‘No, no, no!’: Woman lashes out in court during sentencing for murdering her 2 daughters to spite her Navy pilot ex-husband
‘No, no, no!’: Woman lashes out in court during sentencing for murdering her 2 daughters to spite her Navy pilot ex-husband
Veronica Youngblood murdered her daughters Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, and Sharon Castro, 15. (Mugshot: Fairfax County Police Department)
Virginia woman and convicted murderer Veronica Youngblood, 37, was thrown out of court for killing her two daughters, Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, and Sharon Castro, 15, during a sentencing hearing.
“No no no!” she screamed Thursday, according to WUSA. Youngblood reportedly continued to scream even as the judge cleared the room.
Fairfax County jurors on Wednesday convicted Youngblood of two counts of first-degree murder and felony use of a firearm. According to The Washington Post, she fatally shot Brooklynn and Sharon on August 5, 2018, in their apartment in the McLean community. Brooklynn was shot in the head and died at the scene. Sharon, despite suffering gunshot wounds to her chest and back, was able to call 911 and reveal that her mother had shot her. She died in hospital.
Prosecutors say that at the same time Sharon Castro called police, Youngblood left a note for her ex-husband, Ron Youngblood, telling him that she had shot their children and that she hated him, according to prosecutors.
“The suspect, 33-year-old Veronica Youngblood, was found in Loudoun County after an acquaintance called police when Youngblood knocked on their front door,” Fairfax County police said in 2018.
Prosecutors say she killed her children to get revenge on her ex, who planned to move to Missouri with their younger daughter.
“This person wants to manipulate, this person wants to lie, follow chaos, all for this person’s personal gain,” said prosecutor Claiborne Richardson. “Miss. Youngblood is malicious, selfish, vindictive and calculating.
Authorities said defendant Youngblood bought the gun nine days before the murders with the intention of using it on her daughters. She gave them sleeping pills before the incident.
Youngblood pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense brought allegations that relatives subjected her to physical and even sexual abuse while growing up in Argentina. Pregnant at 16, she ended up working sex jobs to take care of her younger sister and raise Sharon. The defense reportedly said she met Ron Youngblood through sex and the couple married in 2009. Brooklynn was born in 2012.
Veronica spoke about her experience of surviving poverty and abuse. Her sister, Maria Kaczuba, testified about defendant Youngblood practicing a religion called Umbanda, whose followers believed they could communicate with the dead, according to the Post.
“I don’t live in a world where it’s black or white,” Fairfax County Public Defender Dawn Butorac reportedly said. “I live in a world where there are a lot of shades of gray. And that’s what we’re seeing here.”
Ron, who was deployed overseas during the relationship, sat in court Thursday as Veronica testified and accused him of their daughters’ deaths.
“Why did you leave me?” defendant Youngblood called to him. WUSA described the man as stoic. “Why did you leave me alone with the girls? None of this would have happened!”
Ron Youngblood testified about the pain he experienced at the loss of his daughters. He spoke of the memorials he erected to them in Chantilly, Virginia, and in his hometown, Missouri, both bearing the same inscription.
“Children are real miracles,” say the memorials, according to Ron Youngblood’s testimony.
Jurors were scheduled to continue deliberating on defendant Youngblood’s sentence on Monday. He must decide between a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
