A Fairfax County, Virginia, jury — that convicted Veronica Youngblood of shooting and killing her two daughters in 2018 in their McLean home — will meet again Friday morning to hear closing arguments in her sentencing hearing.
The jury rejected the defense’s argument Wednesday that Youngblood was not guilty by reason of insanity, and convicted Youngblood of two counts of first degree murder, and two counts of felony firearm use.
During nearly two weeks of trial, Youngblood’s public defenders said she was hearing voices telling her to kill her daughters — Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn, 5, — as a result of years of Youngblood enduring physical and sexual abuse.
The defense said Youngblood had never denied killing her daughters. Jurors had seen a videotaped interview with investigators, hours after the killings, when she acknowledged she was guilty and deserved the death penalty.
However, prosecutors portrayed Youngblood as a selfish, calculating woman who was angry at her ex-husband for his plans to move to Missouri with Brooklynn. Prosecutors said Youngblood bought a handgun nine days before the shootings, for the specific purpose of killing her daughters and herself, and gave the children sleeping pill gummies so they would be defenseless when she shot them.
Jurors had heard the 911 call from Youngblood’s older daughter, begging for help after telling the dispatcher her mother had shot her.
Friday, jurors will hear the rest of closing arguments, which began Thursday, before deliberating and suggesting an appropriate sentence for Youngblood. She could face up to life in prison for each murder conviction.
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows will have the final say in pronouncing Youngblood’s sentence.
