A 21-year-old man from Houston was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the tragic stabbing of his twin sister, Meghan Elliott, which occurred on September 29, 2021. At the time of the incident, both siblings were just 17 years old.
During the attack, Benjamin Elliott mentioned to a 911 operator that he believed he was “dreaming.” He claimed he woke up in Meghan’s room only to find her seriously injured, with a knife in her neck.
Court documents revealed that after realizing the situation was real, Elliott pulled the knife from Meghan’s neck and tried to stop the bleeding. He then called for help, and the operator instructed him to perform CPR.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene where Elliott was still trying to save his sister. Unfortunately, Meghan was pronounced dead shortly after due to multiple stab wounds.
At the scene, Elliott reportedly expressed regret, saying he felt he did not “deserve respect” after killing his sister. In a subsequent interview with detectives, he recounted a moment of panic, describing how he put a pillow on her to try to stop the bleeding before calling for assistance.
Both the defense and prosecution presented experts to discuss parasomnias, which are sleep disorders that can lead to behaviors like sleepwalking. A neurologist for the defense argued that the jury may have misunderstood the situation, citing rare cases where individuals have acted out during sleep.
Conversely, prosecutors contended that Elliott had been using his phone right before the incident, suggesting he was aware of his actions when he chose to call 911. They also claimed he tried to muffle Meghan’s cries with a pillow and noted that the knife used in the stabbing was newly acquired.
Testimony during the trial included statements from Elliott’s older sister, who said he had a history of sleepwalking, and a great-aunt who mentioned a family history of similar issues. A forensic psychologist reported that while Elliott had faced some mental health challenges recently, he was not suffering from any at the time of the incident.
