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·
        9 months 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·
          9 months 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·
            9 months 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·
              9 months 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.

      • Fixbeat@lemmy.mlEnglish
        263·
        9 months ago

        Laced means tainted with something. These are melatonin gummies she bought at cvs, probably.

        • StarManta@lemmy.worldEnglish
          131·
          9 months ago

          If she told the kids they were just eating regular gummies rather than sleep inducing ones, then “laced” is still appropriate here.

        • Nougat@kbin.social
          15·
          9 months ago

          Homeopathy is where you dilute something so many times that there are statistically zero molecules of it left in the substance you’re diluting it in, and that somehow makes it more potent. (Narrator: It doesn’t.)

          Melatonin is an actual substance that tells your brain, “Hey, you’re pretty tired, you should be sleeping right now,” and it’s hella effective and extremely safe.

        • Entropywins@kbin.social
          2·
          9 months ago

          Nah they have melatonin gummies and pills for a sleep aid and regular doctors will recommend them I take em a lot to help sleeping during the day I’ve been on night shift for 5 years or so and these help out here n there.