Toe on the Trigger | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings

Summary

Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings – Episode: Toe on the Trigger

Podcast Information:

• Title: Trained to Kill: The Dog Trainer, the Heiress and the Bodyguard
• Host/Author: CBS News
• Episode: Toe on the Trigger | Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings
• Release Date: June 5, 2024

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Introduction to the Case

In the gripping episode "Toe on the Trigger," 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant delves deep into the harrowing case of the Hargan family killings. Megan Hargan, once a beloved dog trainer, is accused of murdering her mother, Helen Hargan, and her youngest sister, Pamela. The podcast meticulously unpacks the dark layers of this tragic family saga, highlighting the motivations, evidence, and courtroom drama that defined the trial.

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The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

Detective Brian Byerson provides a vivid account of the crime scene on Dean Drive in McLean, Virginia. Upon his initial visit, Detective Byerson described it as “a macabre jigsaw puzzle” (01:25), with blood evidence scattered without an apparent pattern. Sixteen months later, the case was ready to move forward with an impending arrest.

Key Insights:

• Megan’s Motive: According to Detective Byerson, Megan's greed was the primary motive. He stated, "the sole purpose of greed. Money" (01:19).
• The Role of the Cell Phone: A peculiar detail in the investigation was Megan’s obsession with her mother's cell phone, which Detective Byerson believes was central to her plot.

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Prosecutorial Case Against Megan Hargan

Prosecutor Tyler Bazilla, alongside co-counsel Whitney Gregory, constructed a narrative of Megan as a calculating killer driven by financial desperation. The prosecution focused on the theory that Megan murdered her mother to secure funds for purchasing a house. When denied access, she allegedly orchestrated the murders to frame her sister Helen.

Notable Testimonies:

• Whitney Gregory on Megan’s Intent:

  "This is an individual who murdered two of her closest family members for money and for no other reason." (05:02)

• Whitney Gregory on Ashley’s Testimony:

  "Ashley Hargan... believed in her heart and through the evidence that Megan did this heinous act." (11:12)

Key Evidence Presented:

• Megan’s Confession: Megan admitted to killing Pamela but initially claimed Helen committed suicide.
• Capital One Calls: Recordings where Megan impersonated her mother, attempting to secure money, were pivotal in establishing her intent.

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Defense Strategy and the "Toe on the Trigger" Theory

Megan’s defense team pivoted to casting doubt on Helen’s suicide. They introduced the controversial "toe on the trigger" theory, suggesting Helen could have used her toe to fire the rifle, thereby staging her own death.

Expert Testimony:

• Forensic Specialist Iris Deli Graft:

  "For a downward to the top of the head, yes, Graf said." (20:36)

• Analysis by Jill (Forensic Expert):

  "It's like you're standing on your head to try to get to this position, which makes it very difficult to find the trigger." (22:28)

Defense Argument: The defense contended that it was physically possible for Helen to shoot herself using her toe, albeit under extremely strained circumstances. They aimed to introduce reasonable doubt regarding Megan's sole culpability.

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Key Witnesses and Emotional Testimonies

1. Carlos Gutierrez (Helen’s Boyfriend):

   • Emotional Testimony: Carlos testified passionately, denying Helen's suicidal intentions and painting her as a vibrant, loving individual (07:03).
   • Quote:

     "She was not a person that was plotting a murder or thinking her life was ready to kill herself." (07:03)

2. Ashley Hargan (Megan’s Sister):

   • Initial Accusations: Initially suggested Helen might have been the killer during an interview with Detective Byerson (09:03).
   • Change of Heart: After reviewing evidence, Ashley affirmed Megan's guilt, stating, "I knew 100% through the evidence and in her gut that Megan is the killer." (11:12)
   • Pregnant Testimony: Despite being eight months pregnant, Ashley maintained composure, providing a powerful emotional account (08:56).
   • Quote:

     "So she testified for us, testified factually, and I think it was very powerful for the jury to see that Ashley believed in her heart and through the evidence that Megan did this heinous act." (11:12)

---

Courtroom Dynamics and Cross-Examinations

The defense aggressively cross-examined Ashley Hargan, highlighting her memory lapses and suggesting potential financial motives:

• Tyler Bazilla on Ashley’s Credibility:

  "It's just that...she's blaming Megan...for somehow wanting all this estate." (10:25)

• Defense’s Attack on Ashley:

  "She has to grieve the loss of her family...And that's why she's blaming Megan." (10:45)

Despite these attacks, Ashley's heartfelt testimony and the prosecution’s solid evidence aimed to overshadow the defense's attempts to introduce doubt.

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Verdict and Aftermath

On March 24, 2022, the jury found Megan Hargan guilty on all four charges, including first-degree murder of her mother and sister, along with two associated firearm felony charges. The jury recommended two life sentences, signifying the gravity of the crimes.

Reactions:

• Prosecutor Whitney Gregory:

  “Guilty on all four charges.” (24:23)

• Ashley Hargan:

  “I'm just sort of in the zone, trying not to pass out.” (24:36)

• Detective Brian Byerson: Expressed a sense of relief, acknowledging the emotional toll on all parties involved (24:50).

Final Twist: The episode hints at ongoing controversy as one juror, unsettled by the defense’s "toe on the trigger" theory, acted against the verdict, threatening to undermine the case's integrity. This unresolved tension promises further exploration in the podcast’s finale.

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Conclusion

"Toe on the Trigger" offers a comprehensive and emotionally charged examination of the Hargan family killings. Through meticulous investigation, expert testimonies, and courtroom drama, the episode captures the complexities of a case where familial bonds were shattered by greed and deception. The introduction of the unconventional “toe on the trigger” theory not only added suspense but also highlighted the challenges in discerning truth within the judicial system.

For those who have not listened to the episode, this summary provides a thorough overview of the key points, discussions, and conclusions that define this tragic and intricate case.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Peter Van Sant:

  "I'm Peter Van Sant from 48 Hours. This is Blood is Thicker. The Hargan Family Killings Episode five Toe on the Trigger." (04:23)

• Whitney Gregory:

  "We're going to demonstrate over the next several weeks that every shred of evidence shows that Megan Hargan was the one who committed these murders. And she did it for greed." (05:15)

• Ashley Hargan:

  "I think it could be survival mentality...too just trying to protect herself and other survivors in the household." (16:08)

• Jill (Forensic Expert):

  "People have done that. Use, like their toe to engage the trigger?" (21:56)

• Whitney Gregory:

  "I'll tell you this. That in combination with them using the word framed, that Helen framed her sister, to me, meant that they didn't have a defense at all." (23:42)

---

Attributions:

• Participants:

  • Peter Van Sant: Host and correspondent
  • Tyler Bazilla: Lead Prosecutor
  • Whitney Gregory: Co-counsel/Prosecutor
  • Ashley Hargan: Megan’s sister and key witness
  • Carlos Gutierrez: Helen’s boyfriend
  • Iris Deli Graft: Forensic Specialist
  • Jill: Forensic Expert
  • Matt Troiano: Criminal Defense Expert

• Production Credits:

  • Executive Producer: Judy Tygard
  • Producers: Josh Yeager, Sarah Ely Hulse, Michelle Sigona, Lauren White
  • Senior Producer: Jamie Benson
  • Senior Story Editor: Maura Walls
  • Writing and Production: Alex Schuman
  • Executive Producers: Kathryn St. Louis, Jonathan Hirsch
  • Associate Producer: Zoe Culkin
  • Music Composer: Honsdale Shee

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Final Note: For a deeper understanding and to experience the full emotional journey, listeners are encouraged to tune into the "Toe on the Trigger" episode of "Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings."

Transcript

[Jill]

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[Peter van Sant]

This episode contains graphic audio and references to self harm and family violence. Please listen with care.

[Tyler Bazilla]

I think that she is contemplating how to murder her family that night.

[Peter van Sant]

And she wants to do that. For what purpose?

[Tyler Bazilla]

The sole purpose of greed. Money.

[Peter van Sant]

When Detective Brian Byerson first walked through the crime scene on Dean Drive in McLean, Virginia, he saw a macabre jigsaw puzzle. And he wasn't yet sure how the bloody pieces fit together. But now, nearly 16 months after the shootings, he was ready to make an arrest. Detective Byerson told me he believed Megan started plotting the murders after her first failed attempt to wire money from her mother's account. And it may have all come down to, as strange as it may seem, her mother's cell phone.

[Tyler Bazilla]

That's how petty this whole thing is. She knows that she has to have her mother's cell phone because she has to answer that phone and she has to regurgitate a security number that they're going to give her on that cell phone. And in order for her to get that phone, she's going to have to kill her mom. That penny, that petty.

[Peter van Sant]

But what about Helen? What motivated Megan to also shoot her youngest sister? Perhaps it was to eliminate a witness. Even if it was her own flesh and blood.

[Tyler Bazilla]

I think Helen knew what happened. I mean, we'll never understand. I Don't think in any capacity why it is that Megan went upstairs and told her that she had shot their mother. I have no idea why she did that. I can only assume that at some point after telling her that, she realized that was probably not a great idea and realized that the only way out for her was to stage this scene as if Helen had killed Pamela and then took her own life so she could just walk away and she'd get the money as she thought and then everybody would just blame Helen.

[Peter van Sant]

Two lives, a sister, a mother, a family destroyed to buy a house.

[Tyler Bazilla]

All for a house.

[Peter van Sant]

In fact, when Megan finally went trial in 2022, that's the story prosecutors planned to tell. The eldest of three daughters wanted her mother to buy her a house. When she didn't get her way, she chose to kill her mother, then kill and frame her youngest sister.

[Tyler Bazilla]

It's just an immeasurable grief, tragedy all the way around.

[Peter van Sant]

Megan's defense team embraced the theory that Helen was most likely the murderer. They said there was a way she could have killed herself with that long rifle using her foot. In fact, an expert for the prosecution had given Megan's lawyers an opening.

[Jill]

It's possible for a person to use their toe to engage the trigger. That is certainly possible and that claim.

[Peter van Sant]

Would change the course of the trial. I'm Peter van Sant from 48 Hours. This is Blood is Thicker. The Hargan Family Killings Episode five Toe on the Trigger.

[Whitney Gregory]

I've never seen a case like this.

[Peter van Sant]

And how would you characterize it particularly?

[Whitney Gregory]

Deliberate, willful and cruel.

[Peter van Sant]

Tyler Bazilla served as lead prosecutor on Megan Hargan's case.

[Whitney Gregory]

This is an individual who murdered two of her closest family members for money and for no other reason.

[Peter van Sant]

Bazilla and his co counsel plan to tell the jury the story of a calculating killer.

[Whitney Gregory]

I'm telling them the facts and showing them that. We're going to demonstrate over the next several weeks that every shred of evidence shows that Megan Hargan was the one who committed these murders. And she did it for greed. And it's not Helen Hargan. Helen Hargan was an innocent 24 year old girl having a normal day.

[Peter van Sant]

The prosecution laid out how it believes Megan murdered Helen, then showed how it believes Megan tried to frame her sister as the killer.

[Whitney Gregory]

There was no evidence that Helen had done any of those things. And all the evidence was that Megan.

[Peter van Sant]

Did remember to make police think Helen was suicidal. Megan had said Helen was depressed and under the spell of a bad boyfriend. She had also given officers a motive for murder that Helen Was angry with her mom for canceling a contract on a new house in aldi, Virginia. But prosecutors asserted that none of it was true. It was all just a smoke screen.

[Whitney Gregory]

There was no evidence that the house was being canceled. In fact, they had an appointment for two days later to go meet with the blinds guy. When you talk to the real estate agent, the real estate agent says there's a whole process you have to go through to stop the purchase of a house. They had never once initiated that.

[Peter van Sant]

Prosecutors also countered Megan's character attacks on Helen and her boyfriend, Carlos Gutierrez.

[Whitney Gregory]

There was no evidence of drugs whatsoever. There was no evidence that Carlos was bad to Helen. If anything, he seemed like a very loving guy.

[Peter van Sant]

Carlos played a key role at the trial, testifying for the prosecution.

[Whitney Gregory]

He was very emotional even before he walked in the courtroom. He was emotional during his entire testimony, Especially when he had to talk about Helen. This is not something he has gotten over. I mean, this has stuck with him.

[Peter van Sant]

While the court did not release audio, we have reviewed court transcripts and 48 hours producers attended some of the trial. Carlos was emphatic that Helen was not suicidal. Not when he spoke to her the morning she died, not ever.

[Whitney Gregory]

She was not a person that was plotting a murder or thinking her life was ready to kill herself.

[Peter van Sant]

Carlos said that Helen was scared and that she told him. Megan confessed the unthinkable shooting. The woman who gave her life and loving support in cold blood.

[Ashley Hargan]

He's an eyewitness without his eyes, but through his ears. And he was sort of there through Helen's words.

[Peter van Sant]

Whitney Gregory was co counsel for the prosecution. She said that Carlos was genuinely heartbroken on the stand.

[Ashley Hargan]

The intangibles of him just crying, staring down Megan, it was. There's no way he was acting. And just that raw emotion showed that there is no way that Helen could have done this.

[Peter van Sant]

Carlos emotional testimony was followed by another compelling witness. After initially defending her sister Megan, Ashley Hargan agreed to testify against her for the prosecution. She was the middle sister by birth and caught in the middle by this tragedy between two sisters she had always loved.

[Ashley Hargan]

Ashley presents herself very stoically. She's very strong, independent, but she's grieving in a way that none of us have ever experienced. And I think because she comes off so stoically, people may think she's not as upset as she really is.

[Peter van Sant]

Adding to the stress of her testimony was the fact that Ashley was pregnant with her first child when she testified.

[Ashley Hargan]

She was eight, almost nine months pregnant. And she kept her composure.

[Peter van Sant]

With one exception.

[Ashley Hargan]

She got Very teary eyed when I showed her an autopsy photo of her mom and sister. But she's grieving like anyone would.

[Whitney Gregory]

So for Ashley Hargan, one day she's having lunch with mom and her niece and getting Snapchats from her sister, and the next day her entire family is either murdered or suspected of murder. I mean, she lost everything in a day.

[Peter van Sant]

At trial, Ashley strongly defended her sister Helen. But as you'll recall, back when she was initially interviewed by Detective Brian Byerson, Ashley suggested Helen might have been the killer. Prosecutors said that Ashley had been in shock and was simply parroting what she had been told by her big sister.

[Whitney Gregory]

Megan, out of all the family members, is the only one that ever suggests Helen did this because mom was going to pull the house. No one in the rest of the family had ever heard that. They never even suggested it. It's important because.

[Peter van Sant]

And Helen always talked to her sister. Ashley and Ashley would have known this.

[Whitney Gregory]

Ashley would have known it. Yeah, because Ashley was close with Pam.

[Peter van Sant]

Pamela was actually visiting Ashley the day before the murders.

[Whitney Gregory]

She was around when Kaplan called and said, hey, someone tried to take all this money out of your account. Ashley knew that, that all the stuff Megan's saying is not true.

[Peter van Sant]

In cross examination, the defense attacked Ashley's credibility, accusing her of lying out of self interest. They claimed Ashley wanted the money from Pamela's estate all to herself. And if Megan took the fall, Ashley would inherit millions.

[Ashley Hargan]

She has to grieve the loss of her family, grapple with the fact that her sister is a murderer, and then be targeted for somehow wanting all this estate. And that's why she's blaming Megan.

[Peter van Sant]

But it turns out Ashley had a very good reason for her change of heart. According to the prosecution, she had listened to the Capital One calls of Megan impersonating their mother.

[Ashley Hargan]

She knew 100% through the evidence and in her gut that Megan is the killer. So she testified for us, testified factually, and I think it was very powerful for the jury to see that Ashley believed in her heart and through the evidence that Megan did this heinous act.

[Tyler Bazilla]

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[Jill]

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[Peter van Sant]

When Ashley Hargan was on the stand, Megan's defense attorneys played her recordings of what she previously told police long before she knew the facts of the case.

[Whitney Gregory]

When was the last time that Helen had ever talked about hurting herself?

[Ashley Hargan]

With me, it was probably last year, I want to say.

[Peter van Sant]

This call between Ashley and Detective Brian Byerson was recorded five days after the killings.

[Whitney Gregory]

Did you know that there was.

[Tyler Bazilla]

Your mom was financially supporting the. The buying of the house with Megan?

[Peter van Sant]

I knew that she was not.

[Tyler Bazilla]

Not afterwards, but.

[Whitney Gregory]

Right.

[Peter van Sant]

I knew.

[Ashley Hargan]

Right. Right.

[Peter van Sant]

I knew that she was going to be helping them with purchasing a house. Yes.

[Tyler Bazilla]

Okay. And she'd agreed with all that in.

[Peter van Sant]

This conversation before she heard the capital One calls. Ashley backed up Megan's story. You didn't know how much your mom.

[Tyler Bazilla]

Was giving her, but you knew that.

[Peter van Sant]

She was helping her out.

[Tyler Bazilla]

Right.

[Jill]

For the house.

[Tyler Bazilla]

For the house, yes.

[Peter van Sant]

However, on this stand, Ashley claimed to not recall these conversations. 48 hours consultant and criminal defense expert Matt Troiano reviewed her testimony.

[Tyler Bazilla]

So it's my understanding, Peter, that during Ashley's cross examination, she says 150 times thereabouts, that she doesn't remember certain things.

[Peter van Sant]

Things. And that's a lot of times to forget what you said.

[Tyler Bazilla]

There's two ways to look at that. Number one is that she doesn't remember. Right. Number two is that she doesn't want to say things that are not helpful for the prosecution. That she has an interest, vested interest, financial interest, emotional interest in protecting her mother and her sister, Helen, and that she is not going to be cooperative.

[Peter van Sant]

The defense tried to use Ashley's memory lapses in their favor. All they needed to do was so doubt that Megan was the killer.

[Tyler Bazilla]

It's not the job of the jury to answer the question of who did it. The job of the jury is to determine if the state, the prosecution, has proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Peter van Sant]

And Megan's lawyers zeroed in on other curious, some might say baffling facts. Remember, Helen didn't try to escape the Hargan home, even after her mother had been shot and her sister had confessed to the killing. Helen didn't even call 91 1. And Carlos testified that she also asked him not to report anything. Here's Matt Troiano again.

[Tyler Bazilla]

She actually says, don't. Don't call 911. As I understand it, the question is why? Why? Why would that ever be reasonable? What is the reasonable explanation for Helen to not want to get help?

[Peter van Sant]

I asked Detective Byerson that same question.

[Tyler Bazilla]

That is one of the pieces to the puzzle that we'll never have. We don't know why she didn't call 911. We don't know why she didn't leave.

[Peter van Sant]

But prosecutor Whitney Gregory offered a potential answer. Perhaps Helen was trying to protect Molly, Megan's daughter.

[Ashley Hargan]

I think it could be survival mentality. She believes that Molly's in the other room. If Megan's capable of killing her own mother, who else is she capable of killing in the home? So I think in part, it's just she couldn't wrap her head around what happened. And also, too, just trying to protect herself and other survivors in the household.

[Peter van Sant]

But Helen at this point is not a 12 year old. She's a university graduate, two degrees, a very bright woman. And she tells Carlos, I can hear my mother gurgling downstairs. And she doesn't call 911 to get medical help for her mom. That makes no sense.

[Ashley Hargan]

She also is in the home with a crazed maniac with a gun. And so I think she's barricading herself in a bathroom. She doesn't know what to do. She panics.

[Peter van Sant]

Prosecutors hope to convince jurors how the crime scene clearly indicated Megan killed Helen, that Helen didn't pull the trigger herself. But then the trial took an unexpected turn. A witness for the prosecution conceded there was one possible way Helen could have taken her own life. Matt Troiano said the defense saw an opening.

[Tyler Bazilla]

The critical question is, could it have been done? If it is impossible to do it, that's one thing. If it is implausible, that's a different thing.

[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 get her back, we're going to pay it.

[Jill]

The secrets they hide. You can't talk about this.

[Peter van Sant]

You can't write about it, are the clues.

[Whitney Gregory]

The mother's hiding something.

[Tyler Bazilla]

I know it.

[Jill]

To find her, tell me where she is.

[Peter van Sant]

The stolen girl.

[Whitney Gregory]

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[Jill]

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[Whitney Gregory]

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[Tyler Bazilla]

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[Tyler Bazilla]

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[Tyler Bazilla]

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[Jill]

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[Peter van Sant]

In the second week of the trial, the prosecution and defense focused on one critical question. Was it possible that Helen could have first killed her mother and then herself with a long rifle? The fatal bullet had traveled from a wound at the top of her head downward, which seemed physically impossible. The prosecution called Iris Deli Graft to the stand.

[Jill]

I'm a forensic specialist and I was hired to look into a reconstruction of the events that happened when Helen Hargan died in the bathroom. One of the first things I do is I look to the autopsy. What do we know from the autopsy that's fact beyond change? In this case, she had an entry wound through the bone at the top of her head and an exit in the lower part of the cranium going down into the right neck.

[Peter van Sant]

With that kind of wound, Graf didn't think it was likely that Helen shot herself.

[Jill]

Top of the head is usually a sign that something else is happening.

[Peter van Sant]

Someone else is in that room, certainly.

[Jill]

For a downward to the top of the head, yes, graf said.

[Peter van Sant]

She tested several scenarios and showed me her digital reconstructions of the crime scene.

[Jill]

This is a forensic animation, a virtual Model. That is a depiction of the data.

[Peter van Sant]

The jury was not allowed to see Graff's reconstructions in court, but they mostly challenged the idea that Helen died by suicide. Since the autopsy revealed the bullet entered the top of her head, Graff tested all the ways Helen could have pointed the rifle and still reach the trigger. In most scenarios, Helen's fingers couldn't reach fully extended.

[Jill]

We still need another five inches.

[Peter van Sant]

So she's five inches short of reaching the trigger if the gun was held at this angle. And based just on my experience in covering a lot of these cases, I've never seen a suicide with a weapon, a rifle, placed on someone's head by themselves like this. Have you?

[Jill]

Not with this particular trajectory.

[Peter van Sant]

But there was one scenario where Graff found Helen could have reached the trigger using her toe.

[Jill]

People have done that. Use, like their toe to engage the trigger?

[Peter van Sant]

That has been done, yes. Okay. Try to imagine this for a moment. In Graf's digital reconstruction, Helen is sitting on the toilet, leaning forward so that the top of her head is against the gun barrel. In that scenario, Helen could have used her toe to pull the trigger.

[Jill]

Yes. Her legs are long enough that her toe could reach the trigger.

[Peter van Sant]

But what do you think of this scenario?

[Jill]

Basically, you're standing on your head to try to get to this position, which makes it very difficult to find the trigger. And the other thing is that you're leaning so far forward that your center of gravity is over the floor, not over the toilet seat, which you could fall down. Exactly.

[Peter van Sant]

She conceded this scenario is technically possible, but Graf didn't think Helen killed herself.

[Jill]

Someone else has to engage the trigger.

[Peter van Sant]

So this is a homicide, not suicide, in your opinion?

[Jill]

This would be homicide.

[Peter van Sant]

Yet Graff's finding that Helen's legs were long enough to reach the trigger raised enough doubt that. That the defense made it part of their argument.

[Ashley Hargan]

Only a producer of a movie could come up with this. And even then, I don't think an audience would even buy that. Even in Hollywood.

[Peter van Sant]

Prosecutor Whitney Gregory was not convinced. And she didn't think anyone else would buy the toe trigger theory.

[Ashley Hargan]

It's utterly nonsensical for several reasons.

[Peter van Sant]

The defense attorneys even discussed how Helen's socks could have prevented her from leaving prints on the trigger. I asked prosecutor Tyler Bazilla about the theory.

[Whitney Gregory]

I mean, I thought it was ridiculous. I'll tell you this. That in combination with them using the word framed, that Helen framed her sister, to me, meant that they didn't have a defense at all. Because if you frame somebody, this isn't the way you do it.

[Peter van Sant]

But remember, all the defense needed to do was convince one juror that there was reasonable doubt that Megan Hargan was the murderer. For her part, Megan chose not to take the stand and defend herself. The jury deliberated on Thursday, March 24, 2022, took off Friday, and returned a verdict that following Monday.

[Ashley Hargan]

Guilty on all four charges. So first degree of Pamela, first degree of Helen, and. And then the two associated firearm, the commission of the felony charges.

[Peter van Sant]

And how did Megan react to the verdict?

[Ashley Hargan]

At least for me as a prosecutor, I don't want to look over at that table. I think it's not very classy. I'm just sort of in the zone, trying not to pass out.

[Peter van Sant]

Detective Brian Byerson, who had been working this case from the very beginning, was also in the courtroom.

[Tyler Bazilla]

There's some relief there when that verdict is read, but more so there's a sense of, I think, weight lifted off of everybody. I know that it was very emotional for Ashley Hargan sitting in there listening to that.

[Peter van Sant]

The jury recommended two life sentences. A McLean woman could be headed to.

[Jill]

Prison for the rest of her life.

[Peter van Sant]

For killing her mother and her sister. Jurors found Megan Hargan guilty of the murders and staging the crime scene to look like. Like it was a murder suicide. But the saga over whether Megan Hargan killed her mother and sister wasn't over, not yet. That argument about Helen using her toe on the trigger caused one juror to go rogue. And what she did next would put the verdict and the entire case in jeopardy. That's next. Time on the finale of Blood is thicker. 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 assistance from Alan Pang 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 Honsdale 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 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. You can listen to Blood is the Hargan Family Killings early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening.