He pretended to play video games live. It was a trick to cover up his pregnant girlfriend's murder.

Stephen McCullagh gets at least 31 years in prison for the brutal death of Natalie McNally in Northern Ireland.

When we watch someone stream online, we trust they are actually there. A young mother-to-be trusted her partner, but he used that online trust to hide a dark crime.

WHAT HAPPENED

Stephen McCullagh, 36, will spend at least 31 years in prison. A court in Northern Ireland found him guilty of killing Natalie McNally. She was 15 weeks pregnant with his child.

In December 2022, someone attacked McNally in her home in Lurgan. At the same time, McCullagh appeared to be playing the game Grand Theft Auto on YouTube. The video stream lasted six hours.

But police looked closer at his computer. They found he recorded the video four days before the attack. He just made it look live to give himself a fake story.

What the evidence shows

• A 6-hour YouTube stream used as an alibi.
• The video was recorded 4 days before the murder.
• Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed.
• A 5-week trial ended with a guilty verdict.
• A judge sentenced the killer to a minimum of 31 years in prison.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

How do we protect ourselves in an era where anyone can fake their digital presence? We rely on digital footprints to prove where we are every day, but this case shows how easily that data can be twisted.

It forces us to ask how deep police must dig to find the truth when our screens can lie so easily.

THE OTHER SIDE

McCullagh said he did not do it during the five-week trial. His team tried to show he was not at the scene of the crime.

But the proof of the fake video stream made his story fall apart. The idea that he was home playing games did not hold up once digital experts checked his files.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

For the family of Natalie McNally, the long trial is finally over. But the pain of losing a daughter and her unborn baby will never go away.

Courts and police will likely look much closer at digital proof in future cases.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW

Why did he plan this crime in such detail?

• Were there other digital tricks he tried to use that police did not find?
• How will online sites prevent pre-recorded videos from being shown as live streams?