YouTuber given life sentence after GTA live-stream alibi used to cover up murder was proven fake
A YouTuber who used a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) stream as an alibi has been sentenced to life in prison.
Stephen McCullagh, a streamer who frequently uploaded gaming content to YouTube, was found guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally, in December 2022.
The YouTuber, who had roughly 42,000 subscribers, attempted to cover up the murder by claiming that he was at home live-streaming GTA Vice City while the brutal attack on McNally took place.
The video, which has been clipped by true crime podcasts, shows McCullagh in a Santa hat while supposedly live-streaming directly to YouTube.
McCullagh’s plan was to fake a live-stream of GTA Vice City on the night of the assault, so it would seem as if he was at home at the time of the attack.
The killer came home following the attack and returned to McNally’s residence the next evening to “discover” her body and report her death.
McCullagh called 999, the number for UK emergency services, and went as far as to implicate McNally’s former boyfriend, saying that he may be the perpetrator, according to the BBC.
However, CCTV footage captured McCullagh both on route to McNally’s home to carry out his premeditated assault and returning from her house after the attack.
McNally was brutally murdered by the father of her unborn child. She was beaten, strangled, and stabbed at her home and left to die.
While McCullagh never admitted his guilt, prosecutors suggest that his motives may have stemmed from McNally’s communications with other men.
It was revealed that McCullagh had the PIN for her phone and discovered messages to other men, some sexually explicit in nature and others claiming that she was considering leaving McCullagh.
The streamer maintained his innocence across eight separate police interviews over 44 days before the police proved the “live” stream was pre-recorded, according to Kotaku.
McCullagh claimed during the fake live stream that he couldn’t interact with subscribers, as is typical of live streams, due to technical difficulties.
The police proved that the stream, sinisterly titled “Violent Night,” was filmed four days before the murder, making his flimsy alibi void.
Alongside eerie references to violence, including the James Bond film “No Time to Die” flashing on screen, McCullagh said during the stream that he needed to "kill this bitch” and “take her down,” referring to a GTA mission.
McCullagh actually referenced his girlfriend during the stream 10 minutes later, saying "Abso-fucking not-ally, abso-fucking Natalie," according to reports.
After coming home from McNally’s, the streamer had deleted the six-hour “live” stream as well as texts he had sent to his pregnant girlfriend before uploading another video to his YouTube channel.
McCullagh continued life as normal, even attending memorial services for his victim and checking in on McNally’s family.
While the trial itself was reportedly long and emotional, the jury only needed two hours of deliberation to return the guilty verdict.
The convicted killer could be seen nodding his head once the guilty verdict was announced, BBC journalists report.
The judge commended the jury, telling them they would never have to sit through another trial because of the graphic and gruesome nature of the evidence presented.
McNally’s family could be heard cheering and celebrating that justice had finally been served.
A separate hearing will be held on May 15th, 2026, to discuss the minimum sentence McCullagh will receive for the vicious murder.
Since the trial, McCullagh’s YouTube channels have been removed for violating creator responsibility policies, a YouTube spokesperson told BBC Newsbeat.
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