A YouTuber accused of murder faked a 6-hour livestream to produce an alibi

A YouTuber from Northern Ireland has admitted to faking a six-hour livestream on the platform to produce an alibi for a murder case.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that Stephen McCullagh was initially ruled out as a suspect in the murder of Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed to death in her home on December 18, 2022. The 32-year-old has since been taken into custody and produced in court after police suspected that his livestream alibi was pre-recorded content.

What police revealed about YouTuber Stephen McCullagh's fake livestream for false alibi

Last Thursday, prosecutors told the Lisburn magistrates' court that they had reason to believe Stephen McCullagh's livestream during the time of the murder was orchestrated. They claimed it was a pre-planned video that was produced to give him a fake alibi, adding that the crime was carefully planned and executed.

The video that McCullagh used was an alleged six-hour pre-recorded session of him playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with a Christmas hat under the YouTube username of Votesaxon07. His channel has about 37K subscribers.

When McCullagh was initially arrested the day after the murder took place, the video helped him get away without suspicion. However, on closer inspection of the footage and live chat, the police established that it was fake.

A senior detective revealed that McCullagh told his audience that he would not be able to talk to them during the 'livestream' due to technical issues.

Police have revealed that the defendant has owned up to the fact that he pre-recorded the session and has given them a written statement. However, the YouTuber maintains that he had no part in McNally's murder.

The senior detective further revealed that McCullagh left his phone at the victim's parents' house to listen in on conversations and check if they were suspicious of him.

The YouTuber's bail appeal was rejected by the court after prosecutors warned that he might try to tamper with witnesses or evidence. With this being the case, he remains in ramanded judicial custody.

While there have been no further updates from the case, support for the grieving family has been pouring in from many quarters. This includes McNally's favorite Premier League football team, Everton.

About the author

Richik has been specializing in streamer content at Sportskeeda for over 2 years. He also manages a group of writers who craft relevant news and features about content creators on platforms like Twitch, Kick, and Rumble. Prior to Sportskeeda, he interned at The Ken and worked as a reviewer at Blacksof where he fact-checked educational content.

Richik’s love for writing, researching, and archiving, along with his inquisitive nature and longstanding love for video games led him to pursue a career as a gaming journalist. He relies on primary sources for accurate information and ensures that his drafts are proofread, fact-checked, and well-researched.

As a child, Richik spent many a summer vacation playing the 1994 Road Rash with his cousins. Although more of an FPS and open-world fiend now, Richik enjoys single-player RPGs with compelling storytelling, such as The Last of Us franchise, and regularly teams up with his friends to play multiplayer titles like Valorant on PC.

Richik enjoys watching streamer and former esports athlete Shroud, and also finds inspiration in MrBeast's journey to become one of the most well-known content creators worldwide. Interviewing English-Somali YouTuber Sharky, a member of the renowned Beta Squad, was a career highlight for him.

When not writing, Richik likes to read, watch a movie or a game of football.

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