'Shocking and monumental in scale': UK woman sentenced to life after killing parents, living with bodies for four years

A UK woman has been sentenced to

life in prison

for the

brutal murders

of her parents, after living alongside their decomposing bodies for several years.
Virginia McCullough

, 36, was handed a minimum sentence of 36 years on Friday, for the killings of her parents, Lois and John McCullough, in their

Great Baddow

home. The case came to light in September 2022, when a concerned doctor alerted authorities after the couple missed multiple appointments and prescriptions, prompting an investigation by

Essex Police

.

The bodies of John and Lois, who were 70 and 71 at the time of their deaths, were found inside the home. John's body was hidden in what Virginia described as a “homemade mausoleum,” while her mother’s remains were found in a sleeping bag in an upstairs wardrobe.
When police visited the McCullough family home, Virginia initially told them her parents were travelling, a lie she had maintained to doctors, friends, and family throughout the pandemic. However, authorities soon became suspicious and searched the house. Bodycam footage shared by the

BBC

shows Virginia directing officers to her parents’ remains, confessing, “I did know that this would kind of come eventually, and it’s proper that I serve my punishment.”

Virginia confessed to killing her father by poisoning him in the summer of 2019. She crushed prescription medication and added it to his drinks. Fearing her mother would discover the truth, Virginia later sedated Lois with the same drugs before fatally beating her with a hammer and stabbing her multiple times. “When I was hitting her, it was like someone badly playing the xylophone. It was willy-nilly,” she told police, as quoted by PEOPLE.

Investigators determined that Virginia's motive was financial. She had been manipulating her parents for years, running up debts on their credit cards and spending their pensions after their deaths.
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby, of Essex Police, called Virginia an “intelligent manipulator” who lied about almost every aspect of her life. He described her actions as “shocking and monumental in scale.”
The family of John and Lois expressed their devastation in a statement, saying, “Our Mum and Dad are forever in our hearts, and are loved and missed beyond any measure.”
Virginia McCullough will serve at least 36 years before being eligible for parole.