The heartbroken former husband of a woman who tragically killed her two children after giving them melatonin-laced gummies has revealed that she saw them as "leverage" and decided to end their lives as an act of revenge.
Veronica Youngblood, who shot her two children, five-year-old Brooklynn Youngblood and 15-year-old Sharon Castro, at their McLean, Virginia home in August 2018, was recently sentenced to 78 years in prison.
The harrowing incident came to light when Sharon managed to call 911, informing them that she had been shot by her own mother. Jurors during the two-week trial heard the distressing 911 call, which left them deeply traumatized, leading to inquiries about the possibility of receiving trauma therapy.
In an interview with the New York Post, Ron Youngblood, a 52-year-old Navy veteran, expressed his belief that the horrific murders were a calculated effort by his ex-wife to inflict pain upon him. He emphasized that his daughters were used as "leverage" to manipulate him, knowing how much they meant to him.
The family had originally planned to move to Missouri together, but Veronica's last-minute change of heart led to a decision by the judge allowing Ron to take Brooklynn with him, as she was his biological daughter.
It was at this juncture that Veronica made the fateful decision to end the lives of both girls.
Ron stated, "When the judge made the decision I could leave with Brooklynn, she saw that she had no more tools to use against me, so she decided to get rid of them."
As Sharon lay mortally wounded, Veronica called Ron to express her hatred and reveal her heinous act.
Ron recounted, "She could do the one thing that could really hurt me and she had been trying it for years and she wasn't successful at it until she murdered my girls." He further expressed his shock, emphasizing that while he had considered the possibility of harm to himself, he never imagined she would harm their daughters.
Prior to her sentencing, Veronica Youngblood spoke for over 30 minutes about her daughters and the challenges she faced in raising them. She stated, "I've been a good mother, but something happened, I don't know how to explain it. Something exploded in my mind."
During the sentencing, defense lawyers sought concurrent sentences, which would have reduced the 78-year sentence to 42 years. However, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows upheld the jury's recommendation, stating that there was no reason to reduce the sentence.
He emphasized the gravity of a parent's responsibility to keep their children safe and acknowledged the mother's role in their tragic deaths.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, whose office prosecuted the case, expressed that while no outcome could bring the children back, the sentence was a measure of justice for the family.
Ron Youngblood, while having faith in the judge's decision, will continue to mourn the loss of his beloved daughters. He stated, "They weren't the most important things in my life - they were my life. That was all I really cared about. When she took that from me, it's something I'll never get back."
In another news, a man in Texas has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for orchestrating a murder plot against his landlord due to an impending eviction. See detailed story here
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