Megan Hargan, 35, is accused of fatally shooting her mother, Patricia, 63, and sister Helen Lorena, 23, in their home in McLean, Virginia, on July 14, 2017, Fairfax County police said.
A woman has been arrested for the murder of her mother and sister, a year and a half after they were found dead in what at first appeared to be a murder-suicide.
Megan Hargan, 35, is accused of fatally shooting her mother, Patricia, 63, and sister Helen Lorena, 23, in their home in McLean, Virginia, Fairfax County police said.
Their bodies were found on July 14, 2017, according to authorities. One was found in a bedroom, gun by her side, while the other was in the laundry room, with shell casings strewn about. At the time, police said that it appeared as though Helen had killed her mother and then taken her own life.
But now, police said they quickly realized the scene had been staged.
“It was made to look one way,” Maj. Ed O'Carroll said at a press conference Friday. “Our detectives are smart and we realized that that necessarily wasn’t the case, and we followed up on every lead.”
Still, they kept it quiet so as not to alert the real killer that they were onto the con.
"We always try to inform our community," O'Carroll said. “[But] investigative strategy . . . is of the utmost importance."
During the investigation, police learned that Megan had allegedly attempted to transfer money out of her mother's bank account both the day before and the day of the murders, which seemed suspicious.
She was ultimately arrested Friday. Police declined to elaborate on evidence that might link Megan to the crime.
She is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. She has not yet entered a plea.
UPDATE: We have arrested 35-year-old Megan Hargan for the murders of her sister Helen Hargan and mother Pamela Hargan in 2017. She was taken into custody this morning in West Virginia. Detectives are currently interviewing her. More details at our 1:30 news conference. pic.twitter.com/U42OBxDhbx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 9, 2018
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