Overview

• Virginia McCullough was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2024 for murdering her parents, John and Lois McCullough, in June 2019 and concealing their bodies for nearly four years.
• Her sister, Louise Hopkins, has publicly forgiven Virginia but stated she will not visit her in prison, citing the need to maintain peace in her life.
• Hopkins expressed enduring guilt and trauma, reflecting on her estrangement from her parents since 2018 and the dysfunction within their family.
• Virginia exploited COVID-19 lockdowns to evade detection, using her parents' finances to fund personal expenses, including gambling away over £21,000.
• The murders were uncovered in 2023 after a GP raised concerns, leading to a police investigation that revealed the concealed remains in their Chelmsford home.