Veronica Youngblood, accused of murdering her two children in Tysons, may undergo a mental health evaluation, according to news reports.

Youngblood was arrested in Loudoun County and charged with murder after police found two girls with gunshot wounds in their Tysons apartment last year, Tysons Reporter previously reported.

The 5-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 15-year-old died at the hospital.

The incident happened after a custody dispute between Youngblood and her divorced husband, WTOP reported.

In May, a Fairfax County grand jury indicted Youngblood with two murder charges, according to news reports.

The state attorney said Youngblood is considering an insanity defense, adding that her client has had mental health issues before, including suicide attempts and “a trauma background,” WTOP reported.

WTOP also noted that the judge agreed to delay the Nov. 4 trial. A new trial date has not been set.

Photo courtesy FCPD

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A Fairfax County grand jury indicted Veronica Youngblood Monday (May 20) with two murder charges after she allegedly shot both of her daughters, according to news reports.

Youngblood was arrested in Loudoun County and charged with murder after police found two girls with gunshot wounds in their Tysons apartment last year, Tysons Reporter previously reported.

The 5-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 15-year-old died at the hospital.

The incident happened after a custody dispute between Youngblood and her divorced husband, WTOP reported.

The 33-year-old mother was previously charged with the murder of the younger daughter and wounding the older daughter — the indictment was the first time she was charged in the 15-year-old’s death, WTOP reported.

Photo courtesy FCPD

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Morning Notes

A woman with a stroller watches geese from the boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Why D.C. Area Could Smell North Carolina Wildfire — “Weather models indicate that low-level winds, around or below 2,500 feet, have been generally blowing from eastern North Carolina toward D.C., Maryland and Virginia at about 20 to 45 mph since early Monday morning. That probably was strong enough to transport the smoke into the D.C. area by about midday” [Capital Weather Gang]

Route 1 Widening Already Displacing Local Businesses — “Stubbs’ angst about his shrinking business is due to the expansion of a 3.1-mile section of Richmond Highway in the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County, near Mount Vernon — a project that is already starting to displace businesses along the strip even though construction isn’t expected to start until 2027.” [DCist]

FCPS Considers Dress Code Changes — “Changes may be coming to Fairfax County Public Schools’ dress code, including one that would prohibit students from wearing pajamas or sleepwear to class…Students also wouldn’t be allowed to wear jackets with hoods up during class time or in the time in the hallways between classes.” [WTOP]

McLean Woman Convicted of Murder Faces 78 Years in Jail — “A Fairfax County jury recommended Monday that a 37-year-old McLean, Va., woman be sentenced to 78 years in prison for fatally shooting her two daughters in her apartment in 2018. Veronica Youngblood was convicted Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of her daughters” [The Washington Post]

FCPS Employee Joins School Board Race — “A longtime former Fairfax County Public Schools interpreter and family liaison employee announced Friday that she is running for the open Franconia District seat on the county school board. Marcia St. John-Cunning, who currently serves as the community school coordinator at Mt. Vernon Woods Elementary School…is hoping to succeed Tammy Derenak Kaufax, who announced in January that she would not seek re-election” [Patch]

Springfield House That FCPS Students Helped Build Hits Market — A single-family home in the Spring Village Estates at 7429 Foundation Way will hit the market Thursday (March 30) for $1.3 million. The house was built with the assistance of students in the Foundation for Applied Technical Education Inc., or FATE, a career education nonprofit. [Washington Business Journal]

Army Museum Working on New Event Space — “Construction is largely complete, and landscaping has begun on the National Museum of the U.S. Army’s new outdoor space known as Warriors’ Plaza and Field, according to the Army Historical Foundation…Warriors’ Plaza will include stones collected from the Pentagon after the 9/11 attack,” among other features. [On the MoVe]

Vienna Parking Lot to Close for a Day — “The parking lot right off Ayr Hill Avenue NE and directly across from the Train Depot will be closed for scheduled maintenance this Thursday, March 30.” The procedure is needed to ensure the lot can continue draining water. Vehicles parked there after dark tomorrow (Wednesday) night will be towed. [Town of Vienna, W&OD Trail/Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:00 am and sunset at 7:29 pm. [Weather.gov]

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Morning Notes

A net goes up at Capital One Park, a new baseball stadium set to open in Tysons on March 31 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Family of Man Killed by Police Sees Footage — Ahead of a public release at 1 p.m. today (Thursday), the “family of Timothy McCree Johnson, an unarmed Black man fatally shot by Fairfax County police outside Tysons Corner Center last month, watched body-camera footage of his killing. Their lawyer asserted afterward that the video showed Johnson had posed no threat to law enforcement.” [The Washington Post]

McLean Woman Convicted of Killing Daughters — A Fairfax County jury convicted 37-year-old Veronica Youngblood yesterday (Wednesday) “of killing her two daughters — Sharon Castro, 15, and Brooklynn Youngblood, 5 — on Aug. 5, 2018. The mother admitted to officials that she fatally shot her children, but she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.” [The Washington Post]

Three Displaced by Chantilly House Fire — “On Tuesday, March 21, at 5:45 p.m., units were dispatched for a reported house fire in the 13800 block of Leighfield Street…The cause of the fire was improperly discarded smoking materials. Three occupants were displaced because of the fire…Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $185,000.” [FCFRD]

Virginia Hires New State Superintendent — “Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has hired a Tennessee education official to serve as Virginia’s chief schools officer after the previous employee in the role resigned for reasons the administration has declined to explain. Tennessee Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons will take over the role…effective April 17” [Associated Press/WTOP]

Get Free Tequila at Banditos Grand Opening — Banditos Tacos & Tequila will have free tequila and mezcal tastings from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday (March 25) as part of the official grand opening for its Fairfax restaurant. The event will also feature giveaways and music from DJ Gottit at 2 p.m. and from the band Bravenoise at 9 p.m. [Banditos Tacos]

Centreville Students Give Away Prom Dresses — “Marketing students from Centreville High School and the Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall program will open their Prom Dress Shop on Friday, March 24, at Centreville High School in Clifton. Since 2006, the dress shop has helped hundreds of financially challenged students attend prom in style each spring by providing dresses and accessories at no cost to students.” [FCPS]

Madison HS Girls Win Fourth Basketball State Title — “With an ‘and-one’ layup in overtime, the Madison Warhawks Girls Basketball Team defeated the Manchester Lancers (49-46) last week, making this their fourth consecutive state title. This was Madison’s ninth state final appearance — now the most in the history of Class 6 and the former Group AAA.” [FCPS]

Metro Adds Mental Health Crisis Line to Signs — “A new three-digit lifeline number is now available to help individuals experiencing a life-threatening crisis. In Metro station entrances, platforms and top garage levels, customers will see enhanced signs with the new Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, 988.” [WMATA]

It’s Thursday — Scattered showers possible before noon. High of 74 and low of 48. Sunrise at 7:08 am and sunset at 7:23 pm. [Weather.gov]

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Rite Aid, Walgreens Raising Age to Buy Tobacco —  “Beginning Sept. 1, Walgreens will stop selling tobacco products to people who aren’t legally allowed to drink alcohol. Rite Aid will do the same, and plans to implement the policy at all stores by July 22.” Rite Aid has two locations in McLean. [McLean Patch]

WWII Vet Lauded at Earl’s — “A World War II veteran born in 1919 is spending his centennial birthday year on the road traveling to all 50 states and the nation’s capital on a journey he calls the ‘No Regrets Tour’ … While at dinner Friday night [April 19], [the reporter] witnessed all the patrons and staff at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar in Tysons Corner give him a standing ovation when his son and daughter brought him to the restaurant.” [ABC7]

Absentee Voting Began Friday — Absentee voting started on Friday (April 26) for the June 11 primary elections statewide. People can vote absentee in-person at their local voter registration office or by mail. [Virginia Department of Elections]

Vienna Students Honor Fallen Warriors — Madison High students and staff members “cut yellow ribbons and attached the name tag of a fallen warrior: one for each service member killed in-theater since September 11, 2001… The ribbons and their attached tags will be suspended from the rafters at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Three Arrested at Tysons Corner Center — “On Thursday, Fairfax County police said they arrested 22-year-old Molly Helmer, of Annandale, and accused her of shoplifting from a Spencer’s store… As Helmer left the store with friends, 19-year-old Lia Chen, of Annandale, was accused of throwing her water bottle down and spilling her drink all over the store’s floor, police said… During the incident a third person was arrested, 27-year-old Steven Bun, of Fairfax. Police said Bun ‘aggressively approached officers, cursing at them and attempting to interfere with their investigation.’ Bun was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.” [WUSA9]

Veronica Youngblood Not Appearing in Court — “Fairfax County prosecutors were frustrated that the Tysons mom, 33-year-old Veronica Youngblood was absent again for court. The judge appeared to be, as well, telling the courtroom, ‘This case has got to move on.’ Youngblood is accused of shooting and killing her two daughters inside their Fairfax County apartment in August 2018.” [ABC7]

Development Hits Height Issues — “It may not be the largest senior living facility unit-wise, but The Mather will almost certainly be the region’s tallest. And that is a problem for Fairfax County planners, who have recommended denial of the application citing three reasons: its height — the building will rise to a maximum 285 feet — design and open space plan.” [Washington Business Journal]

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Veronica Youngblood, accused of murdering two children in Tysons, is scheduled to go to trial this Friday (Nov. 2).

Youngblood was arrested in Loudoun County and charged with murder after police entered an apartment in the 1500 block of Lincoln Circle and found two children with gunshot wounds.

One, a five-year-old girl, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was taken to the hospital where she later died.

While authorities did not release the names of the victims, in accordance with Virginia law, it was widely reported that Youngblood was the mother of the children.

Because the case involved crimes against children, it will be prosecuted in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, according to an employee in the clerk’s office.

Youngblood will be represented by a public defender. Whether the case is open to the public will be at the discretion of the presiding judge.

Photo courtesy FCPD

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Morning Notes

A car in the I-66 Express Lanes approaches the Dunn Loring Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

McLean Woman Sentenced for Fatally Shooting Daughters — “Prosecutors said [Veronica] Youngblood methodically killed her daughters at her apartment at 1519 Lincoln Circle as an act of revenge toward her former husband, Ron Youngblood.” A jury convicted Youngblood of first-degree murder earlier this year and recommended a prison sentence of 78 years. [Washington Post]

Child Partially Paralyzed After Richmond Highway Crash — “Next month Trenton Gatlin-Ketter will turn 6 years old. Instead of playing outside and enjoying his special day, he’ll be in his wheelchair. The child was partially paralyzed after police say a drunk driver crashed into him and his mom.” [WUSA9]

Vienna Company Ordered to Pay for False Medicare Claims — “AZ Diabetic Supply, Inc. (AZD), a durable medical equipment (DME) provider located in Vienna, was ordered to pay $12 million for its submission of nearly 1,000 false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for reimbursement.” The owner also agreed to pay $10,000 and accept a ban from using federally funded health care programs as part of a settlement that dismissed claims against him. [U.S. Attorney’s Office]

Work Begins on South GW Parkway Improvements — “Motorists who commute along the southern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway will notice some significant changes at key intersections in the coming days. The National Park Service (NPS) has begun reconfiguring the intersection of the Parkway and Belle Haven Road to improve safety, and NPS plans to make similar changes at Belle View Boulevard immediately thereafter.” [On the MoVe]

Vienna Diner Expected to Open in January — “The owners of the celebrated Tysons-area Greek restaurant Nostos say they plan to open the Yellow Diner by January 2024. The Pagonis family will open the 94-seat modern American diner at the site of the former SunTrust Bank at 501 Maple Ave. W.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Lake Accotink Playground Installation Underway — “Several pieces of equipment have been installed and more pieces will be finished. The playground will include, among other things, a tower play structure with a winding slide, a swing set, a teeter-totter, and musical panels to provide children with a wide range of options for play.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]

Middle School Students Now Have Sports in FCPS — “Our students are setting the pace as middle school sports begin for the first time in FCPS! Across the county, middle school students have started cross-country without any cost to the student…This marks the first time FCPS has offered this age group a chance to participate in extracurricular sports.” [FCPS/Facebook]

Program for ArtsFairfax Awards Announced — “The ArtsFairfax Awards announces Peggy Fox as the luncheon emcee and Jean Sausele-Knodt as the 2023 Awards Artist and will include a musical performance by the Workhouse Arts Center cast of The Who’s Tommy and a violin solo by Inova Artist in Residence Anthony Hyatt. The annual event [will take] place on Thursday, October 26, at Capital One Hall.” [ArtsFairfax]

It’s Monday — There is a slight chance of showers in the afternoon after 2pm and patchy fog between 7-10am, with overall mostly cloudy skies and a high of 67°F. The chance of precipitation is at 20%. At night, expect a higher chance of showers, primarily after 8pm, along with cloudy skies and a low of 58°F. [Weather.gov]

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