Natalie McNally murder trial: Stephen McCullagh told police the 'true killer left a trail' to link him to her death
A section of a police interview conducted with the man accused of murdering Natalie McNally was played to the Belfast Crown Court jury on Friday.
Stephen McCullagh from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, denies the Lurgan woman’s murder.
During the 14th day of a trial into her murder at Belfast Crown Court, a video recording of a portion of an police interview following his re-arrest was played.
The jury of six men and six women have already heard McCullagh was arrested the night after the murder, released from custody the following evening and on December 24 his solicitor was informed that he had been released from his bail and had been de-suspected.
McCullagh was re-arrested at the end of January 2023 and on January 31 and February 1 he was interviewed eight times.
Throughout most of the interviews, on the advice of his solicitor he declined to answer the questions and gave a 'no comment' response.
These questions which McCullagh declined to answer included whether he was aware Ms McNally was texting other men when she was at his home on Saturday, December 17 or if he was near or at her home on the evening of Sunday, December 18.
He was also asked whether he had any concerns about Ms McNally's ex-boyfriend, his IT skills and whether he was at home live streaming on YouTube the night Ms McNally was murdered.
McCullagh was also asked, and refused to answer, what made him drive to her home on the evening of December 19, the 999 call he made and whether or not he performed CPR on her.
In addition he was asked if he used public transport or a taxi on December 18, his clothing and whether or not he owned a beanie hat.
He also answered 'no comment' when asked how he felt about Ms McNally's pregnancy, whether they were in an open relationship and why he conducted internet searches on vasectomy procedures.
During an interview conducted on February 1, McCullagh told police he never had access or keys to Ms McNally's house then spoke about the "trauma" of December 19.
He told police "I keep replaying coming up the stairs and finding her ... I remember the paramedics coming up the stairs and saying 'I'm sorry, there's nothing more we can do.'
"And the next thing I know I was in the back of a police car ... and four police officers are standing there and saying I was under arrest on suspicion of murder."
A recording of a portion of another interview conducted on the evening of February 1 was then played to the court.
In it, McCullagh was told that officers from the PSNI's cyber crime unit had examined his computer and determined that when he claimed he was live streaming from 6pm to midnight on Sunday, December 18, there was no user activity on his laptop.
He was also shown CCTV footage of a male getting into a taxi in Lurgan that evening and a male getting out of the same taxi at his address.
He was then told by an police officer that the 'person of interest' got a bus from Dunmurry to Lurgan at 7.37pm then walked from Lurgan centre and arrived at Silverwood Green at 8.52pm.
The officer said the person of interest spend 39 minutes in Ms McNally's home then walked back into Lurgan before getting into a taxi which dropped him off in Lisburn at 11.13pm.
After being shown a clip of this male getting out of the taxi at Woodland Gardens in Lisburn and walking up the path to his house, McCullagh was asked "is that you?" to which he replied "no comment”.
Asked "if that's not you, who was it?", he again replied "no comment”.
He was then told by the officer that "our enquires so far" suggested "that you are the male on the CCTV and we believe that male on the CCTV is the person who murdered Natalie”.
Asked if he had "any explanation" for how Ms McNally sustained the fatal injuries, McCullagh once again said "no comment”.
The jury also heard details of a pre-prepared statement provided to police by McCullagh towards the end of the interview process.
In it, McCullagh described the case against him as "circumstantial" and said the CCTV footage "never clearly shows the identity of the person and I deny it is me”.
He also denied owning a pair of trainers worn by the person of interest and said that as he was a smoker and had asthma he would "struggle to walk the distances" taken by the perpetrator.
Regarding the male getting out of a taxi from Lurgan to Lisburn outside his house, McCullagh said: "It seems that the suspect did take a taxi to my house.
"I have no idea who this person was but I think it is obvious that the true killer of Natalie has left a clear circumstantial trail to link me to the murder.
"I have no idea where they went after they entered my property but they could easily have jumped a fence and made their way out without being seen."
In his statement, McCullagh also admitted he had recorded the stream on the night of December 14 and into the early hours of the 15 then put it out on YouTube on Sunday 18.
He claimed that on the evening of Sunday 18 he had consumed Buckfast, Guinness and Baileys and that Ms McNally would be disappointed in him as he promised he wouldn't drink until their baby was born.
McCullagh also said: "I was asleep for most of the evening following the consumption of alcohol."
At hearing.