A popular streamer has been accused of murder after attempting to cover it up with a fake YouTube livestream.
Stephen McCullagh, a streamer known for his Doctor Who and toy reviews, was arrested on December 19, 2022 after his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally, was found murdered. But McCullagh told the police that it couldn’t have been him since he had been broadcasting for six hours on YouTube the night she was killed.
But as police looked into McCullagh’s alibi, it was revealed that the 32-year-old had the video saved on his computer, meaning it was pre-recorded and not actually live at all. Meanwhile, CCTV footage showed McCullagh using taxis and public transportation during the time he was supposedly in his room. He could also be seen wearing a yellow glove under a black glove, which matched the cleaning glove traces left at the crime scene.
McCullagh hasn’t been announced guilty as of yet, but the evidence against him is mounting.
What happened in Stephen McCullagh’s fake livestream?
The livestream is still uploaded to McCullagh’s YouTube channel, and many are demanding that it be taken down in the comments.
In the video, McCullagh is wearing a Christmas hat and playing Grand Theft Auto. Multiple times during the video, McCullagh tells his viewers that there are a bunch of technical issues that wouldn’t allow him to interact with chat. He added that he could read chat on his phone but didn’t want to get too distracted by TikTok.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4L-N4BMPOA
“I can’t check the live chat, which is a real shame. I can’t look at the chat for some bloody reason because if I do it makes the whole thing freeze and OBS screws up,” he said.
Throughout the stream, there were other weird moments, like McCullagh constantly saying that he was at home and wasn’t planning to go out that night. He talks about crime being on the rise and also mentions his girlfriend’s name at one point, which creeped people out in hindsight. He then sings, “I need to kill this b—” at one point.
After he was arrested, McCullagh admitted to the livestream being pre-recorded. He still denied murdering his girlfriend, however and claimed that he was drinking at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTvGLtIChLc
As to why the YouTube video hasn’t been taken down, a YouTube spokesperson told
Sunday World: “Courts and government agencies around the world regularly send us legal requests. We have established processes in place to review these requests closely to determine if content should be removed because it violates applicable law or our policies.”
The YouTube community has reacted with dismay over the situation. Many instantly recognized McCullagh and were shocked that he had allegedly killed his pregnant partner since he had seemed so gentle and kind in his videos. Others remembered being inspired to watch Doctor Who or visit important landmarks from the show because of McCullagh’s videos, a memory that has since been ruined.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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