Veronica Youngblood, a Virginia mother of two sedated her daughters with melatonin gummies before fatally shooting them. Where is she now?
In August 2018, Veronica Youngblood fatally shot her two daughter; Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, to death.
Her motivation behind this horrific murder is believed to be a revenge plot against her ex-husband.
Veronica Youngblood, 37, was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder Wednesday in Virginia before receiving a hefty sentence on September 22, 2023.
Below is everything we know about her crime, motivation and her ex-spouse.
Who is Veronica Youngblood?
Veronica Youngblood is a 38-year-old woman who grew up in Argentina.
She was married to her ex-husband, Ron Youngblood, and the duo were are parents to two children and lived in Virginia together.
They have two daughters whose names are Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5.
On August 5, 2018, Veronica murdered her two daughters after drugging them with melatonin gummies in a chilling revenge plot on her ex-husband.
What did Veronica Youngblood do to her daughters?
Youngblood shot her daughters on August 5, 2018, in a Mclean, Virginia, apartment when they were asleep then called her ex-husband, Ron Youngblood, to tell him what she had done as her child lays dead, The Washington Post reported.
She was upset that her ex-husband would move to Missouri with one of their daughters, so she bought a gun nine days before and reportedly gave Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, sleeping gummies, per prosecutors.
The 5-year-old died at the scene after being shot in the head while the oldest daughter was shot in the chest and back but died later at the hospital.
After being shot, the 15-year-old daughter made a 911 call at the apartment to inform officials of what had happened.
Youngblood pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but did eventually admit to officials that she fatally shot her children.
The defense attorney for the mother, Fairfax County public defender Dawn Butorac, claimed Youngblood had been sexually abused by her family and had become a sex worker at a young age to support having a baby at 16.
Butorac also explained Youngblood was “hearing voices.”
But prosecutors have not been convinced by these claims.
“This case goes well beyond merely having a mental illness,” Fairfax County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelsey Gill said during closing arguments.
“This goes well beyond depression. This goes well beyond PTSD. This goes well beyond being suicidal.”
It took a day for the jury to come to a conclusion after hearing testimony from first responders, mental health professionals, and investigators assigned to the case.
Testimonies also came from Youngblood’s sister, ex-husband, and ex-boyfriend about events that led her to shoot her daughters.
“This person wants to manipulate, this person wants to lie, ensue chaos, all for this person’s personal gain,” said prosecutor Claiborne Richardson.
“Ms. Youngblood is spiteful, selfish, vengeful, and calculated.”
After admitting to shooting her daughters, Youngblood said she deserved the death penalty, according to a tape.
Where is Veronica Youngblood now?
Virginia mother Veronica Youngblood, 38, was sentenced to 78 years in prison Friday, September 22, 2023.
Youngblood was handed down the hefty sentence after the former sex worker was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony firearm use in March.
Youngblood told detectives that she planned to kill them and herself following a protracted custody dispute.
The mom of two called herself a “good mother” at her sentencing, saying “something happened” in her brain.
“I don’t know how to explain it, something exploded in my mind,” she said via a translator during a 30-minute speech about her girls and the hardships she faced while raising them.
Youngblood presented an insanity defense at trial, claiming she heard voices, but it was rejected, per NYPost.
The jury recommended 78 years in prison after hearing testimony during sentencing that the killer mom grew up in poverty, was physically and sexually abused as a child and turned to sex work as a teen to support her older daughter.
Defense lawyers asked that the two sentences run concurrently, which would have reduced the sentence from 78 years to 42 years, which Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows nixed.
“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,” he said.