'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAs6aE3//EACAQAAEDBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMBAgQABQYRFSEiMUH/2gAIAQEAAT8AvGTCiXuXGYI2kCJH9tTaJ5UTMoLiOdxvtd/K/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAy/9oACAECAQE/ABpX/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAy/9oACAEDAQE/AHk3/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
48 Hours on CBS will have correspondent Peter Van Sant revisit the crimes of Megan Hargan, who was recently convicted in the 2017 double homicide case of her mother Pamela and younger sister Helen. The episode titled Death Hits Home: The Hargan Killings will air on the network this Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 10 pm ET.
According to sources, Megan was driven by greed and jealousy for murdering her mother, Pamela Hargan, 63, and then fatally shooting her younger sister Helen Hargan, 23. Evidence revealed that Pamela favored the younger sister more than the accused, or so she believed. The mother even bought Helen a home but refused to assist with the same in Megan's case.
Reports state that the hatred between the two sisters grew to a point where Megan Hargan tried to paint her dead sister as the perpetrator in the case that was initially determined to be a murder-suicide. Hargan claimed that her sister killed their mother and then shot herself, using her toes to pull the trigger.
This article further discusses the evidence found during the case and how it was used in Megan Hargan's trial to convict her of double homicide.
Megan Hargan allegedly impersonated her mother on a bank call to acquire a wire transfer
Five days after the shooting deaths in the Hargan family's McLean, Virginia home, Megan Hargan, who was convicted in the double homicide of her mother and younger sister earlier this year, was called in for interrogation by authorities.
At the time, Hargan tried to pin the blame on her dead sister, Helen, claiming that she fatally shot their mother and then shot herself, pulling the trigger with her toes.
Authorities declared the killings to be a murder-suicide in a public statement. However, they found evidence that pointed to Megan Hargan, who had a motive to kill them. On the day of the deaths, the accused allegedly attempted to illegally transfer more than $400,000 from her mother's bank account while closing on a new house.
The day before the killings, she allegedly pretended to be her mother on a phone call with the bank, which authorities thought was suspicious. They confronted her with the call recording of the conversation, asserting that she was "pretending to be" Pamela Hargan.
A detective reportedly told her:
"You presented yourself as someone that you are not in order to secure a wire transfer for over $400,000 on two, two occasions."
Another asked her
"If she’s alive, why isn’t she answering the phone calls?"
The authorities never got a straightforward confession from Megan Hargan, as she could not answer their questions clearly.
After staging the crime scene, Megan Hargan put the blame on her dead sister Helen
Another crucial piece of information was a recording of the investigator informing Megan Hargan and her youngest sister, Ashley, of the deaths. Megan reportedly broke down and refused to believe it, claiming that it wasn't "real."
However, moments later, Megan tried to paint her dead sister Helen Hargan as their mother's killer, pinning the whole thing on the 23-year-old. She claimed that Helen and her mother had a falling out and that there were problems between them.
Authorities and prosecutors believed that Megan Hargan staged the crime scene to paint her sister as the perpetrator and make the incident seem like a murder-suicide. About a year later, in November 2018, it was determined that Hargan deliberately shot her mother and sister to death before staging the crime to blame her sister. She was immediately taken into custody.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano reportedly called the Hargan killings "a tragedy all for money" and commented on the crime, saying,
"Obviously, committing a murder is one of the worst things you can do, but then also trying to pin that on another victim, on your own sister, really goes to show, quite frankly, the depravity of this act."
Several other factors led to Megan Hargan's ultimate connection, including testimonies from those related to the victims. She is currently serving two life sentences in prison.
Watch CBS 48 Hours this Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 10 pm ET, to get more exclusive insights on the case.
