Virginia woman convicted of murdering mom, sister gets new trial after alleged juror misconduct
Juror's re-enactment of alleged double homicide was reportedly the grounds for overturning Megan Hargan's conviction
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Virginia woman who was found guilty earlier this year of murdering her mother and sister will receive a new trial after officials discovered a juror had taken "inappropriate actions," according to a local affiliate report.
Megan Hargan was convicted in March and sentenced to life behind bars for two counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced at the time. But just this week, a judge reversed course and granted Hargan a retrial after finding that a juror had acted inappropriately during the original proceedings, FOX 5 D.C. reported.
According to the report, one of the members of the jury tried to re-enact the alleged crime with their own, unloaded rifle and later recalled the experience to the other jurors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VIRGINIA WOMAN FOUND GUILTY OF MURDERING MOTHER, SISTER THEN STAGING SCENE
Megan Hargan was originally sentenced to life in prison after staging a murder-suicide in her mother's and sister's deaths. (FCPD)
A spokesperson for Descano’s office, which appears to be closed for the Veterans Day holiday, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Friday.
In a statement provided to FOX 5, Descano wrote that he was "disappointed that a juror’s inappropriate actions led to this double murder conviction being vacated.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are still committed to getting justice for the victims of this crime," he said. "My office will move forward and prepare for the new trial."
Prosecutors argued that Hargan killed her mother, 63-year-old Patricia Hargan, and her 23-year-old sister, Helen Hargan, in 2017 and then staged the scene to look like a murder-suicide. The victims, who lived together, were found to have suffered gunshot wounds to their heads.
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Police investigated for 16 months before announcing that Megan Hargan had actually committed the murders. Authorities alleged she had been unhappy with her mother for allegedly buying her sister a home but refusing to give her $400,000, WUSA9.com reported.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.