Woman sentenced for killing her mother, sister over 'financial feud' and staging a murder-suicide

McLEAN, Va. (TCD) -- A 41-year-old woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars for fatally shooting her mother and her younger sister in 2017 shortly after trying to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from her mom.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Jan. 26 that a judge sentenced Megan Hargan to two consecutive life sentences for killing her sister, 24-year-old Helen Hargan, and her mother, 63-year-old Pamela Hargan. Megan Hargan was also given six years for two weapons charges.

On July 14, 2017, Fairfax County Police responded to a home in the 6700 block of Dean Drive to a report of a possible killing. Further investigation revealed the scene was "staged to appear to be a murder-suicide," officers said.

According to Descano, the defendant fatally shot her mother and sister with a .22 rifle in Pamela Hargan’s home, where they all lived. Megan Hargan tried to make it seem like her sister killed their mother before taking her own life.

The weapon reportedly belonged to Megan Hargan’s husband and was stored in the house.

According to Descano, Hargan was in the process of purchasing a home in West Virginia at the time and "resented that her mother, Pamela, wasn’t helping her financially but was at the same time helping her sister Helen to buy a house."

On July 13, 2017, Hargan reportedly tried to transfer around $400,000 from her mother’s bank account to buy a new house, which was closing that day. According to the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, the attempt was blocked and flagged as fraud.

Hargan reportedly tried to make the same transaction again after killing her mother, and then she shot her sister, who was upstairs. Megan Hargan’s child, who was 8 years old at the time, was reportedly living there as well.

Officers arrested Hargan in November 2018 after a grand jury indicted her.

A jury found Hargan guilty in November 2022, but that conviction was "vacated due to juror misconduct." Hargan was later convicted in September 2023 of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in commission of a felony.

Descano said, "Megan Hargan’s actions in July 2017 go beyond what most of us can imagine. On a quiet Friday morning in her mother’s home, she made an irreversible decision –– one that would devastate her family and tear the community apart."

MORE:

• Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano Announces Megan Hargan Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2017 Murders of Mom, Sister - Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office
• Virginia woman found guilty of fatally shooting her mother and sister, staging a murder-suicide, 3/30/2022 - TCD
• Double Murder Suspect Arrives in Virginia; Arraignment Set for Wednesday, 11/19/2018 - Fairfax County Police