UK - Lois and John McCullough, 70s, daughter accused of killing parents between 21 Aug 2018 and Sept 2023, Chelmsford, Essex, 15 Sept 2023

[Cedars]

Not trying to take away any of the blame from Virginia here but I do wonder why, over the course of those years, from 2018 to 2023, none of these sisters ever went to visit their parents ?

I totally agree. Their parents were older and unwell, and could have died of natural causes at any moment. Yet for years, even during Covid, the other relatives didn't care enough to insist on even saying hello on the phone. IMO, the killer daughter knew she could get away with it, because no one else in the family cared or would notice.

JMO

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1844794873855070287

 

[davidt]

I totally agree. Their parents were older and unwell, and could have died of natural causes at any moment. Yet for years, even during Covid, the other relatives didn't care enough to insist on even saying hello on the phone. IMO, the killer daughter knew she could get away with it, because no one else in the family cared or would notice.

JMO

Does feel really weird given their comments that apparently none of the other siblings either visited or tried to speak to their parents for years.

 

[Skigh]

Daughter sobs as she reveals where she hid murder weapon to hit mother

Virginia McCullough, 36, stabbed her mum Lois, 70, several times and hit her with a hammer 'like someone badly playing a xylophone' at their home in Chelmsford, Essex, four years ago.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Disturbing footage shows the moment a daughter breaks down sobbing as she reveals where she hid the murder weapon used to brutally hit her mother 'like a xylophone' after also killing her father.

 

[SpaceOdyssey]

Does feel really weird given their comments that apparently none of the other siblings either visited or tried to speak to their parents for years.

In the closing remarks it says she sent texts pretending to be her mother and even spoke to one of her sisters on the phone pretending to be her mum. She also sent preprinted Christmas and birthday cards to relatives in her parents name.

Not all families are close, either emotionally or geographically. It might have become quite normal to them to never visit and only hear now and then by text.

 

[davidt]

In the closing remarks it says she sent texts pretending to be her mother and even spoke to one of her sisters on the phone pretending to be her mum. She also sent preprinted Christmas and birthday cards to relatives in her parents name.

Not all families are close, either emotionally or geographically. It might have become quite normal to them to never visit and only hear now and then by text.

Yes but it jarrs with comments like these:

“We have been robbed of time and the loving bonds with our mum and dad for years to come. How dare she [Virginia] rob our family of this right. We are orphans due to this abhorrent and heinous actions for which she is solely responsible.

And did none of them ever want to speak to their father? Be interesting to know how well she could impersonate her mother to fool her sister.

 

[Cedars]

Yes but it jarrs with comments like these:

“We have been robbed of time and the loving bonds with our mum and dad for years to come. How dare she [Virginia] rob our family of this right. We are orphans due to this abhorrent and heinous actions for which she is solely responsible.

And did none of them ever want to speak to their father? Be interesting to know how well she could impersonate her mother to fool her sister.

Exactly, it was the overly melodramatic victim impact statements that jarred.

IMO, given the actual circumstances, the statements come across as just more dysfunctional family ill-will, trying to whitewash the neglectful members by over-the-top blame on the one.

IMO, a more truthful statement would have been that the parents deserved to live out their natural lives, and they themselves regret not having checked on their relatives in person.

JMO

 

[SpaceOdyssey]

For all we know the other siblings might live on the other side of the world. Or have had texts from Ginny pretending to be their mother telling them she never wanted to see them again. Or be chronically ill or disabled and unable to travel.
I can’t judge them for doing or not doing something that we have no information on.

 

[davidt]

For all we know the other siblings might live on the other side of the world. Or have had texts from Ginny pretending to be their mother telling them she never wanted to see them again. Or be chronically ill or disabled and unable to travel.
I can’t judge them for doing or not doing something that we have no information on.

That's possible but if that's the case why do they say they have been robbed of spending time with their parents? I just think there's probably a bit more to it. I'll hold my hands up and admit the first time I saw a photo of the parents I thought it looked very awkward and both didn't look well. Reading now that their mother was agoraphobic and had anxiety whilst the father may have been on the spectrum makes sense. I do wonder if Virginia inherited some of that. Perhaps other siblings kept their distance as a result? Virginia must have been very convincing as it wasn't any of the siblings who raised the alarm.

 

[dalsglen]

I strangely don't find it odd. Dad was said to be autistic and quite closed off emotionally while mum ocd and agoraphobic. How often do you think the parents wanted to see the kids? Particularly if the kids had their own kids. I think VERY rarely.

Christ, my brother could text me right now from dad's phone with a slight argument saying I'd upset mum and that would be that, no more, I'd believe it! Would I reach out? I dunno, I'm stubborn as fk. He could bump them both off and I'd spend years wondering what the feck happened whilst he still acted like my best friend.

 

[bobbymkii]

The nature of the relationship (or lack thereof) between Ginny Mc's older sisters and their now deceased parents is probably going to remain a secret so long as any of them choose for it not to be, and speak out publicly. Seeing as they are not the criminal here they are deemed as the family of the victims and are entitled to privacy. They even got described in court reporting as "Child A/B/C etc." which I found incredibly bizarre considering that all of them are now middle-aged women and this is usually a term used to describe witnesses/victims/defendants who are underage at the time of the reporting.

JMO

 

[Alyce]

For all we know the other siblings might live on the other side of the world. Or have had texts from Ginny pretending to be their mother telling them she never wanted to see them again. Or be chronically ill or disabled and unable to travel.
I can’t judge them for doing or not doing something that we have no information on.

dbm

 

[bobbymkii]

I also suspect that the legal side of this case might not be fully concluded, with regards to the fraud element. It was only really discussed today as a significant aggravating/culpability factor in sentencing for the murder charges. But even before Ginny Mc took her parent's lives she absolutely destroyed their finances, and I daresay (assuming the McCullough's owned the house) that having two decaying bodies in makeshift "tombs" for 4 years will significantly affect the value of their one remaining asset, the house.

So as well as taking the lives of their parents, Ginny has also caused significant financial damage to her older sisters who are John and Lois' next of kin and inheritors of their estate. They might want to do something about that in a court of law?

 

[Cedars]

I also suspect that the legal side of this case might not be fully concluded, with regards to the fraud element. It was only really discussed today as a significant aggravating/culpability factor in sentencing for the murder charges. But even before Ginny Mc took her parent's lives she absolutely destroyed their finances, and I daresay (assuming the McCullough's owned the house) that having two decaying bodies in makeshift "tombs" for 4 years will significantly affect the value of their one remaining asset, the house.

So as well as taking the lives of their parents, Ginny has also caused significant financial damage to her older sisters who are John and Lois' next of kin and inheritors of their estate. They might want to do something about that in a court of law?

Yes, that may be a source of the ire. Especially since she won't be paying anyone back. Personally, I don't think a lawsuit would be worth the cost of hiring a lawyer.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

For all we know the other siblings might live on the other side of the world. Or have had texts from Ginny pretending to be their mother telling them she never wanted to see them again. Or be chronically ill or disabled and unable to travel.
I can’t judge them for doing or not doing something that we have no information on.

I guess you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

 

[bobbymkii]

Yes, that may be a source of the ire. Especially since she won't be paying anyone back. Personally, I don't think a lawsuit would be worth the cost of hiring a lawyer.

JMO

Yep, we Brits aren't quite as crazy when it comes to civil law as they are in America.

With the infamous "Wagatha Christie" or "Colin the Caterpillar cake" legal sagas being notable exceptions to the rule.

I somehow doubt Ginny Mac will be paying her sisters back from her prison wages or royalties from any book she may write!

 

[bobbymkii]

My guess was 40 years, so close enough.

according to the full sentencing remarks it would have been 40 years, if she had plead "not guilty" and taken the case to trial

Rex -v- Virginia McCullough - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Crown Court at Chelmsford 11 October 2024 Before: Mr Justice Johnson Between: Rex -v- Virginia McCullough Sentencing remarks

www.judiciary.uk

 

[davidt]

The nature of the relationship (or lack thereof) between Ginny Mc's older sisters and their now deceased parents is probably going to remain a secret so long as any of them choose for it not to be, and speak out publicly. Seeing as they are not the criminal here they are deemed as the family of the victims and are entitled to privacy. They even got described in court reporting as "Child A/B/C etc." which I found incredibly bizarre considering that all of them are now middle-aged women and this is usually a term used to describe witnesses/victims/defendants who are underage at the time of the reporting.

JMO

I also thought describing themselves as orphans was pretty bizarre as well. Technically I guess it's correct but again it's not a word you'd usually associate with those who are middle aged.

 

[callmehenry]

Now she didn’t need to kill them and obviously could have just left and never seen them again but after reading about how her parents behaved you can kinda see how perhaps she just snapped one day. As someone who lived with ‘authoritarian’ parents that made my childhood hell, I can feel some empathy for her especially if the other children weren’t sharing the caring. Just to be clear, I’m not saying what she did was right nor am I condoning violence, I’m just explaining how I think she might have snapped.

 

[davidt]

A few more details from the BBC.

Why Virginia McCullough killed her parents and lived with their bodies

Movements at the McCullough family home were secretive, but neighbours could never have known why.

www.bbc.co.uk