Virginia McCullough is a British woman who has been convicted of brutally murdering her parents, John and Lois. She lived with their remains for four years before she was arrested and charged.
John and Lois lived in Essex in England. The couple had five daughters together, Virginia was the youngest. The eldest four daughters moved away and Virginia continued living at home with her parents.
John was a university lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and published author. Media reports say that he was ‘on the autistic spectrum’ and ‘very much a man of routine’.
Lois was described by her children as having ‘OCD which would manifest as cleaning with disinfectant’.
There were rules about who used which towel in the bathroom and separating laundry for example. The other daughters have said that Lois had a fear of microscopic germs. They also described their parents as ‘old fashioned in their ways… not prone to displaying affection’.
A neighbor spoke to the media and said ‘Her parents were quiet and kept to themselves. They didn’t really mix at all,’ he said.
‘If you did see him, he would be scurrying around and looking busy. He would march out of his door and be off.
‘The mum was very dowdy and seemed to be shy, introverted and downtrodden. She would walk along, looking down at the pavement and not making eye contact with anyone.’
Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC would speak to the court about the upbringing that the girls had: ‘The defendant’s siblings speak of their upbringing as being one which involved discipline and being smacked when they were children.
‘One of the children used to wet the bed and was punished for it by Lois. Social services became involved for a period of time.
‘Notwithstanding this, John and Lois are described by the defendant’s siblings as “functional rather than affectionate”.
‘Also, “loving parents who did love and care for their children”, and “old fashioned in their ways not prone to displaying affection”.’
Virginia had claimed to police that Lois was angry and violent – a ‘happiness hoover’ who would smack her when she was bathed until she was 13 years old.
Virginia’s sister deny this though and said that she was ‘socially awkward’ and a ‘compulsive liar.’ The court would be told that Virginia once faked a pregnancy and miscarriage to her parents.
Virginia struggled in life. She had been unable to hold down a job. Her last known employment is thought to have been working as a barmaid in 2017.
Virginia has been said to have shown signs of having a personality disorder.
Neighbors of Lois and John have said they became aware of Virginia having moved in with them around five years ago – so around 2019.
The couple vanished without notice from the area. Virginia told anyone who asked that they had moved to a suburb called Clacton because they were ‘fed up with people gossiping about them’.
A friend of John’s has said that he was left shocked at his decision to leave without notice, considering they had met most Fridays for a drink at the local White Horse pub.
Another friend of the couple said that they received cards from them over the years. Police now believe Virginia wrote those cards in an attempt to get people to believe that her parents were alive and well.
I still have questions about how the rest of the daughters did not realize their parents were dead for four years. Virginia apparently cancelled family events and frequently told doctors and relatives her parents were unwell, on holiday or away on lengthy trips.
We know now that in 2019, Virginia murdered both of her parents. She poisoned her father with prescription medication that she crushed and put into his alcoholic drinks – then, a day later, she beat her mother with a hammer and fatally stabbed her. According to The Guardian, Virginia “beat her mother with a hammer and stabbed her multiple times in the chest with a kitchen knife bought for the purpose”.
Virginia “built a makeshift tomb” for John.
The structure, in a ground floor room of the family home, which had been John’s bedroom (the couple had slept apart for years) 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.”
Virginia put her mother’s body in a sleeping bag, within a wardrobe in her mother’s bedroom on the top floor of the property.”
It is believed that a lot of the motive for the murders was financial.
Court information states that Virginia “engaged in online gambling” and spent £21,193 in transactions related to gambling between June 1 2018 and September 14 2023.
She also “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 Virginia “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.
The prosecution said that the money had been “frittered away and the investigation has not revealed any expenditure on expensive, luxury or extravagant items”.
The murders were finally discovered following an investigation that started in 2023, four years after they occurred.
Concerns about the welfare of John and Lois were raised in September 2023 by a GP at their registered practice, and Essex County Council’s safeguarding team referred these to police.
The GP had not seen the couple for some time and said John had failed to collect medication and attend scheduled appointments.
It was found Virginia had frequently cancelled appointments, using a range of excuses to explain her father’s absence.
Police said a missing persons investigation was initially launched. Virginia initially told police that her parents were travelling and that they would return in October 2023.
It became a murder investigation, and when officers forced entry to the house on 15 September 2023, Virginia confessed her parents’ bodies were in the house and that she had killed them.
In October 2024, Virginia was sentenced. She has been jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years.
Mr Justice Johnson spoke at the sentencing and said: ‘You say you murdered them because you felt trapped. The reality is you were trapped only by your own dishonest behaviour.’
‘You are described by one of your sisters as a compulsive liar, but that hardly captures the elaborate and enduring web of deceit you spun over numerous years.
‘These murders were done in the expectation you would gain financially from your parents’ deaths. They were murders done for gain. You think more of money than you do of humanity.
‘Your conduct amounted to a gross violation of the trust between parents and their children.
Statements from three of the defendant’s siblings were read in court by prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC during the sentencing hearing.
One said that “our parents were completely blameless victims” and added that McCullough “deprived them of their retirement dream”.
Another said she felt “utterly sick to my core” and “Virginia always said mum and dad were fine and made up lie after lie about their daily activities”.
A third sibling said: “Their only mantra we lived by was that we, their children, are safe and happy.”
Addressing the defendant, the statement read by the barrister said: “You have left a hole in my heart forever and a piece of me died with them the moment you took them from us.”
In a joint statement after Virginia’s sentencing, extended family 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.’
SOURCE LIST
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/virginia-mccullough-murder-essex-great-baddow-police-arrest
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13950795/what-life-living-virgina-mccullough-like.html