The Aftermath | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings

Summary

Trained to Kill: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress, and the Bodyguard

Episode: The Aftermath | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings

Release Date: June 12, 2024

Host/Author: CBS News

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Introduction

In the gripping finale of the six-episode podcast series Trained to Kill: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress, and the Bodyguard, CBS News' 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant delves into the harrowing case of Megan Hargan. Convicted of murdering her mother and youngest sister, Megan's journey through the American justice system uncovers deep-seated family turmoil, legal battles, and the profound emotional impact on those left behind.

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The First Trial and Conviction

The episode begins with Detective Brian Byerson awaiting the jury's verdict in the Fairfax County courthouse. As the tension mounts, Byerson reflects on the uncertainty surrounding a jury's deliberations:

• Detective Brian Byerson [01:03]: “We’re sitting and awaiting a verdict from a jury is a little bit nerve-wracking.”

Byerson shares his limited insight into the trial's progress, constrained by his role as a witness prohibited from hearing other testimonies until closing arguments.

Despite his anxieties, the first verdict is delivered:

• Peter Van Sant [02:39]: Megan Hargan was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing her mother and youngest sister.

Byerson describes the emotional relief felt upon the conviction:

• Detective Brian Byerson [02:55]: “It's like an emotional rush. I mean, you feel good.”

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Juror Misconduct and Vacating the Verdict

However, the triumph is short-lived. Shortly after the conviction, allegations of juror misconduct emerge, shaking the foundation of the initial verdict.

• Detective Brian Byerson [03:42]: “One of the jurors had volunteered that they had done an experiment.”

The misconduct involved a juror conducting unauthorized experiments to test defense theories, violating court protocols. Consequently, the judge vacates Megan's verdict, necessitating a retrial.

• Peter Van Sant [03:55]: “The judge made a decision to vacate the jury verdict and told us that we would have to retry Megan Hargan.”

Byerson recounts the difficult conversation with the surviving sister, Ashley Hargan, about the overturned verdict:

• Detective Brian Byerson [08:04]: “As difficult as that was to explain to the surviving sister that we would have to do this whole thing over again.”

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The Second Trial

Megan's second trial commenced in September 2023, a year after the first verdict was nullified. This trial proceeded more swiftly, omitting key witnesses to streamline the prosecution's case.

• Peter Van Sant [12:43]: “Summer was nearing its end in 2023, when the second trial against Megan Hargan began. It went a bit quicker because this time they left one key witness out.”

Byerson explains strategic changes made for the retrial:

• Detective Brian Byerson [10:30]: “We did not call Ashley to testify, which was different than the first trial.”

The defense opted not to call Megan to testify, eliminating the need for Ashley to endure another rigorous cross-examination.

• Detective Brian Byerson [15:27]: “She’s a sociopath. I think she’s always thought that she could talk her way out of anything.”

Carlos Gutierrez, Helen Hargan’s boyfriend, played a pivotal role as a crucial witness, recounting conversations and unusual activities on the morning of the murders.

Despite the absence of Megan's testimony, the second jury reached the same guilty verdict, reinforcing the initial findings.

• Peter Van Sant [18:21]: “The second jury agreed with the first. Megan Hargan was found guilty again of killing her sister Helen and her mother Pamela.”

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Impact on the Hargan Family

The convictions, though legally complete, left lingering emotional scars on the Hargan family. Byerson emphasizes the enduring pain and lack of closure experienced by the victims' loved ones:

• Detective Brian Byerson [30:08]: “This family violence is sort of the worst of the worst of this because I think when it’s a stranger, you can still in your mind kind of put out a bunch of scenarios as to why this happened, right? But when this person is a part of your immediate family that does this to another person in your immediate family with no explanation offered by them other than this money, there’s no closure for them.”

Molly, Megan’s eight-year-old daughter, faced significant upheaval following the murders. Initially living with her grandmother, she was moved out of state but later returned to live with her father after Megan’s arrest.

• Peter Van Sant [23:06]: “More than six years later, this case finally comes to a close.”

Ashley and her father, Steve Hargan, grapple with estrangement caused by Megan and her husband Frank's actions. Attempts by Ashley to gain custody of Molly were unsuccessful, leading to further familial disintegration.

• Detective Brian Byerson [25:22]: “For Ashley, not only does she lose her mom and her sister, but effectively she loses her other sister as well in the process.”

Frank Hargan, Megan's husband, remains a mysterious figure, having cut off all communication with the family post-arrest. Byerson speculates on Frank's potential involvement, noting the lack of transparency in his actions.

• Detective Brian Byerson [26:06]: “He answered some questions that we had in the beginning of this stuff, and then he, you know, he just. He sort of just disappeared.”

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Final Reflections and Sentencing

The culmination of the legal battle saw Megan Hargan receiving two consecutive life sentences at the start of 2024. Both Ashley and Carlos attended the sentencing, symbolizing a united front in their shared grief.

• Detective Brian Byerson [22:02]: “A Fairfax county woman was hit with two consecutive life sentences after she was convicted of killing her mother and her younger sister and then telling police it was a murder suicide.”

Byerson underscores that while the court has delivered justice, true closure remains elusive for the Hargan family. The absence of an explanation from Megan exacerbates their inability to fully heal from the tragedy.

• Peter Van Sant [29:05]: “Helen Hargan will never marry Carlos or finish grad school. Pamela will never be surrounded by loving children and grandchildren.”

Detective Byerson reflects on the profound and lasting impact of the case:

• Detective Brian Byerson [31:00]: “From a fair point of view would probably have those same questions that we have. Like, did you think it was. You just thought it was a gift and you never talked to, like, your mother in law about this, this huge gift of a. You know, it just. It doesn't make any sense.”

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Conclusion

Trained to Kill: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress, and the Bodyguard shines a light on the complexities of a familial murder case, the intricacies of the legal system, and the profound emotional toll on those left to pick up the pieces. Through Detective Brian Byerson's unwavering dedication and heartfelt insights, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the events surrounding Megan Hargan's crimes and the enduring pain inflicted on the Hargan family.

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Notable Quotes

• Detective Brian Byerson [01:03]: “We’re sitting and awaiting a verdict from a jury is a little bit nerve-wracking.”
• Detective Brian Byerson [02:55]: “It's like an emotional rush. I mean, you feel good.”
• Detective Brian Byerson [03:42]: “One of the jurors had volunteered that they had done an experiment.”
• Detective Brian Byerson [15:27]: “She’s a sociopath. I think she’s always thought that she could talk her way out of anything.”
• Detective Brian Byerson [30:08]: “This family violence is sort of the worst of the worst of this because I think when it’s a stranger, you can still in your mind kind of put out a bunch of scenarios as to why this happened, right? But when this person is a part of your immediate family that does this to another person in your immediate family with no explanation offered by them other than this money, there’s no closure for them.”

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Produced by:
Judy Tygard, 48 Hours
Executive Producer: Kathryn St. Louis and Jonathan Hirsch
Written and Produced by Alex Schuman
Sound Design by Hansdale Shih

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If you found this summary insightful, consider subscribing to the 48 Hours podcast series to stay informed on similar gripping real-life stories.

Transcript

[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

Were sitting and awaiting a verdict from a jury is a little bit nerve wracking.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Brian Byerson anxiously waited in the hallway at the Fairfax county courthouse while jurors considered Megan Hargan's fate.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

You never really know what a jury's.

[Peter Van Sant]

Thinking during the trial, detective Byerson says he rarely knows what is happening inside the courtroom. As a witness, he is forbidden from hearing other testimony until it's time for closing arguments.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I can't talk to the other witnesses, so I end up just sitting in the hallway or sitting in a conference room by myself and just kind of wondering for weeks. You know, I hope it's going well, byerson says.

[Peter Van Sant]

He spends hours studying people's faces as they go in and out of court. He'll notice whether prosecutors walk by in a good mood or if a witness seems upset after they testify. But outside of those glimpses, Byerson doesn't have any other idea how a trial is going, including the case against Megan Hargan.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Juries can be funny.

[Peter Van Sant]

And of course, Detective Byerson was hoping that when the jurors heard all the evidence laid out, they'd convict Megan.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I've always thought that once you explain this to anybody, they generally at the end go, oh yeah, she absolutely did this. It's clear as day, right? But you don't know what's going on behind those closed doors with the jury.

[Peter Van Sant]

After three weeks of testimony and two days of jury deliberations, Detective Byerson could finally exhale. Megan Hargan was found guilty of first degree murder for killing her mother and youngest sister.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

It's like an emotional rush. I mean, you feel. You feel good. I remember feeling like the jury understood what happened here. A McLean woman could be headed to.

[Jill]

Prison for the rest of her life.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

For killing her mother and her sister.

[Peter Van Sant]

Jurors found Megan Hargan guilty of the murder and staging the crime scene to look like it was a murder suicide. Detective Byerson thought it was all over except for the sentencing. He was wrong. A wrench or perhaps a sledgehammer got thrown into the proceedings. After Megan's conviction, the defense alerted the judge that they had discovered juror misconduct. A woman on the jury allegedly had gone rogue.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

One of the jurors had volunteered that they had done an experiment.

[Peter Van Sant]

Jurors are supposed to stick with what they're told in court, not reenact a crime scene on their own.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

So the judge made a decision to vacate the jury verdict and told us that we would have to retry Megan Hargan.

[Peter Van Sant]

It was anyone's guess whether the second jury would agree with the first. I'm Peter van Sant from 48 Hours. This is the finale of Blood Is Thicker. The Hargan family killings. Episode 6 the Aftermath. Throughout this podcast, one man has known the case best, Detective Brian Byerson.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The detectives in the family are the only ones that have been dealing with it since day one.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson started with the Fairfax County Police Department about two decades ago. He's worked homicides for nearly 10 years, and he spent six of those years regularly talking to Megan's sister and Ashley Hargan. At times, he said they spoke nearly every week.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

There is a very small group of people in the world that have been intimately involved in these murder cases where they are like a direct victim of what happened. And in this case, it's so much worse because the perpetrator of these crimes is also a member of your family.

[Peter Van Sant]

Victims families say Byerson brings a calmness to dark situations. He gives his time freely to suffering family members like Ashley. After all, the Hargan murders are just one of many he's assigned with at any given time.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We can only cherish these winds for a short amount of time because we live in tragedy.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson understands he's the person who likely knows the most about what happened to their Loved ones. He thinks it's part of his job to be there.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We're available to these families 24 hours a day, even to this day.

[Peter Van Sant]

And so Detective Byerson was there when the judge decided Megan and what was left of the family she helped to destroy would have to relive all that pain a second time. You might not know this, but after a verdict, defense attorneys and prosecutors often reach out to jurors to find out what they could have done better. Detective Byerson does it, too.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

You always want to know afterwards, hey, what did we do that you guys thought was important? Or do you guys have any questions in general about anything that happened? Sort of trying to gauge them to see how do we do a better job in the next trial.

[Peter Van Sant]

But after Megan's first trial, when her attorneys polled jurors, one of them volunteered that she had done an experiment outside.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Of the jury room at home, sort of a reenactment, to try to figure out if one of the theories presented by the defense was possible.

[Peter Van Sant]

In fact, that juror had tried to test whether Helen could have used her toe to push the trigger of a long rifle. Here's 48 Hours producer Michelle Sigona.

[Jill]

I have personally not had very many cases over my career where there's been juror misconduct. This isn't something that I have personally seen. It happens, but generally there's some sort of conclusion. Someone is found guilty or not guilty.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson told us how the juror's admission set off a chain of events.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The defense then notified us about this. The judge did exactly what he should have done, and that is just vacate the ruling.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Byerson was at that hearing. He understood why the judge decided to throw out the first verdict against Megan Hargan.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

And as difficult as that was to explain to the surviving sister that we would have to do this whole thing over again.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson remembered sitting in a room at the courthouse with Ashley to talk through what the judge's decision meant.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I mean, we sat down as a group after that hearing. Myself and our wonderful victim services representative, who was working alongside me with Ashley for the entirety of this journey, and the prosecutors and we all had a.

[Peter Van Sant]

Conversation during their meeting. Detective Byerson thought Ashley seemed to take the news okay.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I would say that she took it better than I thought she would. I mean, the mood was not good. That was the expectation going in there, was that. I mean, we were not happy with what happened with that juror. But that being said, I could not argue with the ruling.

[Peter Van Sant]

And in a way, Byerson realized this decision by the judge would be a blessing in disguise. If the judge hadn't vacated the first verdict, Byerson thought Megan's lawyers surely would have tried to appeal the verdict after they discovered this juror misconduct. But that appeal would have taken a long time, years to work its way through the courts. At least in this case, Megan could be tried again more quickly.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I think what the judge was doing was basically saying, there's a likelihood that this will be overturned based on the conduct of the juror. So instead of just wasting all of that time, I'm just going to say from the bench here that I'm vacating.

[Peter Van Sant]

At his meeting with Ashley, her father Steve, and the prosecutors, Byerson said they immediately started strategizing about the next trial.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Ashley understood that, as difficult as that was, I think for her, she understood what happened, and she was very, very steadfast in her cooperation and her intention to help us out and be available for whatever we needed to go through this whole thing again.

[Peter Van Sant]

Prosecutors and Detective Byerson saw an opportunity to hone their arguments for the second trial.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

That meant going back through the witness list and trying to figure out, hey, do we want to approach this in the exact same way with the exact witnesses with the exact same lineup as we did the first time, or do we want to change some things around, which we ultimately decided to do between trials?

[Peter Van Sant]

Megan stayed locked up.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Megan was never released from custody or anything like that. She was held.

[Peter Van Sant]

Megan's next trial wouldn't happen until September 2023, almost a year after her first verdict was thrown out. During this time, Michelle Sigona said she thought about Megan's daughter, Molly.

[Jill]

I think about the little girl in all of this who has lost her grandmother, lost her aunt, essentially lost her mother. I think about the victim's loved ones.

[Peter Van Sant]

While the prosecution had a plan, Byerson still worried about how a new jury would interpret the evidence.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Even though our conviction rate is very, very good here in Fairfax, you never really know what a jury's thinking.

[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

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[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

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[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

At the store, like the one creamer that doesn't make your stomach hurt or. Or the pasta sauce he can't not buy when it's on sale.

[Jill]

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[Detective Brian Byerson]

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[Jill]

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[Peter Van Sant]

Summer was nearing its end in 2023, when the second trial against Megan Hargan began. It went a bit quicker because this time they left one key witness out.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We did not call Ashley to testify, which was different than the first trial.

[Peter Van Sant]

In the first trial, the defense accused Ashley of lying and plotting to put Megan behind bars so that she could inherit their mother's entire estate. They also focused on Ashley's inability to remember some details.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The first time was sort of based around some things that she. And they spent a lot of time on, sort of roughing her up a little bit because she couldn't recall some things.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ashley wouldn't have to suffer through another difficult cross examination if she never took the stand.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

It just really wasn't worth it to put her up there and put her through sort of a rigorous cross examination like that happened the first trial.

[Peter Van Sant]

Especially when Helen's boyfriend, Carlos Gutierrez, could testify to a lot of the same evidence that Ashley had shared the first time around. Plus, Detective Byerson said he and the prosecutors thought the new plan might surprise the defense.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We just kind of decided, yeah, we're gonna keep her subpoenaed or whatever, and then we can use her if we. If we absolutely need to, or we can use her later on as a rebuttal witness.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson admires Ashley for everything she has endured.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She's one of the strongest people I've ever met in my life. She was there every day. She came in, she dealt with testimony. And then, just like us, she sat and waited for that verdict.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson said that his testimony didn't really change from the first trial to the second.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The way I look at it is all I'm talking about is, is basically facts, right? Cause I'm not up there, I'm not gonna be able to offer my opinion on anything or what I think. None of that stuff matters, right?

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Byerson focused on the capital one calls and the four and a half hour interview Megan gave him. By then, he'd come to see that long police interview in a different light.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

She was demanding an update on where we were with the case, which is, you know, in hindsight, is very interesting. Right. She really wanted to know, you know, what we were doing.

[Peter Van Sant]

Megan sometimes had a hard time keeping her story straight. But Detective Byerson now thinks during that long interview, she was really trying to figure out how to get away with murder.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I mean, she's a sociopath. I think she's always thought that she could talk her way out of anything, or she, you know, she could explain her way out of all of this stuff.

[Peter Van Sant]

The prosecutors weren't sure whether Megan would testify in her own defense. That's why they kept Ashley's possible testimony in their back pocket.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

If something comes out that we specifically need her to rebut, especially if her sister ends up taking the stand or something like that.

[Peter Van Sant]

But Megan never testified, so we just.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We ultimately didn't call her.

[Peter Van Sant]

However, Carlos did have to fly to Virginia from Texas to take the stand again. Detective Byerson knew revisiting that awful day when the love of his life died wouldn't be easy.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I've talked to Carlos a lot. Carlos is a. Is a good guy. This has. This has affected him tremendously. The loss of his. Of Helen and the way it happened, and sort of. Because you got to remember, you know, he was basically the last person that she ever talked to. And she not only talked to, but she was telling him what was going on in real time. So he's got that burden on him for the rest of his life, which I think is difficult to handle.

[Peter Van Sant]

It's a burden he eloquently and emotionally shared with the jurors, making him a.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Crucial witness, because he's the one that gets in all of that conversation from that morning and the weird things that were going on that morning, like, you know, Megan answering Helen's phone.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Byerson said Carlo struggled to even get through the second trial.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

He flew in from Texas for both trials, and I'm positive he didn't want to, especially after. After that time goes by and stuff. And now we're asking you, hey, you know, I'm really sorry, but a juror did something, you know, that. That is making us have it. Have to. Have to do this whole thing over again. Can you please come back out and bury your soul on the stand again? But he did it.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ultimately. He said that continuing to discuss the murders was too difficult, and he didn't want to do an interview. But Byerson said one thing was clear.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I think he truly loved Helen.

[Peter Van Sant]

After the defense chose not to have Megan testify, her fate was once again in the hands of a jury.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

For me personally, when you're sitting there and you. You get the call that, hey, there's a verdict, and you come back in the courtroom and you sit down and you're waiting like that, 10 minutes for everybody to get back, including the defense. And then, you know, the defendant and then the jury to sort of come out and read that verdict.

[Peter Van Sant]

The second jury agreed with the first. Megan Hargan was found guilty again of killing her sister Helen and her mother Pamela.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

And then there's kind of like this emotional relief that's taken off your shoulders because especially like for the detectives and the family who have been dealing with this since day one, at this point.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Byerson knew the Hargan family inside and out.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

You develop these bonds with these. With these victims because you talk, you.

[Peter Van Sant]

Know, weekly in their conversations. Byerson said that Ashley talked about her niece Megan's daughter, Molly. Ashley was worried at the time of the murders. Molly was eight, and back then, she, too, had to be interviewed by police.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

We had asked that Megan not be involved in bringing Molly to the forensic interview site, Safespot. That's who we use to do those interviews. They specialize in traumatic interviews with children. Megan brought her daughter to that interview, which was not helpful, and she also interrupted the interview on several occasions.

[Peter Van Sant]

Losing her grandmother Pamela was devastating for Molly. She'd spent nearly every day of her young life living with her grandma. Remember, soon after the shootings, Molly's parents moved her out of state. She lived with them until her mother's arrest.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Now Molly's going back to live with her dad, who she hadn't ever lived with before, and is taken away from the rest of that family that was taking care of her.

[Peter Van Sant]

The Hargans had already suffered the worst betrayal. A daughter shooting her mother and then putting a bullet into her youngest sister's head. And why? For money. And Molly? Detective Byerson says she was left heartbroken and confused.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

In a lot of the phone calls after this happened, it was very evident to us that her daughter had no idea where she was. She certainly didn't know that mom went to jail.

[Jill]

The missing child is Lucia Blix, 9 years old.

[Peter Van Sant]

Please let her come back home safely tonight.

[Jill]

The kidnappers plumbed it meticulously.

[Peter Van Sant]

If money is what it takes to.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Get her back, we're gonna pay it.

[Jill]

The secrets they hide.

[Peter Van Sant]

You can't talk about this. You can't write about it.

[Jill]

Are the clues.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

The mother's hiding something. I know it.

[Peter Van Sant]

To find her, tell me where she is.

[Jill]

The Stolen girl tonight at 10 on Freeform and stream on Hulu.

[Peter Van Sant]

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[Jill]

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[Peter Van Sant]

Megan Hargan was sentenced at the start of 2024.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

A Fairfax county woman was hit with two consecutive life sentences after she was convicted of killing her mother and her younger sister and then telling police it was a murder suicide.

[Peter Van Sant]

Both Ashley and Carlos came to the sentencing. It's strange now to think back to 2017 and the phone call when they first spoke, when Carlos called Ashley to tell her shots had been fired at her mother's house and to reveal what Helen had told him, that Megan had killed her mother. Back then, Ashley wasn't sure what to believe. Every single emotion right now, hearing about this, finding out about this from Helen's piece of shit boyfriend. But now they both sat united in grief at the Fairfax County Courthouse waiting to hear how long Megan would spend behind bars.

[Jill]

More than six years later, this case finally comes to a close.

[Peter Van Sant]

48 Hours producer Michelle Sigona can't stop thinking about the Hargans and where they will go from here.

[Jill]

This will obviously go on. This doesn't end the pain and the anguish. I don't want to speak for them, but I can't imagine ends for the family, especially for this little girl, for Megan's child.

[Peter Van Sant]

We learn that Steve and Ashley Hargan no longer have contact with Molly. As it turns out, soon after hearing those Capital One calls, Ashley did two things. She cooperated with police on their investigation and she started seeing if she could get custody of Molly from Megan and her husband. At the first trial, Ashley testified that she didn't feel comfortable with Molly living with Megan in West Virginia.

[Jill]

According to Ashley, in her own words, she wanted to take custody of her because she knew she could give her the home that Molly deserved, essentially. And when she said, quote, I could give her a loving and caring home, and, yeah, she's an amazing little girl, end quote.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ashley had stopped trusting her sister and perhaps by extension, her husband, too.

[Jill]

Ashley was in fear for Molly being in a situation or in a home with Megan and her husband. And that's why, according to court testimony, Ashley went forward and applied for custody. She wanted to protect Molly as best as she could.

[Peter Van Sant]

But Ashley's attempts to get custody failed. And after Megan's arrest, her husband Frank stopped allowing Molly to call Ashley or her grandpa. They are now estranged. Here's Detective Brian Byerson.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

For Ashley, not only does she lose her mom and her sister, but effectively she loses her other sister as well in the process. And she's left completely, you know, by herself. She was an aunt to Megan's daughter and saw her consistently. And after this happened, all of that stuff was cut off.

[Peter Van Sant]

Steve Hargan asked to get visitation rights as a grandparent, but was denied.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

Megan's husband at the time just totally cut off communication between their daughter and that side of the family.

[Peter Van Sant]

Frank hung up on us when we called him for comment. Frank has been such a mystery in this story. Frank didn't testify in either trial, nor has he kept in touch with detectives. Here's Byerson.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

He answered some questions that we had in the beginning of this stuff, and then he, you know, he just. He sort of just disappeared. You know, it seems like he just didn't want to deal with this.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson said he questioned Frank but never got all the answers.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I've always thought about it like this. If I'm sitting personally, if I'm sitting in a realtor's office and I'm going to buy a home with my wife, and my wife sends me a bank statement that would indicate that we had half a million dollars in the bank. I would have several questions about that. He seemed to have none.

[Peter Van Sant]

Frank was never charged with anything connected to the house or Helen and Pamela's murders. And Detective Byerson said they chose not to investigate his involvement further.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I think anybody looking at this from, like, a fair point of view would probably have those same questions that we have. Like, did you think it was. You just thought it was a gift and you never talked to, like, your mother in law about this, this huge gift of a. You know, it just. It doesn't make any sense.

[Peter Van Sant]

Frank was often away on a military deployment, which is why Megan said they didn't live together. It was easier to live with her mother and have her help raise Molly. But Byerson didn't know what changed in 2017. Why, all of a sudden, did Megan desperately want to live with her husband?

[Detective Brian Byerson]

As far as we were able to ascertain, they never lived together. She always sort of lived with her mom, and sort of her mom took care of her, and her mom took care of her granddaughter. She was being a doting grandmother, and she wanted to make sure that Molly, you know, had all these nice things in life, and then at the end of the day, that's also taken away from Molly.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson said Megan has never offered her father or sister more details.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I don't know that she'll ever give them the satisfaction of explaining to them why she did it.

[Peter Van Sant]

Megan's attorney at the Fairfax County, Virginia's public Defender's office did not respond when we contacted them for this podcast. At the time of sentencing, her attorneys claimed they would appeal. Even today, Byerson doesn't think Megan would even admit to her crimes.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I think if you asked her today, she would still say she didn't do it. What? At this point, 24 people have decided that you did in two separate trials, and, you know, we're supposed to believe that it's just a coincidence that the day before and the day of your family's murder that you're trying to do this crazy wire transfer for a half a million dollars to buy a house in West Virginia?

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson knows that even if Megan were to explain why she shot her mother and sister, it wouldn't do much good.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

To me personally, because it's just. I know what they lost and how they lost it, and the fact that they're still putting one foot in front of the other is a testament to them. For sure.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ashley never spoke to us for this podcast, but Steve Hargan did go on the record to offer a simple truth.

[Jill]

I will forever be devastated that I lost my daughter Helen. And it's. It's something that is. Has had a profound impact on the family as a whole.

[Peter Van Sant]

And I will.

[Jill]

I will leave it at that.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

I agree with him. You don't need a lot of words to sort of explain something that's not explainable to the majority of the people who are going to hear it.

[Peter Van Sant]

Byerson has long believed a court's decision can bring justice, but not closure. Helen Hargan will never marry Carlos or finish grad school. Pamela will never be surrounded by loving children and grandchildren.

[Detective Brian Byerson]

This family violence is sort of the worst of the worst of this because I think when it's a stranger, you can still in your mind kind of put out a bunch of scenarios as to why this happened, right? But when this person is a part of your immediate family that does this to another person in your immediate family with no explanation offered by them other than this money, there's no closure for them. That's why I don't like that word. Like they're never going to be the same.

[Peter Van Sant]

From 48 hours this is Blood Is Thicker 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 assistants from Alan Penguin and Marlon Polikarp. Special thanks to Paramount Podcast Vice President Megan Marcus 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 Kathryn St. Louis and Jonathan Hirsch. Our associate producer is Zoe Culkin. Theme and original music composed by Hansdale Shih. 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 Kolasni 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. If you liked Blood is Thicker, check out the rest of our 48 Hours podcasts by searching 48 Hours on your favorite podcast app and subscribe to 48 Hours plus on Apple Podcasts for ad free listening. Thanks for listening.