HOUSTON (Court TV) — A Texas man who told police he was sleepwalking when he stabbed his twin sister to death has been convicted of her murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Benjamin Elliott was 17 years old when he stabbed Meghan Elliott in her bed in the early morning hours of September 29, 2021. He faced up to 99 years in prison, and the judge said the jury had asked for leniency after they found him guilty of murder.
Benjamin Elliott sits in the courtroom during a break in his murder trial Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Court TV)
In recorded statements to police that were played for the jury in his trial, Benjamin said he awoke from a dream to find himself standing over his sister, who had a knife in her neck. He said he pulled the knife from her neck and called 911 to report that he stabbed her.
Officers arrived at the family’s home in Katy, Texas, after 4 a.m. and found Benjamin performing CPR on his sister. The knife, described in testimony as a “survival knife” that belonged to his father, was found at the scene.
Benjamin was out on $100,000 bond since the incident. His lawyer chose not to deliver an opening statement at the start of the trial. In court documents filed before the trial started, Benjamin’s attorneys said they may call a sleep expert, a neurologist, psychiatrists, and a forensic science expert.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Maroun Koutani said in his opening statement that cell phone evidence contradicts Benjamin’s sleepwalking claim, according to KENS. Prosecutors are also relying on Benjamin’s police statements to support their theory that he knew what he was doing and intentionally stabbed his sister.
TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Prosecutor Maroun Koutani presents the state’s opening statement in the trial of Benjamin Elliott, who is accused of murdering his twin sister, Meghan, while she slept.
- Bodycam footage shows Benjamin Elliott giving his sister chest compressions after she was stabbed in the neck. Elliott claims he was sleepwalking when he attacked his sister.
- Michael Elliott, father of the defendant and victim, takes the stand.
- Benjamin Elliott claims he was sleepwalking when he fatally stabbed his twin sister, Meghan Elliott. Defense attorney Wes Rucker focuses on parasomnias and how Benjamin’s behavior indicates he wasn’t aware of what he was doing.
- Elizabeth Elliott, sister to twins Benjamin and Meghan Elliott, testifies that Benjamin was supportive of Meghan and had a history of sleepwalking.
- Michael Elliott recalled his daughter’s face looking “gray” when he walked in to find Benjamin giving his sister chest compressions.
- Benjamin Elliott’s friend, Anand Kumar Singh, testifies and recalls a slumber party where Benjamin Elliott supposedly sleepwalked. Elliott said he was dreaming about eating a donut and woke up to find a partially eaten donut in his hand.
- Kathy Elliott, the mother of defendant Benjamin Elliott and victim Meghan Elliott, sobbed as she testified that her 17-year-old twins got along well. She told the jury that there was no reason for Ben to want his sister dead.
- Closing arguments:
- Verdict announced
- Michael and Kathy Elliott testify about the difficulties Benjamin Elliott has been facing since his arrest and how his sister, Meghan Elliott, would want leniency for her brother.
