A Virginia Woman Was Jealous Her Mother Seemed to Love Her Sister More. Then, She Shot Both Dead.
Megan Hargan got two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of her mother and sister in 2017.
A woman's jealousy of her mother's love for her sister grew so intense that she decided to kill both. Now, she'll spend the rest of her life behind bars as a result.
A jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, recently convicted Megan Hargan of two counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder. Hargan killed her mother, Pamela Hargan, and sister, Helen Hargan, in July 2017.
Evidence showed that Megan Hargan was angry because she thought her mom favored Helen, according to Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano. She was also upset after her mom refused to wire her $400,000 so she could buy a new home.
The crime scene initially appeared to be a murder-suicide, but as police investigated, Hargan became a prime suspect.
According to NBC Washington, Hargan made two attempts to fraudulently move money from her mother's accounts on the day of the killing and a day earlier, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said they determined Hargan's sister, Helen, didn't commit the murder because of the angle of the bullet. "Someone put the gun to the top of her head and pulled the trigger, and it went straight down to her neck. That's how you get a wound like that," a prosecutor said, according to NBC Washington.
Hargan was arrested about 18 months later after a grand jury indicted her.
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Descano released a statement after the verdict.
“We in Fairfax County have no tolerance for such disregard for human life and I am committed to addressing crimes of this magnitude with the seriousness they merit. We will be asking for a substantial sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime,” Descano said.
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On Jan. 26, Descano announced that a judge sentenced Hargan to serve two consecutive life sentences for the murders of her mother and sister.
She was also given six years for two weapons charges.
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