A Virginia woman has been convicted of killing her mother and sister then staging the crime scene so it would appear to be a murder-suicide.
Fairfax County prosecutors said Megan Hargan, 39, attempted to hide her involvement in the 2017 double murder by making it appear as though her sister, Helen Hargan, 23, shot her mother Pamela Hargan, 63.
Megan was ultimately convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm. Jurors recommended she serve two life sentences.
Prosecutors believe the animosity between Megan and the rest of her family was born of jealousy and greed. They claim that Megan believed her mother favoured her younger sister, and also reportedly refused to give her $400,000 to buy a home.
“Obviously, committing a murder is one of the worst things you can do, but then also trying to pin that on another victim, on your own sister, really goes to show, quite frankly, the depravity of this act,” county prosecutor, Steve Descano told NBC4. He called the murders “a tragedy all for money.”
The defense insisted the incident was a murder suicide, as Megan claimed. The prosecution rejected that, pointing to a bullet wound on the top of Helen's head as evidence a gun was pointed at the top of her head the bullet traveled through her skull and into her neck.
Megan's defense attorneys argued the prosecution had the events backwards; they claimed Helen pointed the rifle up under her chin and fired the rifle into her skull, pulling the trigger with her toes. They also claimed she was wearing a sock, which explained why her fingerprints were not found on the trigger.
Her surviving sister, Ashley, testified against her during the murder trial, and wept when the final verdict was read. Even after the verdict was read, Megan has maintained that she is innocent.
Megan was reportedly attempting to make fraudulent cash transfers from her mother's bank account the day she killed the two. Prosecutors claimed that she used a .22 caliber rifle to shoot both women to ensure they wouldn't stop her transfer.
Mr Descano, said after the conviction he would seek a "substantial sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime."
“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,” he said, according to Law & Crime.
Ultimately, jurors recommended life in prison for both murder counts. Her final sentencing hearing is scheduled for 28 October.
