Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA: Ron Youngblood, the former husband of Veronica Youngblood, was involved in a prolonged custody battle concerning their two daughters, Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5 in 2018, which came to a tragic end.
The culmination of their custody dispute resulted in a horrifying incident where the Virginia mother carried out a disturbing plan to seek revenge on her ex-husband by fatally shooting her own children.
On Friday, September 22, Veronica was handed a 78-year prison sentence for her heinous actions.
What led to the tragic shooting?
The events that led to this unimaginable tragedy began with a protracted custody dispute between Veronica and Ron over their two daughters.
Ron had initially intended to move to Missouri with both of his daughters, but he eventually agreed to take Brooklynn with him at Veronica's request.
The horrific incident unfolded in August 2018 when Veronica sedated her daughters with melatonin gummies, following which, she fatally shot them in their beds in their McLean apartment.
Brooklynn tragically lost her life at the scene itself, having been shot once in the head, while Sharon was struck once in the back and once in the chest, succumbing to her injuries later at the hospital.
What makes this tragedy even more heart-wrenching is that Sharon managed to make a distressing 911 call after being shot, informing the dispatcher that her mother was the assailant. The emotional toll of hearing Sharon's call during the two-week trial was so significant that jurors requested therapy to cope with the trauma.
Veronica later confessed to detectives that she had planned to kill her daughters and herself as an act of revenge stemming from the custody dispute with Ron.
It was during this devastating moment, with her teenage daughter lying mortally wounded, that Veronica called Ron to inform him that she had shot their children.
Veronica Youngblood claims insanity plea
Nine days before the horrifying murders, the Virginia mother had purchased the handgun that she would ultimately use to take her daughters' lives.
During her sentencing, Veronica, who grew up in Argentina, referred to herself as a "good mother" and cited that "something happened" in her brain, leaving her unable to explain her actions.
“I don’t know how to explain it, something exploded in my mind,” Veronica said reflecting on her daughters and the challenges she encountered while raising them. Further, the Virginia mother had presented an insanity defense during the trial, claiming that she heard voices, but this defense was rejected by the jury.
The jury ultimately recommended a 78-year prison sentence after hearing testimony during the sentencing phase, shedding light on Veronica's difficult upbringing in poverty, physical and sexual abuse during her childhood, and her turn to sex work as a teenager to support her older daughter.
Defense lawyers had sought concurrent sentences, which would have reduced the total sentence to 42 years.
However, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied this request, remarking, "Mothers and fathers have many responsibilities, but none is more grave than keeping their children safe. Tragically, their mother became the instrument of their death."
