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Christopher McCullough was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and larceny of a dog.


Raleigh man convicted of beating mom to death; will serve life in prison

a chance for for a new life. Through faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins, we can be forgiven and receive eternal life. This means acknowledging your sin, turning away from it, and trusting in Jesus's sacr. Repentance is not just an act of remorse, but a genuine change of heart and a commitment to following God's way, and it's up to you to choose whether to accept God's offer of forgiveness. You will be in prison. I pray for the rest of your life for the brutal murder of my sister, who is so loved by. She was compassionate, loving, always thinking of others, a gift of joy to this world. While in prison, I encourage you to seek God's forgiveness and repent for this grave sin. It is up to you if you'll be damned to the fires of hell for eternity, or have eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will continue to pray for you, Michelle Fitzgerald. Your Honor, from Chloe and mother Jennifer, they want you to know that there are moments in our lives that leave permanent scars on our hearts, our minds, and our families. That day, the day Kyland witnessed the brutal murder of his grandmother, was one of those moments. It changed everything. She was more than just his grandmother, she was a part of our daily lives. She was the one who made him feel safe, loved and protected. And now she's gone, taken from us in the most horrifying way in. Tyler saw someone who loved more than words be ripped away from them. That image will never leave him. He doesn't sleep the same, he doesn't laugh the same. There's a sadness in his eyes no child should ever carry. We can't begin to describe the helplessness we feel as a mother and grandmother, watching him try to make sense of something so cool and senseless. He asks us questions no child should ever have to ask, and we don't have the answers. A life was taken that day, a life that meant everything to us. And in that moment, something was taken from Kyland too. His sense of safety, his innocence, his ease. The trauma he carries now is one no child should bear. We live in the aftermath every single day. We carry the weight, we sit in silent shoes to fill, and we do our best to survive something that should never have happened. We ask the court to understand the depth depth of what was lost, not just the beautiful soul we bury, but the light that was dimmed in Kyland's eyes and in the hearts of. Your Honor, when I said in my closing argument, he not only killed Mary McCullough, but he killed Kyman's childhood. Um, I have spent weeks trying to get him just to talk about what happened and you know that's what I do every day, all day, and I've worked with children who witnessed trauma, who've experienced trauma, but never have I seen a child at such a young age who um was terrified to speak with me. It took him 20 minutes to come out of the tent to talk to me. Um, and speaking with Chloe and Jennifer, they said when he was in the back room, the reason he was all over the place is he was worried that the defendant would jump scare him and pop his head onto the screen. He's so hyper vigilant about everything that happens, um, and is worried, as you heard and when we did our remote testimony hearing that his mom will die and his Mimi will die and John will die and then he. Um, one of the things that struck me in preparing, um, and speaking with his therapist is she explained that one of the things about children who witnessed or experienced trauma at such a young ages, they don't know how to express it like you and I can. And she said to me something that I'll never forget, especially in dealing with any children, but. with Kyland is as he grows and is able to talk about what happened, he has to re-experience the trauma and they're just trying to have him process it. He will be in therapy for a long time and I know that Chloe and Jennifer would say that Tara has done phenomenal things with Kyland, but it's things that never should have been done. The jury heard a little bit about the defendant's criminal history, and I just handed it up to your Honor, but you can see a long pattern of assaultive behaviors starting from, um, simple assault, assault on a female in 2012, uh, assault strangulation in 2014, another assault on a female in 2017 along with this drug and alcohol-related charges. Um, your Honor. I think from John and Mary's perspective, they did everything they could do to make sure that we were never. this day and certainly not be in a courtroom where he actually killed his own mother, um, and to senselessly take it away from her, um, in the manner which she did in front of Kyland is just completely unacceptable. There is no other sentence other than life in prison without the possibility of parole, and I know that, Your Honor, but I would ask you to consider running the violation of a protective order consecutively to that. Thank you. You Yeah, we just ask that you run the protective order violation uh concurrently with the murder charge. Um, I'm appointed in this matter. I believe I have 90,91 hours in the case which I believe comes up to 7000. You will need to submit that for the Capital Defender's office and they process it and send it to me later. Um, Mr. McCulloch, is there anything you'd like to say? Uh You don't have to, but if you want to now, uh, just that I love my son, uh, Chloe and my father, and, uh, I also love my mother. That's it. OK. Um, I don't have a statue painting, uh, class is the DVD of our. All right. I understand the police, this jury had convicted, um, the defendant of first-degree murder. The only sentence authorized by law for that crime is life without the possibility of parole. So I sentenced Mr. McCulloch in um. 23 CR 391269 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. I recommend to the division of Adult Corrections that Mr. McCul received a mental health assessment and any treatment that's available to him also that he received a substance abuse assessment and any treatment available to him. Um, In 23 CR 30 excuse me, 380344. The jury having convicted Mr. McCulloch of a domestic violence protective order violation, that's a class A one felony. He's a prior record, excuse me, Class A one misleading. He's a class. He's a level 3 for sentencing purposes. Having more than 5 prior convictions. I will send him to. 150 days. In a misdemeanor confinement facility, that sentence is to run the expiration of the previous. Anything else for the for the. All right. Mr. Sheriff, yes, Your Honor. What does the appeal must appeal being entered up the court with further notice required. I'll the appellate defender to represent. the fellow man. Oh Can I do that. Oh, I see it. Yeah. Um, Mr. Sheriff, please place this session of the Wake County Criminal Superior Court into adjournment. Sign it up. All rise, please stand. Oh yes, it is. The Court is now adjourned. Sign up. God save the state dissolve the court stay. Thank you very much. Yeah.

Murder sentence: Father testifies about son's beating

Christopher McCullough

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Level 1 risk for storms Friday, May 2, 2025

Police surround north Raleigh home to serve warrant in apparent barricade situation

Barricade at north Raleigh home

3rd person charged in kidnapping of girl and her mother from Garner home

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A Moore County teenager, 17-year-old Kaleb Kelly, is on the road to recovery after being shot and robbed in a parking lot incident in Aberdeen.


Moore County teen recovers after parking lot shooting; three arrests made

Kaleb Kelly

The Canes will face off against the Washington Capitals, who eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in five games on Wednesday.

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Washington (CNN) -- The long-resilient jobs market continues to defy expectations -- even in the wake of swirling uncertainty.

The US economy added a stronger-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April

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Triangle Food Guy Sean Lennard has the details on new restaurants opening in the area, including the return of Red Hot & Blue to Raleigh.


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Clarence Roberts of Fayetteville was exonerated in 2025 after serving 12 years for a murder he did not commit, thanks to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. But the commission's future is threatened by proposed state budget cuts.


As exonerated man enjoys freedom, NC Innocence Commission on the chopping block

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According to Cardinal Gibbons High School and the Diocese of Raleigh, a new Catholic high school will open to students starting in the fall of 2028 in Cary.


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Akari Express in Raleigh's Mission Valley shopping area off of Western Boulevard had a small kitchen fire early Friday.


Mission Valley restaurant's kitchen catches fire

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Private school leaders should be allowed to let teachers, parents and others carry concealed weapons on campus, North Carolina lawmakers said Thursday.

NC bills would allow concealed handguns for teachers, parents and others in private schools

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A 2-year-old child is safe after good Samaritans discovered her walking alone alongside Denim Drive in Erwin Wednesday morning.


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Each week, we'll post a new weekly table of prices for 11 staple grocery items to help you compare across multiple Triangle area stores.

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