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Virginia McCollough, a 36-year-old woman was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murders of her parents, John and Lois McCullough.
Virginia was sentenced to life in prison October 11, with possibility of parole after 36 years.
The murders occurred in 2019, when McCollough poisoned her 70-year-old father, leaving him to die in his sleep, before killing her 71-year-old mother the next day. In a chilling attack, she bludgeoned her mother with a hammer before resorting to stabbing her multiple times.
McCollough then concealed their bodies, living alongside them for over four years while continuing to collect her parents’ pensions and selling their assets.
John, a retired business studies lecturer, and his wife Lois moved to Clacton, Essex, after retirement, where they were active community members.
Despite being well-regarded by neighbours, their daughter Virginia, who lived with them, was known for her eccentric behaviour.
The shocking discovery came after a GP raised concerns when the elderly couple missed multiple medical appointments. Despite an initial visit by police where McCollough offered false explanations about her parents’ absence, a second investigation led to the horrifying discovery of John’s mummified body and Lois’s remains stuffed in a wardrobe.
McCollough had concocted elaborate lies to cover up her heinous acts, claiming her parents were either on holiday or avoiding contact due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Her deception extended to portraying herself as a web designer, while she secretly drained her parents’ finances to fund her gambling addiction, spending over £20,000 online.
The court heard that McCollough meticulously planned the murders, accumulating prescription drugs to poison her parents and resorting to physical violence when her initial plans failed. She exhibited no remorse during her arrest, making a chilling joke to police, “Cheer up, you’ve caught the bad guy.”
During sentencing on October 11, 2024, Mr Justice Johnson handed McCollough a life sentence, with a minimum term of 36 years before eligibility for parole. Her actions were described as a gross betrayal of the trust between parents and their children. The judge highlighted her cold-blooded calculation, noting the months of planning that preceded the killings.
In a statement, John and Lois’s family expressed their devastation over the loss of their beloved parents, remembering them as devoted family members who cherished their time together.
They requested privacy as they continued to grieve, expressing heartbreak over the cruel manner in which their parents were taken from them.
Virginia McCollough’s horrific acts have left everyone in shock, as details of her deception and the gruesome nature of the murders are set to be explored in an upcoming Channel 5 documentary, ‘Killed by our daughter: The McCullough murders.’
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