Crime Va. Mom Who Killed Daughters in Plot to Exact Revenge on Husband, Then Called to Tell Him, Gets 78 Years Veronica Youngblood gave her daughters sleeping pill gummies before shooting them in their beds By Christine Pelisek Christine Pelisek Christine Pelisek is a senior crime writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2014. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 28, 2023 02:11PM EDT A Virginia woman who fatally shot her two daughters was sentenced by a jury to up to 78 years in prison Monday. Veronica Youngblood, 37, was convicted last week of killing Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, on Aug. 5, 2018, in their McLean home. She had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, the The Washington Post reported. "Sharon and Brooklynn are two children that should be alive today," Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said, the Post reports. "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." According to prosecutors, Youngblood told police her plan was to kill her children and then turn the gun on herself. She wanted to exact revenge on her ex-husband, who was scheduled to move to Missouri with Brooklynn that weekend. Veronica Youngblood with her daughter Sharon Castro. Fairfax County District Court Va. Mom Murdered Her 2 Daughters, Then Called Their Father to Tell Him What She'd Done Youngblood bought a gun on July 27 and, on the night of the killing, gave her daughters sleeping pill gummies before shooting them in their beds, prosecutors said. Brooklynn was shot once in the head and Sharon twice, according to the Post. Before Sharon died, she was able to call 911 and talk to officers on the scene. "She said her mom came into the room and said, 'I'm gonna take you to see God,' and then shot her," an officer testified, NBC4 reported. Brooklynn died at the scene. Youngblood was taken into custody after she called her ex-husband and left a voicemail telling him she loathed him and admitting to the killings, according to NBC4. Veronica Youngblood. Fairfax County Police Department Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Youngblood's attorney claimed she had been physically and sexually abused and was hearing voices that commanded her to kill her daughters prior to the murders, WTOP reported. Jurors also found Youngblood guilty of gun charges. Her attorney could not be reached for comment. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.