Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
“She Called to Say I Killed Them” is an episode of Evil Lives Here that will air on ID on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET. The episode will delve into the murders of Brooklynn Youngblood, 5, and Sharon Castro, 15, by their mother, Veronica Youngblood.
Veronica Youngblood shot both her daughters on August 5, 2018, before Sharon managed to call 911 and inform first responders about the shooting. The killing occurred only days before Brooklynn was supposed to move out to Missouri with her father, Ron Youngblood. Prosecutors argued that Veronica admitted that she wanted to kill her children and then herself as a move to get revenge on her ex-husband, People Magazine reported.
Brooklynn was shot in the head and died immediately, while Sharon was shot in the back and the chest. The latter was rushed to the hospital but eventually succumbed to her injuries. The Washington Post noted that following their separation, Ron and Veronica Youngblood were involved in a custody dispute, which ended in a decision that the family would move to Missouri. However, Veronica changed her mind shortly after that since she wanted to stay in Virginia.
As per the outlet, Ron and Veronica Youngblood were married in 2009, and the accused’s defense team argued that he was an abusive husband. Prior to that, Veronica was allegedly a victim of sexual and physical abuse from family members. She got into sex work shortly after having Sharon at the age of 16.
What was Veronica Youngblood convicted of?
Although she confessed to killing her daughters only a little while after the murders, Veronica Youngblood pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. She was 38 years old when she was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of both Brooklynn Youngblood and Sharon Castro. She reportedly gave her children melatonin-laced sleeping pill gummies on the night of the murder. Veronica then shot them while they were in bed, AP News reported. As per another report by The Washington Post, she was also found guilty of two counts of felony firearm use.
The court found that Veronica bought a gun one week before the murders. This was after the court ruled that Ron could have custody of Brooklynn, his biological daughter. During the trial, Ron said that Veronica had been using his daughters as leverage, knowing they meant the most to him. He also confirmed that she likely killed the children out of the hatred she had for him, Fox News reported.
Per The Washington Post, Veronica Youngblood was sentenced to 78 years in prison. The court identified her crime as a typical case of “filicide.” This a term used for cases where the parent killed the children. The sentencing came five years after the crime was committed. Meanwhile, Ron Youngblood expressed his wish for the court to sentence Veronica to life in prison. He also denied all allegations of abuse that the defense had made against him.
Evil Lives Here’s upcoming episode will air on ID on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
