Veronica Youngblood: Convicted mother killed two daughters, 5 and 15, as revenge on ex-husband
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA: Veronica Youngblood, a woman from Virginia, was found guilty of killing her two young daughters in what the prosecution claimed was a sick plot to exact revenge on her ex-husband who intended to leave the country with one of the girls.
Youngblood, 37, admitted killing her children Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, and Sharon Castro, 15, but she claimed she was insane at the time and chose to plead not guilty, according to Washington Post. The jury, however, did not believe that mental illness had a significant role in the killings. They found Youngblood guilty of two charges of first-degree murder and two counts of felony firearm usage on Wednesday, March 22.
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Who is Veronica Youngblood?
Youngblood was a former sex worker who defense lawyers claimed had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse by her own family, according to Washington Post. Fairfax County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Kelsey Gill characterized Youngblood as a spiteful, self-centered, and intentional murderer during the trial.
Youngblood's defense lawyer, Fairfax County Public Defender Dawn Butorac, said that the defendant, who was born in Argentina, lived in poverty as a child and later turned to prostitution after giving birth to her oldest daughter at the tender age of 16. Butorac claimed that she was also hearing voices and started practicing a religion from South America, whose adherents think they can speak to the dead.
'This case goes well beyond merely having a mental illness'
Youngblood reportedly called Ron Youngblood, her ex-husband, while her teenage daughter lay dying and informed him that she had shot the children because she hated him. Ron had intended to relocate to Missouri with the couple's youngest child. The prosecution claimed that she killed the children as revenge.
Prosecutors disputed the defense's claim of Youngblood's insanity and claimed that she was acting dishonestly. Prosecutor Claiborne Richardson stated, "This person wants to manipulate, this person wants to lie, ensue chaos, all for this person's personal gain. Ms. Youngblood is spiteful, selfish, vengeful and calculated," according to Washington Post.
During closing arguments, Gill stated, "This case goes well beyond merely having a mental illness. This goes well beyond depression. This goes well beyond PTSD. This goes well beyond being suicidal."
How did Veronica Youngblood murder her children?
Youngblood confessed to killing her children to investigators on audiotape and claimed that she deserved the death penalty. Gill informed the jury that Youngblood had purchased a firearm nine days prior to the murders. She also gave her kids sleeping gummies so they couldn't intervene during her attack in their McLean, Virginia, apartment.
The Washington Post reported that Little Brooklyn was shot in the head and died there and then. Sharon was shot twice, once in the chest and once in the back, but she survived long enough to dial 911 and report that it was her mother who had fired the shots. She later died in the hospital.
