A McLean mother, Veronica Youngblood, has been sentenced to 78 years by a jury for killing her two daughters in 2018.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Monday that the 37-year-old was sentenced to up was convicted her of four felonies last week, including two counts of first-degree murder (36 years each) and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a murder (3 years each).
Youngblood is accused of shooting her daughters, Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, in their McLean apartment in August 2018. The incident occurred after a custody dispute with her estranged husband, Ronald Youngblood.
According to the commonwealth's attorneys office, she told detectives that she planned to kill them and herself following a protracted custody dispute, which had Brooklynn set to move to Missouri with Veronica’s ex-husband, Ron, that weekend.
Youngblood is said to have purchased a gun on July 27th and, on the night of the killing, fed her daughters sleeping pill gummies before shooting them in their beds.
"Sharon and Brooklynn are two children that should be alive today,” Descano said. “I have an 11-year-old daughter who has her whole life ahead of her -- and it guts me to imagine her life cut short. This case is a terrible tragedy and I hope today’s verdict brings a measure of healing for the family.”
A sentencing hearing will be held on September 22nd to hear additional victim testimony and impose the final sentence.