Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons Benjamin, 4, and Mason, 1, were found shot to death in their New Hampshire home in August 2022. Kassandra’s husband and Benjamin and Mason’s father Sean Sweeney, left, was not injured. Eric Sweeney (not pictured), Kassandra’s brother-in-law and uncle to the two boys, was indicted for first-degree murder in their deaths. (GoFundMe)
A grand jury in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, indicted a 17-year-old boy for first-degree murder in the deaths of his sister-in-law and nephews, ages 4 and 1, state Attorney General John M. Formella announced Wednesday.
Eric Sweeney is accused of killing Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons Benjamin and Mason, who was just a month shy of his second birthday. He was also indicted for falsifying physical evidence for destroying or getting rid of the Taurus .40 caliber handgun used in the slayings, Formella said.
Police were called on Aug. 3, 2022, to a home in Northfield, about 20 miles north of Concord, and found the three bodies inside, each suffering from a single gunshot wound. A medical examiner determined the deaths to be homicides.
The AG’s office and law enforcement announced the arrest of Eric Sweeney eight days after the murders, however, they did not release his name due to his age. He had just turned 16 when he allegedly killed his relatives. The motive for the slayings has not been released.
Just 12 days before the killings, Sean Sweeney, husband to Kassandra and father of the two boys, said he feared for his family’s safety after he found weapons in his garage and surrounding woods, reported the New Hampshire Union Leader, citing police logs.
He called police in early June and late July about problems he was experiencing with someone close to the family. The first call was about the car being taken, while the other was the weapons. The name of the subject of the calls was redacted. No arrests were made, but the person told a police officer that he would change his behavior, the logs said, according to the Union Leader.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey Ward told reporters in the days after the shooting that Sean Sweeney had been cooperative.
“He is obviously beyond devastated as a result of these crimes,” Ward said.
A GoFundMe page set up by family member Alizabeth Dawson for memorial costs and living expenses has raised over $50,000.
On the day of the homicides, her family “received some of the worst and most devastating news imaginable.” Dawson described her cousin Kassandra Sweeney “as one of the most genuine and beautiful people you could ever meet” and her sons as “two beautiful baby boys.”
The Boston Globe reported the indictment came down on Sept. 13 and that Eric Sweeney has a court date scheduled for Nov. 3.
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