Jury deliberations in trial of Virginia woman accused of killing mother, sister will enter a second day

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Jury deliberations in the murder trial of a northern Virginia woman will enter a second day.

No verdict was reached after more than six hours of deliberations in the second trial for Megan Hargan, a Fairfax County woman accused of murdering her mother and sister back in 2017.  

Megan was first found guilty in March 2022 in the shooting deaths of her mother Pamela Hargan and sister Helen Hargan. In November 2022, she was granted a new trial due to alleged juror misconduct.

When police began investigating the deaths of the two women on July 14, 2017, they initially believed it to be a murder-suicide. But police later announced that they believed the murder-suicide scene had been staged and that Megan had shot both women. 

During the 2022 trial, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting Megan was angry because she believed her mother Pamela favored her younger sister Helen after Pamela did not make a $400,000 wire transfer to purchase a home for Megan.

Closing arguments concluded Wednesday afternoon, with prosecutors suggesting that Megan attempted fraudulent money transfers from her mother’s account on the day of the murders and the day before.

Evidence submitted in court also revealed Megan’s hands had gun residue on them hours after the shooting.

Megan’s defense team argued prosecutors did prove their theory and the entire case was circumstantial, dependent on "bad investigative work.. Instead, they suggested Helen Hargan killed the sisters’ mother Pamela over a dispute regarding Helen’s boyfriend before turning the gun on herself.

Jurors are expected to return to the courthouse at 10 a.m. Friday.