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Man Allegedly Warned Colleague Of His 'Quirks' Before Strangling Her During Date

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Megan Newborough

“You would run for the hills if you heard them all at once”, Ross McCullum said about his “quirks” in a text conversation with Megan Newborough. 

McCullum, 30, has since been accused of murdering the 23-year-old, with whom he worked in Leicestershire, England, on August 6, 2021 after a month-long romance.

On July 15, Newborough had questioned her coworker about these quirks after he hinted at an unnerving side of his personality.

He shared, “when you get to know me more you will see haha, I have my moments when I can be a nice and caring guy too.” 

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Only a month later, that very same text conversation was found in her deleted tab, when her phone was found in a hidden patch of grass near Woodhouse Eaves. Not far from her phone, authorities say, laid her remains.  

Ross McCullum is accused of strangling Megan Newborough to death.

The two first met at Ibstock, a brick company, where they both worked in different departments. Over the course of a month, they connected over flirty text messages, some of which ultimately became sexual. 

Eventually, McCullum inevitably invited Newborough over to his empty home — which he usually shared with his parents. 

The prosecution revealed that some of these sexual exchanges gave an interesting “insight” into McCullum’s secret personality. 

Prosecutor John Cammegh KC said, “sometime between 8:15 pm and 8:50 pm… the defendant, Ross McCullum, murdered Megan Newborough at his home address in Coalville, Leicestershire. 

Jurors listened to the horrible story of how McCullum allegedly strangled her and then cut her throat repeatedly with a knife, bringing her body back to her Citroen C3 to dispose of it.

In an attempt to cover his tracks, McCullum was said to have left multiple voicemails and sent many text messages to her phone over the course of the night after dumping her body. 

"You are f--king amazing", texts McCullum to Newborough, followed by three kiss emojis and a smiley face —minutes after he allegedly dumped her body. 

The prosecutor tells the jury that these were “deliberate actions carefully calculated and carefully executed to cover up Megan's murder and his role in it”. 

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McCullum's defense team is arguing "insanity, claiming that he never meant to murder Newborough, but rather had a 'loss of control.'" 

​Two years prior, McCullum had begun taking medication for a new ADHD diagnosis but recently had stopped taking them because he believed they "hindered his sleep and sex drive." 

On the night of the alleged murder, McCullum told police that Newborough tried "touching him intimately," which he told her to stop.

He then says that Newborough refused and slapped him.

McCullum claims he couldn't help but strangle her — it was nothing more than a "loss of control" triggered by past emotional and sexual trauma. 

Cammegh says the defense is inadequate, arguing that it is a “cynical self-serving lie told at Megan’s expense in order to concoct an excuse to avoid the responsibility of murdering her.”

McCullum admits to manslaughter charges but continues to deny her murder.

"The violent manner of Megan’s death leaves no room for doubt that the defendant intended to do so," prosecutors continue to insist.

His behavior "conclusively exposes the fact that he was not momentarily struck by an irresistible wave of emotion or other disability of the mind, but that he was a cunning and resourceful murderer,” the prosecution explains. 

Unveiling the horrific details of her tragic death has only begun, as the trial at Leicester Crown Court continues. 

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Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango. They cover topics ranging from pop culture analysis to human interest stories. They are currently based in East Lansing, MI. Catch up with them on their Instagram or TikTok.