Evil Lives Here is examining the horrific case of Veronica Youngblood, who murdered her two children during a custody dispute with her ex-husband in Fairfax County, Virginia.
On August 5, 2018, in her apartment in McLean, VA, Veronica killed her two daughters, 15-year-old Sharon Castro and 5-year-old Brooklynn Youngblood.
The killer sedated the two girls with melatonin-laced gummy bears before shooting them with a handgun she had purchased a few days previously. The kids were shot as they lay in bed.
Sharon survived long enough to dial 911 and tell a dispatcher her mom had shot her.
The traumatic call was later replayed during Veronica’s trial, causing some jurors to request therapy.
Brooklynn died in her bed, but Sharon passed away a short time later in a hospital.
Veronica Youngblood killed daughters to upset her ex-husband
Veronica called her ex-husband, Ron Youngblood, after the shooting to tell him he had killed the girls and that she hated him.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe couple had been involved in a lengthy custody battle, and Ron wanted to take the girls to his hometown in Missouri. He had recently told her he would take only Brooklyn.
Ron was not Sharon’s biological father, but he was reportedly heavily involved in her upbringing and treated her as his own.
Veronca’s legal team argued insanity as a defense, but ultimately, she was convicted of murder, and a jury recommended a sentence of 78 years.
Fairfax County judge sentenced Veronica Youngblood to 78 years for murder of kids
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows had the power to lower the sentence but not to increase it. He chose to keep it at 78 years.
Judge Bellow told the killer, “Mothers and fathers have many responsibilities, but none is more grave than keeping their children safe.” He added, “Tragically, their mother became the instrument of their death.”
Veronica’s legal team had requested leniency due to her difficult upbringing. She grew up in poverty in Argentina and was sexually abused and beaten by family members on a daily basis. She had later resorted to sex work to provide for her early daughter.
At her sentencing, Veronica said through a Spanish interpreter that she had been a good mother but that “something exploded in my mind.”
Ron Youngblood said he knew his ex-wife hated him, but “never once did I imagine that she could do anything like that to our girls.”
Evil Lives Here airs Sundays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.