Essex Woman Calmly Confesses to Murdering Parents After Living with Hidden Bodies For Years

On Friday, Virginia McCullough, 36, was sentenced to 36 years in prison for the murder of her parents, John and Lois McCullough, whom she killed in the summer of 2019, according to Essex Police. McCullough was found to have poisoned both of her parents with prescription medications, with John, 70, reportedly dying as a result of the poisoning, while Lois', 71, cause of death was being stabbed and struck with a hammer.

While McCullough committed the crime in 2019, she wasn't arrested until September 2023, hiding the decomposing bodies of her parents in their home in Pump Hill, Chelmsford for over four years.

Essex Police released bodycam footage of McCullough -- see above -- on Friday, which was posted by The Sun.

As shown in the chilling video, McCullough admits to murdering her parents immediately upon her arrest, and goes on to horrific details about how she killed them.

After police arrive and she is handcuffed, McCullough tells the officers she will "cooperate" and asks if they can go inside so she "can tell them something."

"I need to tell you something about what's upstairs on the top floor as well," she added, before the officers agree and follow her into the house.

When they reach a room, McCullough calmly admits, "My dad's body is in there." When she then asked about her mom, she says it's a "little bit more complicated."

McCullough says her mother's remains are upstairs in a wardrobe "behind the bed at the back next to a sink."

She then begins to detail how she allegedly poisoned her father, while officers explain to her that they were there to arrest her and they can't "properly" question her until they get to the police station.

"I did know this would kind of come eventually. It's proper that I serve my punishment," McCullough says.

One of the officers reads her the statement he wrote detailing the information, and asks if she'll sign it. After clarifying details of the location of her dad's body, she signs the account.

"Cheer up, at least you caught the bad guy," she says, before cracking a smile.

"I deserve to get whatever's coming sentence-wise because that's the right thing to do and that might give me a bit of peace," she adds.

McCullough also tells officers where they can find her parents' bank card in a handbag, calmly admitting that she's used the card for "a lot of transactions" over "the last few years."

The video cuts to McCullough in custody, where she reveals to authorities the location of the knife she used to stab her mother.

She then starts to get emotional as she shares the "most grisly detail."

"So on the ground floor underneath the stairs, there's a few like storage boxes and things," McCullough says, choking up, "And in the middle, I think it's in both boxes or in a bag or something ... if you want me to shush after this, it's fine, but every bit helps ... it's a hammer."

"Yeah, I know. I know but I'm trying to help so you find everything," she continues. "... It will still have blood on it. It's rusted but will still have traces on it."

McCullough was arrested in September 2023 after her parents' doctor voiced concerns after they hadn't seen them, and noted that John hadn't picked up his prescriptions and missed scheduled appointments, according to Essex Police.

Police learned that McCullough had frequently canceled doctor's appointments on behalf of her father, launching a missing persons investigation.

Authorities said McCullough first told police that her parents were out of town and would be returning in October. However, police continued the investigation, and went to John and Lois' home, where McCullough was the only one living there.

In addition to murdering her parents, authorities discovered that McCullough had previously been abusing and manipulating her parents financially, and continued to spend her parents money after killing them, per Essex Police.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby described McCullough as an "intelligent manipulator."

"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," he told Essex Police. "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," Kirby continued. "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," he added. "The details of this case shock and horrify even the most experienced of murder detectives, let alone any right-thinking member of the public."

Meanwhile, 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."

"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," she added, calling the case "truly disturbing."