mum and Dad loved their trips to the seaside together, where they enjoyed many walks and visited lots of different attractions.
“Their love for the seaside was so great, they were hoping to move to the coast in their retirement years.
"Mum and Dad always enjoyed the time they spent with us, family was their pride and joy.
“Our family has been left devastated and heartbroken at the deaths of our parents who were taken from us so cruelly.
“As we try to move forward with our lives, we will remember the happy times we enjoyed with them.
“Our Mum and Dad are forever in our hearts, and are loved and missed beyond any measure.
“We request privacy as we continue to grieve the loss of our dear parents.”
'An intelligent manipulator'
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby said: “Virginia McCullough murdered her parents in cold blood.
“Her actions were considered, meticulous and carried out in such a way as to conceal what she had done for as long as possible.
“These were the actions of someone who had taken time to plan and carry out the murder of her parents in the interest of self-preservation and personal gain, before living within meters of the bodies of her two victims for a number of years.
“Throughout the course of our investigation, we have built a picture of the vast levels of deceit, betrayal and fraud she engaged in. It was on a shocking and monumental scale.
“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.
“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.
“The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public.
“It therefore follows that the wider family of John and Lois, understandably, could never have guessed or anticipated that McCullough would be capable of undertaking these murders before committing herself to this level of deceit.
“They have been left utterly devastated by the circumstances of this case and they continue to feel the loss of John and Lois each and every day.
“This process, from the finding of John and Lois’ remains, to the unravelling of McCullough’s web of lies, has taken a huge toll on the wider family network.
“With this sentence and with all that we have uncovered throughout our investigation, we hope they can now start to find a way forward with their lives.
“The family have continued to struggle with the intense media interest in this case and I would repeat, in the strongest possible terms, their wish for their privacy to be respected as they continue to grieve their loss.”
'Truly disturbing'
Nicola Rice, a Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:“McCullough callously and viciously killed both of her parents before concealing their bodies in makeshift tombs within their home address.
“She spent the next four years manipulating and lying to family members, medical staff, financial institutions, and the police, spending her parent's money and accruing large debts in their name.
“Working with the police we built a strong prosecution case to show the level of McCullough’s deceit both before and after the killings, which helped deliver a guilty plea, thereby sparing the victims’ loved ones the pain of a trial.
“This was a truly disturbing case, which has left behind it a trail of devastation, and I can only hope that the sentence passed today will help those who loved and cared for Lois and John begin to heal.”
