A Killer in Plain Sight | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings

Summary

Trained to Kill: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress, and the Bodyguard Episode: A Killer in Plain Sight | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings Release Date: May 22, 2024 Host/Author: CBS News

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Introduction to the Hargan Family Killings

In the gripping episode titled "A Killer in Plain Sight | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings", CBS News' 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant delves into the mysterious and tragic double homicide of Pamela and Helen Hargan. The episode unravels the complex dynamics within the Hargan family, shedding light on the suspicious activities and interactions that led detectives to question Megan Hargan, the eldest daughter, as a potential suspect.

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The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

The episode opens with homicide detective Brian Byerson recounting the initial findings at the Hargan residence:

Detective Brian Byerson [01:01]: "To take everything, every scenario into play. That's our responsibility."

Detective Byerson noticed irregularities at the crime scene, such as a rifle leaning against Helen's body that wasn't stained with blood and wiped cell phones belonging to both victims. These anomalies prompted deeper scrutiny into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Detective Brian Byerson [02:24]: "Megan Hargan had gunshot residue on her hands. There is no reason that she should have that."

The presence of gunshot residue on Megan’s hands escalated the case from a single homicide to a potential double murder, raising suspicions about her involvement.

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Megan Hargan: The Suspect

Megan Hargan, a former close friend of Rebecca Wolf, described herself and her relationship with Megan as deeply rooted in animal rescue work and mutual support.

Jill [06:09]: "Megan was kind of the mom of the crew."

Rebecca paints Megan as the responsible and compassionate sister who often took care of her younger sibling, Helen.

Despite her seemingly strong character, discrepancies in Megan's statements and evidence pointed detectives toward her as a person of interest. Megan's unsettling behavior during interviews—marked by inappropriate emotional responses and evasiveness—further fueled the investigation.

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The Investigation Deepens

Detective Byerson and his team meticulously gathered evidence, including gunshot residue tests and autopsy reports, which contradicted the possibility of a self-inflicted injury by Helen.

Detective Brian Byerson [03:10]: "We don't see a way that she could have made that or she could have shot herself."

As the investigation progressed, Megan became a central figure. Her cooperation during the initial stages—providing fingerprints and clothing—placed her under increased scrutiny.

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The Critical Interview with Megan

One of the pivotal moments in the episode is Megan's extensive interview with Detectives Byerson and Needles. The conversation, lasting over four and a half hours, revealed significant inconsistencies in her accounts.

Megan Hargan [05:29]: "I gave you my clothing. I gave you my fingerprint. I gave you everything because of that. Why would I give that if I knew I was guilty?"

During the interview, Megan mentioned suspicious activities involving two men in the neighborhood, which she claimed led her mother to hide the rifle.

Megan Hargan [18:26]: "I had to call the police over those guys. And you just know when someone like that's not somebody that's in your neighborhood kind of thing, because we're a very quiet neighborhood."

However, detectives discovered that no one else had reported seeing these men, casting doubt on Megan's narrative.

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Uncovering Inconsistencies and Key Evidence

The investigation took a significant turn when detectives obtained recordings from Capital One Bank, revealing the details of a crucial wire transfer. Megan had initially claimed that her mother, Pamela, was handling the financial transactions related to their new house in West Virginia.

Detective Brian Byerson [27:46]: "You know, when you call the bank to do a wire transfer, you know they record the calls, Right?"

The recordings contradicted Megan's statements, showing that Pamela had authorized the wire transfer herself, not Megan. This evidence suggested possible deceit on Megan's part.

Detective Brian Byerson [28:33]: "Good morning. Thank you for calling Capital One Bank. My name is Brooks. Would you tell me your name, please? Pamela Hansen Hargan."

These recordings intensified the suspicion around Megan, as they indicated that her involvement in financial transactions was more direct than she had initially presented.

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Megan's Deteriorating Defense

As detectives pressed further, Megan's defenses began to falter. Her inability to maintain a consistent story and her attempt to shift blame raised red flags.

Megan Hargan [25:11]: "To implicate you?"

Megan Hargan [25:32]: "You think your sister killed your mother? There's no way. I would have heard it."

These conflicting statements highlighted Megan's struggle to justify her actions and maintain her innocence amidst mounting evidence.

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Conclusion: A Suspicious Figure in Plain Sight

The episode concludes with unresolved questions surrounding Megan Hargan’s true involvement in the Hargan family killings. Despite her outwardly responsible persona and support from close friends like Rebecca Wolf, the accumulating evidence and her inconsistent testimonies painted a troubling picture.

Detective Byerson's meticulous investigation uncovered critical discrepancies that challenge the initial perception of Megan as merely a grieving daughter. The episode leaves listeners pondering the fine line between appearance and reality, and whether Megan Hargan is indeed the killer hiding in plain sight.

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Notable Quotes

• Detective Brian Byerson [03:45]: "It's straight down, left to right."

• Rebecca Wolf [06:09]: "Megan was kind of the mom of the crew."

• Megan Hargan [05:29]: "I gave you my clothing. I gave you my fingerprint. I gave you everything because of that. Why would I give that if I knew I was guilty?"

• Detective Brian Byerson [27:46]: "You know, when you call the bank to do a wire transfer, you know they record the calls, Right?"

• Megan Hargan [25:32]: "You think your sister killed your mother? There's no way. I would have heard it."

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Final Thoughts

"A Killer in Plain Sight | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings" masterfully intertwines investigative journalism with a compelling narrative, offering listeners an in-depth look into a complex and emotionally charged case. Through meticulous storytelling and the inclusion of critical quotes, Peter Van Sant ensures that the audience remains engaged and informed, seeking answers alongside the detectives.

For those intrigued by true crime stories that explore the depths of human relationships and the pursuit of truth, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Jill]

I'm Jill, a registered dietitian.

[Megan Hargan]

When I meet with patients, they usually.

[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

To take everything, every scenario into play. That's our responsibility.

[Narrator]

After spending the whole evening combing for clues at the Hargan house, homicide detective Brian Byerson of the Fairfax county police knew something was off. The rifle leaning against Helen's dead body wasn't covered in blood. Both Helen and Pamela's cell phones had been wiped cle and then later into the day, the detective learned what Helen's boyfriend, Carlos Gutierrez, had told 911 dispatchers.

[Jill]

My girlfriend told me that her sister.

[Narrator]

Killed her mom, and now my girlfriend.

[Jill]

Won'T answer her phone.

[Narrator]

Carlos had said that Helen's sister Megan had killed Pamela.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We knew that Megan Hargan was at her father's home. I had a conversation with that detective and I asked him to get a good statement from her as far as where she was and gsr her hands.

[Narrator]

Gunshot residue.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Gunshot residue, yes.

[Narrator]

The police took photos of Megan and gather evidence that evening. And Fairfax county police used one of their gunshot residue kits to test Megan's hands. And the result revealed something both suspicious and disturbing.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Megan Hargan had gunshot residue on her hands. There is no reason that she should have that.

[Narrator]

By nightfall the day of the shootings, detectives knew Megan had recently fired a weapon. Remember, both victims had been shot to death. The next day, another crucial piece of evidence came to Light.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

In these kind of cases, we don't really know anything until other things happen. Meaning the autopsy is extremely important in these cases.

[Narrator]

Authorities examined Pamela and Helen's bodies, and.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

At the autopsy, we realized that the gunshot wound on Helen Hargan was in the top of her head.

[Narrator]

The entrance and exit wounds didn't make sense to Byerson.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We don't see a way that she could have made that or she could have shot herself. With the trajectory that we were seeing.

[Narrator]

In the X rays, we were face to face. When Detective Byerson told me this. He then demonstrated what happened to Helen. According to the autopsy, he lifted up his arm and pointed straight down at the top of his head. That's the angle. He said the bullet entered Helen's skull from the top of her head down into her neck.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

It's straight down, left to right.

[Narrator]

In crime scene photos, the.22 caliber long rifle is aimed up, resting in her lap.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She would have to hold it straight up and be able to reach the trigger to accomplish this. I've never seen that before. And I've worked a lot of death cases. I've worked a lot of murders. I've never seen that. We had other detectives at the time that had much more experience than I did. We all agreed that this is not even a possibility.

[Narrator]

In his mind, they were now investigating a double homicide.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So now this big puzzle, we're starting to fit pieces together and we're starting to see a general outline of maybe what happened here.

[Narrator]

Detective Byerson wanted to talk with the only other adult who said they were in the house the day of the shooting.

[Megan Hargan]

Detective, this is Megan Hargan. I'm sorry I didn't have your phone number.

[Narrator]

By then, Megan Hargan had talked on the phone with Detective Byerson a few times.

[Megan Hargan]

I offered everything the first night. I said, please, like, just whatever you need.

[Narrator]

But Byerson wanted to speak in person.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She had offered to come in one time and give us anything that we asked for. So we took advantage of that.

[Narrator]

At this point, they've got evidence and they want to confront Megan with some of it and see how she reacts. Would she have a good explanation for having touched the rifle? And if she did have something to do with the deaths of her loved ones, would she confess? I'm Peter van Sant from 48 Hours. Blood is thicker. The Hargan family killings.

[Megan Hargan]

I gave you my clothing. I gave you my fingerprint. I gave you everything because of that. Why would I give that if I knew I was guilty?

[Narrator]

Episode 3 A Killer in Plain Sight we wanted to know more about who Megan Hargan was. In early summer of 2022, we turned to Rebecca Wolf. She's one of Megan's closest friends. She told us more about the eldest daughter in the Hargan family.

[Jill]

Megan and I met through a lot of the animal rescue work that we did together. We fostered some of the same dogs.

[Narrator]

Rebecca said they met a couple of years before the shootings.

[Jill]

2015, 2016, we. We met and just hit it off right away.

[Narrator]

They originally bonded over their love of animals. Megan volunteered for dog rescues and even helped veterans bring home dogs they had adopted overseas.

[Jill]

So it evolved obviously from just that topic to talking about all the things, talking about her daughter, talking about her family, talking about my family.

[Narrator]

Rebecca said Megan often talked about her life and plans, including how she hoped to move into a new house in West Virginia. She described Megan as kind hearted.

[Jill]

She will give you the shirt off her back. She raised a great daughter. Her daughter is one of the smartest kids I know.

[Narrator]

We wanted to know if Megan had told Rebecca about any turmoil in the Hargan family. Any worrisome signs.

[Jill]

You could call it the all American family now, because now the all American family's messed up, right? So the Hargan family, as told to me, was your typical American family, where mom and dad got divorced, all the drama that comes with that, with new relationships, new spouses, stepparents.

[Narrator]

But Rebecca didn't remember Megan being all that resentful or upset about her childhood.

[Jill]

As told by Megan, a very beautiful family experience with the perfunctory weirdness of families.

[Narrator]

Megan did tell Rebecca that at times she was frustrated with kid's sister Helen.

[Jill]

Helen was the baby sister. And if you have siblings, you know, the baby, whatever, is a pain always. But that doesn't mean you don't love them. That doesn't mean you don't go out of your way to help them. Megan did that for Helen a lot.

[Narrator]

The gist Rebecca got from her friend was that Megan was the responsible one.

[Jill]

Megan was kind of the mom of the crew. My understanding of Helen is that she was actually more of an introvert, that she was not the party animal. Ashley was more the party animal.

[Narrator]

But Rebecca said that from what she knew, Megan, the oldest, always got along more with her middle sister Ashley, than with Helen.

[Jill]

I never got the impression that the relationship with Ashley was as maybe contentious as it was with Helen. And the reason I use that word, contentious is because, again, baby sisters can be a pain in the butt.

[Narrator]

However, Megan said Helen was particularly dependent on the family.

[Jill]

That was sort of her attitude on life, mom will take care of it. If mom doesn't take care of it, Megan will come down here and take care of it for me type thing. So again, she kind of got the benefit of a mom and a secondary mom.

[Narrator]

Helen isn't here to tell her side of things, but that's what Rebecca said Megan told her. And apparently Megan never said a harsh word about her mother to Rebekah.

[Jill]

Megan admired Pam's wisdom, her career, all that she had done through her lifetime. She always spoke very lovingly of her.

[Narrator]

Rebecca said her friend described Pamela as a strong matriarch.

[Jill]

Her loves in life were her daughters and her granddaughter. And she and Molly had an exceptional relationship.

[Narrator]

And as someone who enjoyed being generous.

[Jill]

It wasn't like you want something again. It was, I want to do this for you.

[Narrator]

Megan told her friend that her mother had insisted on helping pay for her new house.

[Jill]

Megan was in the process of moving to West Virginia. She didn't need the help.

[Narrator]

Her husband Frank's salary was enough to get them alone, but Pamela's help would let them buy a place outright with cash.

[Jill]

I mean, she was going out to get a house with her husband, the two of them, and her mom said, I want to contribute to this house for you. I want to help you buy this house. So her understanding was her mom was gonna do something one way or the other.

[Narrator]

Megan had been living with her mom for nearly eight years. Her husband Frank was a soldier who was often deployed overseas. Finally, the couple and their daughter would soon be back under the same roof and starting a new life in West Virginia that was supposed to happen the day before Pamela and Helen died. Rebecca expected to get a call about their new ranch style home and not a tragedy.

[Jill]

Megan called me and left me a voicemail and just said, hey, it's Megan. I just wanted to let you know something horrible has happened and I don't want you to see it on the news. And mom and Helen are gone. Call me.

[Narrator]

Megan sounded distraught.

[Jill]

I almost felt bad about calling her back because she sounded so upset.

[Narrator]

Rebecca started Googling for information.

[Megan Hargan]

Police say Helen Hargan shot her mom.

[Narrator]

Pamela Hargan, before turning the gun on herself.

[Jill]

Nothing led me to, wow, I think Helen's going to murder her mom and kill herself over a house.

[Narrator]

A week or two after the shootings, Rebecca said Megan came to visit her in Virginia. She didn't know then Megan was a person of interest in her sister and mother's murders.

[Jill]

She just seemed very lost. I don't know any other way to put it, and I think it probably took a long time for her to really wrap her arms around. My mom's gone. Helen's gone.

[Narrator]

Rebecca sat with her friend, not thinking even for a second that Megan could be the killer.

[Jill]

No. Never once. And that's the thing. I mean, she and I have had many, many conversations in the years since all this has happened. And I would not have let her in my house if I thought by any stretch of the imagination that what they accused her of was possible. I just wouldn't have. I'm biased. She's my friend. Do I think she did this? And I always came back to no, I do not. My spidey senses never went off. I do not believe that Megan killed her mom Pam, or her sister Helen.

[Narrator]

But unlike Rebecca, detectives hadn't ruled out that Megan could be responsible for the double homicide.

[Megan Hargan]

What we're trying to find out, which we think it's important to you, too, is to find out who killed your sister and mom. That's what the main goal of this whole conversation is. Okay, then who did?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

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[Megan Hargan]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

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[Megan Hargan]

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[Jill]

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[Megan Hargan]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

Bierson.

[Megan Hargan]

Detective, this is Megan Harkin. I'm sorry I didn't have your phone number.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Oh, no problem. Megan. How are you holding up?

[Megan Hargan]

I am really not okay.

[Narrator]

Megan Hargan called Detective Brian Byerson on July 17, 2017. It had been three days since her sister and mother, Helen and Pamela Hargan were found dead.

[Megan Hargan]

We're at the funeral home right now. I'm sorry.

[Narrator]

It's a mess right now.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I'm so sorry.

[Narrator]

Detective Byerson's investigation Had just taken a turn, and he had some questions for Megan.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Hey, do you have a. Do you have a second? Okay.

[Narrator]

They talked on the phone a couple of times that day. In the calls, Megan went back and forth between blaming her sister, Helen.

[Megan Hargan]

My sister was not my sister for many months.

[Narrator]

And being adamant that the murder suicide theory was out of the question.

[Megan Hargan]

I just can't imagine her doing something.

[Narrator]

That makes the same day as these calls. Detective Byerson had learned of new evidence. He asked Megan for certain details on the phone, but asked her to come into the police station later that week.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I'll probably have you guys come out here, so we'll make sure that it's. It's like your schedule will. I'm just allowed.

[Megan Hargan]

It's just.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Megan Hargan]

And can everything be done at once?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Byerson and Megan talked enough that day to fill up his recording device. Two days later, Megan arrived at the police station with her family. Their understanding was that detectives had new information.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She had offered to come in one time and give us anything that we asked for. So we took advantage of that, and myself and my partner, detective Needles, had her come in for an update, as we termed it.

[Narrator]

Detectives brought Megan to a small room for her to be fingerprinted. Byerson said the other family members were taken into another room.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She comes up, she meets with Detective Julia Elliott. We take a DNA sample from her. We take her fingerprints. Yes.

[Megan Hargan]

Okay.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So she's gonna take care of the fingerprints. Okay. And the DNA stuff. And then when she's done, Steve and I'll come in here. We'll get you updated. Okay.

[Narrator]

After they are finished with the tests, Megan sat down with detective Byerson and detective Needles.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Well, thanks for coming.

[Narrator]

I appreciate it.

[Megan Hargan]

But, like, I. I don't mean. I don't mean to harp on this, but, like, I. I'm here. Like, what do you need?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Sure.

[Narrator]

Megan could leave whenever she wanted. Byerson told her as much.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

If you want to leave, let me know. It will walk you back downstairs.

[Megan Hargan]

Okay.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Okay. I just want to make sure that you understand that you're. I'm not holding you.

[Megan Hargan]

Okay.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

And then we then start going through this update with her and.

[Narrator]

Is this a conversation that's on video?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

It is. It's about four and a half hours long. And most of that is because at some point, we just can't get her to leave.

[Narrator]

Detective Byerson sat across from her and leaned back a little in the chair.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We didn't have enough at that time to charge her officially, so we wanted to get a statement on the record.

[Narrator]

For the interview went on and on for hours. At times, it got contentious.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She had very inappropriate emotional responses at weird times. She got very angry at us for weird things. We asked her if she'd ever done any drugs, Anything about drug use.

[Megan Hargan]

Oh, my God. No. I never have. No.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

All right.

[Megan Hargan]

No.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Sorry.

[Megan Hargan]

I'm sorry.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I'm really strong right now.

[Narrator]

At one point in the interview, Megan told the investigators that she had called police to report two suspicious men in the neighborhood. One black, the other asian. This is something Megan had brought up to Byerson before. She said she reported the suspicious men the day before the murders.

[Megan Hargan]

You guys know about. I had to call the police, or my mom asked me to call the police because there was those two guys.

[Narrator]

Detective John vickery, Remember, he was the cop at the father's house on the day of the tragedy. He'd recorded Megan talking about these two men on the day of the shootings.

[Megan Hargan]

I had to call the police over those guys. And you just know when someone like that's not somebody that's in your neighborhood kind of thing, because we're a very quiet neighborhood.

[Narrator]

Megan told vickery that to be safe, her mom asked her to hide the rifle in the family room.

[Megan Hargan]

I don't think she would ever, you know, in a rush, try to get it out. It was in a bag.

[Narrator]

Detective byerson checked into Megan's story, But no one besides her had mentioned these men to police.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The only call that's made about these guys in the neighborhood is from Megan hargan.

[Narrator]

Another issue detective byerson wanted to nail down was all those houses Pamela hargan was supposedly buying and selling. He asked about the one Megan was buying with her husband.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

What is the situation with that house you guys are buying? How's that working?

[Megan Hargan]

Okay, so she was going to do a wire transfer. She said, it's too late for me to do cashier's check. Because she just thought she was like, I can always do a wire transfer. That's what she just thought. She said why she had done it before. You think with another house?

[Narrator]

That wire transfer for more than $400,000 would never go through. That money didn't leave Pamela's account. So what was the problem? Megan blamed a series of complications. There was an issue about which bank account the money for the house would come from. She told detective byerson that Pamela was going to use the money from a family trust.

[Megan Hargan]

Yeah, because at first we thought the trusts were already going to be dissolved. It was supposed to happen May 24, and it never did. Or I don't know if it's legally a mess. I don't know what happened. I don't know.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Cause you don't know much about the trust.

[Megan Hargan]

My mom just told us you're going to be fine. You can have that for your house.

[Narrator]

But that didn't turn out to be true. Megan wouldn't get that house. And by the next day, that Friday, Pamela and Helen Hargan would be dead. Here's Detective Needles.

[Megan Hargan]

Did she ever wire the money to them? She admit. Okay, that's what happened Thursday. This is why Thursday is very important for me, because I realize this is a big amount of money. And I realized because of what happened, you guys are like, I understand that we're doing what?

[Narrator]

Suddenly, Megan's mood shifted.

[Megan Hargan]

Looking at you. Yeah. Oh, I mean, looking at you because you might be responsible. Is that what you're talking about? Yeah.

[Narrator]

By then, Megan understood she was in their sights.

[Megan Hargan]

The missing child is Lucia Blix, 9 years old. Please let her come back home safely tonight. The kidnappers plumbed it meticulously.

[Narrator]

If money is what it takes to.

[Megan Hargan]

Get her back, we're gonna pay it. The secrets they hide. You can't talk about this. You can't write about it are the clues. The mother's hiding something. I know it. To find her, tell me where she is. The stolen girl. Tonight at 10 on Freeform and stream on Hulu. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Upgrade your business with Shopify, home of the number one checkout on the planet. Shop pay boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning fewer carts going abandoned and more sales going cha ching. So if you're into growing your business, get a commerce platform that's ready to sell wherever your customers are. Visit shopify.com to upgrade your selling today. This episode is brought to you by Rakuten. If you're shopping while working, eating, or even listening to this podcast, then you know and love the thrill of the hunt. But are you getting the thrill of the best deals Rakuten shoppers do. They get the brands they love with the most savings and cash back. And you can get it too. Start getting cash back at your favorite stores like Samsung, Expedia and Sephora, and even stack sales on top of cash back. It's easy to use and you get your cash back through paypal or check. The idea is simple. Stores pay Rakuten for sending them shoppers and Rakuten shares the money with you as cash back. Download the free Rakuten app and never miss a deal or go to rakuten.com to start getting the most bang for your buck. That's R a k u T e.

[Narrator]

N One hour into the interview, Megan showed no signs of wrapping up her version of events with detectives Byerson and Needles.

[Megan Hargan]

I'm sorry.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

That's okay.

[Megan Hargan]

I mean, Friday's difficult, very difficult for you. It's understandable. Obviously, Friday's important.

[Narrator]

They're surprised how long Megan stayed with them in that little room at the police station.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

It's probably like more like three hours of actual back and forth and an hour and a half of just like we're trying to figure out, like, she won't leave.

[Narrator]

She even tried to convince them that her cooperation was a sign of innocence.

[Megan Hargan]

I gave you my clothing, I gave you my fingerprint. I gave you everything because of that. Why would I give that if I knew I was guilty?

[Narrator]

As the interview progressed, the detectives questions became more and more direct. They brought up the 911 calls from Helen's boyfriend, Carlos Gutierrez.

[Megan Hargan]

Because there are a lot of phone.

[Narrator]

Calls and there's a lot in Carlos.

[Megan Hargan]

Oh, she never told me. She didn't tell me until later that Carlos called her. No, but he says, you answer the phone and that call is on the records.

[Narrator]

The detectives bore in, saying they didn't believe Megan. She claimed she'd never spoken to Carlos when they knew she had.

[Megan Hargan]

I have never talked to him. Never. The closest thing I have ever gotten to him. Fourth of July, they were coming to get the blankets and I was literally. I was at the bottom of the stairs. My mom was like, no, no, no. They're still in the driveway.

[Jill]

But.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So now you've never spoken to him.

[Narrator]

But as we told you last episode, Carlos said he spoke to Megan for nearly 10 minutes while he tried to get her to put Helen on the phone. Then the detectives asked her outright about what Carlos told 91 1, that Helen said she killed their mom. Why would he say something like that? Well, what would be his motive?

[Megan Hargan]

To implicate you?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Yeah. Why you?

[Megan Hargan]

But why would he? Well, he knows I live there. And I think.

[Jill]

What?

[Megan Hargan]

I don't want to say what I think. We want you. Anything that'll help you say. I don't want to say. I don't want to say. I don't want to say what I think. I don't want to say what I think.

[Narrator]

Why not?

[Megan Hargan]

You think your sister killed your mother? There's no way. I would have. I would have heard it.

[Narrator]

Megan's response here doesn't line up with what she originally told police. She had Said she and her daughter Molly left the house before the shootings. So it's unclear what she meant by I would have heard it. Here's Megan again.

[Megan Hargan]

The only time I wasn't, I was downstairs. I would assume I would still hear something like that. And my mom was with me. Like, how, how, how? I don't understand. Like, I don't understand. I just don't understand how, how, how that would have happened. I don't. I don't understand. I'm sorry. I just. I don't. I don't know.

[Narrator]

It seemed that Megan was struggling to keep her story straight. She wasn't sure Helen was the killer anymore. The detective started this interview not knowing what they'd get. But some recently discovered evidence had made them curious about how Megan planned to pay for her new house in West Virginia. She said her mom was going to wire the money.

[Megan Hargan]

She initiated the wire transfer.

[Narrator]

Her story had changed yet again. Megan had told police that something got tripped up when her mother wired the money. The detectives waited before pointing out the holes in Megan's story. If she's going to talk, let her talk.

[Megan Hargan]

We were texting. I mean, you guys got my phone, you know, like, give me my phone. You can see the text that we're. Back and forth. She was like, okay, listen, I froze the accounts. I'm going to deal with this when I get back down there.

[Narrator]

Up until this moment, Megan insisted that her mom called the bank. But you heard Megan say it right there to the detectives. And they had looked through her phone. The evidence was clear. But detectives had some evidence Megan didn't know existed. The recordings from Capital One. They could listen to who made the request to wire money. And they offered to play Megan some of the tape.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

You know, when you call the bank to do a wire transfer, you know they record the calls, Right?

[Megan Hargan]

Okay.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So one of the things that's always been bothering me a little bit.

[Megan Hargan]

Yeah.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Is that call.

[Narrator]

Meanwhile, in the other room where Megan's family is waiting, police were playing the calls for them, too. They recognized the voice. When they arrived at the police station, Megan's family was standing by her. But now.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So they're hearing the calls, and I think what's going on is that they're realizing on that day that, oh, my God, like, there is a good chance that she actually did this.

[Narrator]

On the next episode of Blood Is Thicker. An incriminating call.

[Megan Hargan]

Good morning. Thank you for calling Capital One Bank. My name is Brooks. Would you tell me your name, please? Pamela Hansen Hargan. Hello, Ms. Hargan. Thank you for using our automated system for verification. What can I do for you today? I was just transferred to you. I was told that I could do a wire transfer online.

[Narrator]

Wait, is that Pamela from 48 Hours? This is blood is the Hargan family killings. Judy Tygard is the executive producer of 48 Hours, original reporting by 48 Hours producers Josh Yeager, Sarah Ely Hulse, Michelle Sigona and Lauren White. Jamie Benson is the senior producer for Paramount Audio and Maura Walls is the senior story editor. Recording assistance from Alan Pang and Marlon Polycarp. Special thanks to Paramount Podcast Vice President Meghan Markle and 48 Hours senior producer Peter Schweitzer. Blood is Thicker is produced by Sony Music Entertainment. It was written and produced by Alex Schuman. Our executive producers are Catherine St. Louis and Jonathan Hirsch. Our associate producer is Zoe Culkin. Theme and original music composed by by Hansdale Shee. He also sound, designed and mixed the episodes. We also use music by Blue Dot Sessions. Kathryn Newhan is our fact checker. Our production managers are Tamika Balance Kolasny and Samantha Allison. I'm Peter Van Sant. If you're enjoying the show, be sure to rate and review. It helps more people find it and hear our reporting. For early and ad free access to Blood is thicker, subscribe to 48 Hours plus on Apple Podcasts or Wondry plus on the Wondry app. Start your free trial today. Thanks for listening.