A northern Virginia mother who sedated her daughters with melatonin-laced gummy bears before fatally shooting has been sentenced to 78 years in prison.

A northern Virginia mother who sedated her two daughters with melatonin-laced gummy bears before fatally shooting them was sentenced Friday to 78 years in prison.

Veronica Youngblood, 38, was arrested in August 2018 after shooting daughters Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, in their apartment in McLean. Castro survived long enough to call 911 and tell a dispatcher she had been shot by her mother. Jurors heard a recording of that call during a two-week trial that was so traumatic that jurors inquired about whether they could receive trauma therapy.

Youngblood told detectives that she planned to kill them and herself following a protracted custody dispute. Ron Youngblood, her ex-husband, told The Associated Press after the hearing that he had wanted to move to Missouri with both daughters but had reluctantly agreed to take only Brooklyn after his ex-wife objected.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
      30·
      1 year ago

      IANL but I bet the gummies added substantially to the sentence as it showed premeditated intent. Feeding someone something and waiting vs snapping in the moment and killing.

      • finthechat@kbin.social
        102·
        1 year ago

        You’re on the right track, but in the article they say the crime was determined to be premeditated because she bought the gun just a week prior to the murders.

        • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
          113·
          1 year ago

          What if I just go buy a gun, and while holding it have an existential crisis and shoot myself or family?

          I’m sure it happens. Ever stand at the edge of a cliff and wonder about how easy it’d be to just take a step over? That kinda thing.

          Gummies would convince me better beyond a reasonable doubt vs they just happened to buy it recently. (Edit unless it was bedtime and it was a normal thing)

          But that’s just me. Also BOTH is even more proof than just one or the other.

          • finthechat@kbin.social
            87·
            1 year ago

            I’m not arguing with you and I don’t know why you’re responding to my post like we’re having a debate. I do not care either way. I was pointing out that the thing you were guessing about was written concretely in the article.