On 15 September 2023, armed police forced their way into a house in the Essex village of Great Baddow. Inside, Virginia McCullough calmly told officers she was a double murderer, and showed them where to find her parents' bodies. She had kept them both hidden for more than four years.
In this episode, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes examines how a full-time carer stole from, deceived and killed the elderly parents who depended on her. She also explains how the killer then managed to keep up the pretence that her victims were still alive.
In this episode
- The police raid and the extraordinary bodycam footage of McCullough's arrest and confession
- Life in a close-knit village, and how Virginia appeared to those around her
- How she gained control of her parents' finances, and where the money went
- The fake texts and phone calls to her sisters, and the phone records that exposed them
- The GP surgery staff whose "professional curiosity" led to a welfare check
- The planning and events of June 2019
- How she hid the bodies and carried on as normal
- The court case, the judge's sentencing remarks, and the life sentence with a minimum term of 36 years
Kerry's psychological insights
- Why McCullough seemed so calm and matter-of-fact when police arrived, and what lay behind her closing remark to the officers
- How lies, debt and an out-of-control gambling addiction can trap someone
- Why Kerry sees this story as one of domestic abuse: financial abuse, gaslighting and, finally, lethal violence
- Why McCullough's claim that she felt "trapped" by caring for her parents doesn't hold up
Featuring
- Kerry Daynes, forensic psychologist and presenter
- Graham Bartlett, crime author and former Detective Superintendent
- Matt Lee, journalist, Essex Live
- Debbie Pollard and Rachel Murray, who ran the village flower shop
Content note: This episode deals with murder, financial and domestic abuse of elderly people, and addiction. Listener discretion is advised.
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