A Virginia woman was convicted of murder on Monday for killing her mother and sister nearly five years ago and making it look like a murder-suicide.
A jury found Megan Hargan, 39, guilty on two counts of first-degree murder after killing her family members in an apparent bid to steal more than $400,000 to pay for a new house. The verdict brings an end to the yearslong legal battle that underwent several delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“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,” said Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, according to WUSA 9. “We will be asking for a substantial sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime.”
Hargan had pleaded not guilty to the charges, with her lawyers arguing the evidence was largely circumstantial. The jury recommended a life sentence for each murder count. A judge is expected to set a sentencing hearing in the next couple of weeks.
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Detectives initially suspected the incident was a murder-suicide after police found Pamela Hargan, 63, and Helen Hargan, 23, dead in their Virginia home in July 2017, specifically that Helen killed her mother with a rifle before committing suicide.
However, after a 16-month investigation, authorities began to suspect Megan Hargan had actually killed the pair and carefully arranged the scene to resemble a murder-suicide and arrested her in 2018.
Throughout the 13-day trial, prosecutors detailed a plot in which Megan Hargan sought to steal nearly $420,000 to purchase a new home by impersonating her mother. The home closing deal was reportedly scheduled around the same time as the murder. Megan Hargan had tried to transfer the money from her mother’s bank account to her own days before the incident, according to the Washington Post. However, her plan was thwarted when Pamela Hargan received a notification from her bank and froze her account.
Prosecutors said Megan Hargan killed her mother and sister to keep them from interfering and then staged the scene and sent fake text messages between their cellphones to make Helen look guilty.
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In the days following the slayings, police began to put together a different picture. They discovered the gunshot wounds on Helen Hargan were not consistent with a self-inflicted shot, and Megan Hargan’s DNA was found on the rifle’s bag as well as other evidence collected at the scene.
