Virginia McCullough - life sentence for killing parents
Virginia McCullough - life sentence for killing parents
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Wheel Turned Out

Original Poster:

2,017 posts

60 months

Friday 11th October 2024
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Killed her parents, her mother particularly brutally, then lived with their corpses in the house for four years while frittering away their life's earnings. Grotesque. Something about her calm demeanour in the bodycam footage makes it even more unsettling.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ywjvwe01no

(Apologies if posted/discussed elsewhere, couldn't find a thread on it)

ETA - Also realising now I missed out the 'u' in her name. Typo joys.

crofty1984

16,766 posts

226 months

Friday 11th October 2024
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The body cam is so weird

Wacky Racer

40,478 posts

269 months

Friday 11th October 2024
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Throw away the key. She knew what she was doing.

Miocene

1,573 posts

179 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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crofty1984 said:
The body cam is so weird
This. Really weird. Think she was happy to be caught?

fido

18,327 posts

277 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Miocene said:
crofty1984 said:
The body cam is so weird
This. Really weird. Think she was happy to be caught?
Well she literally says "it might give me a bit of peace". Wondering why she did it in the first place?

Gecko1978

12,302 posts

179 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Something is odd. She is 1 of 5 and the other 4 did not see parents since 2019, she kept the bodies in the house etc, didn't try an leave the country etc.


Derek Smith

48,538 posts

270 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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I'm going to open a thread called: 'Could Virginia McCullogh be Innocent?'

The evidence against her is purely circumstantial apart from her confession, and there used to be a say: If you can't prove it without a confession, you can't prove it with. In other words, it is unreliable. There are so many questions the situation leaves unanswered.

I'll collect real evidence from the internet initially I think.

Gad-Westy

16,133 posts

235 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Derek Smith said:
I'm going to open a thread called: 'Could Virginia McCullogh be Innocent?'

The evidence against her is purely circumstantial apart from her confession, and there used to be a say: If you can't prove it without a confession, you can't prove it with. In other words, it is unreliable. There are so many questions the situation leaves unanswered.

I'll collect real evidence from the internet initially I think.
I found the video stuff really chilling and quite bizarre. In your experience DS how unusual is it for a suspect to be so matter of fact about something like that?

Derek Smith

48,538 posts

270 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
quotequote all
Gad-Westy said:
I found the video stuff really chilling and quite bizarre. In your experience DS how unusual is it for a suspect to be so matter of fact about something like that?
In my experience.

A high percentage of offenders have some form of mental problem. A common one, at least for lesser crimes, is depression. Many of the minor shoplifting offenders fall into this category. There's a reason for every action though, but often, even the offender doesn't know why. Never, ever, use logic when questioning why they acted the way they did.

One of the most serious offences, a series of offences going over about 6 years, I had was an uncle who abused his nephew. We brought him to the nick, got a detective sergeant of some ability to deal (a requirement due to the nature of the offence and method of trial) and he got a full and frank confession even before the juvenile liaison officer got into work. The DS reckoned he spoke too fast for him to write it down and the offender got a little irritated.

There's a family history in this case. I have no idea what it might reveal, but murders of members of the family don't happen in isolation. I'm not suggesting the parents were at fault in any way or had 'it' coming of course. I would assume she gave reasons, but I don't reckon you can trust her point of view. She might tell the truth as she sees it, but it is probably a distorted view.

After 30 years in the job, the one conclusion I came to that is irrefutable is that everyone is weird in their own way, and that's not only offenders, but everyone else, including me and you, as well. It's all down to degree.

I watched a programme on autism, the first thing of note being that the term is like the word fish. It means nothing specific and cannot be defined. But one question that was asked was how do we know they are the odd ones. Many are 'normal', but different to what is accepted by the rest. But look around you at some of those in this normal group and work out if those with autism are nearer you than they. My time in the job makes this a difficult question to answer.

G-wiz

2,682 posts

48 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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stting hell.

I've dated things like that before.

Lotobear

8,539 posts

150 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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nuyorican said:
I don't understand the purpose though of this new trend of publishing body-cam footage of arrests. transparency of the process I hope rather than freak-show voyeurism.
Absolutely this 100%

mwstewart

8,346 posts

210 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Always fascinating to see deranged people. Forensic psychology must be a very interesting job.

hotchy

4,778 posts

148 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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G-wiz said:
stting hell.

I've dated things like that before.
True, but as they say, you've not lived if you've not tried a bit of crazy. Lucky you got out..

Jamescrs

5,779 posts

87 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Miocene said:
This. Really weird. Think she was happy to be caught?
I suspect as she has been living with it for years it must have crossed her mind that at some point someone is going to come knocking to look for her parents, living with that in her head every day for years.

Probably a relief in some respect it has happened.

Getragdogleg

9,787 posts

205 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Yeah, its not often that the dark side of human nature presents itself so openly and that is such a strange set of clips, she's discussing it like its nothing much and is very matter of fact.

Real WTF ? for that.


Jonmx

2,868 posts

235 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Sociopath through and through. The acknowledgment of guilt was without emotion, and there was no emotional response to being told she was being arrested. Most people would be in shock at having the door kicked in and being red dotted by a police officer with a taser. I doubt she genuinely believes she's done anything wrong.
When I was plod we had a chap come to the front desk and he confessed to killing his wife as she'd been nagging him. I did cell guard with him and while conversation was kept to a bare minimum (you have to write it all down in your pnb) it was clear that he was remorseful and he ended up hanging himself whilst on remand. After that shift I remember actually feeling sorry for the bloke as well as his wife. I believe most murders are heat of the moment incidences with regret afterwards. This woman however hasn't an ounce of remorse and will likely spend the rest of her days at our expense.

Foss62

1,679 posts

87 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Gecko1978 said:
Something is odd. She is 1 of 5 and the other 4 did not see parents since 2019, she kept the bodies in the house etc, didn't try an leave the country etc.
Yes - this is very strange. People fall out with one or sometimes both parents, but it seems unbelievable that four children would not have any contact with either parent for five years.

BikeBikeBIke

13,036 posts

137 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Derek Smith said:
I'm going to open a thread called: 'Could Virginia McCullogh be Innocent?'

The evidence against her is purely circumstantial apart from her confession, and there used to be a say: If you can't prove it without a confession, you can't prove it with. In other words, it is unreliable. There are so many questions the situation leaves unanswered.

I'll collect real evidence from the internet initially I think.
The two bodies in the house she lived in is pretty good evidence. ...and the fact she knew where the murder weapon was hidden

Otispunkmeyer

13,528 posts

177 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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Miocene said:
crofty1984 said:
The body cam is so weird
This. Really weird. Think she was happy to be caught?
I can imagine that having to spin lies for 4 years whilst the bodies sit a few metres from you every night probably gets a bit wearing.

Mikebentley

8,173 posts

162 months

Saturday 12th October 2024
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I couldn’t sleep well on Thursday night. I think it was -2 in Worcestershire overnight. Could you imagine sleeping every night with the bodies of your parents metres away?