A Texas jury found Benjamin Elliott guilty of felony murder for stabbing his twin sister to death when they were 17 years old.
A day after jurors delivered a guilty verdict, the judge hhanded down a 15-year prison sentence. The defense requested a lenient five-year prison term. The judge noted that the jury had also urged him to consider a lighter sentence.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, arrived at a home in the 4100 block of Brown Meadow Court in Katy, at 4:42 a.m. on September 29, 2021. When they entered, they discovered elliott performing CPR on his sister in one of the bedrooms.
According to the sheriff’s office, 17-year-old Meghan Elliott had multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead by emergency medical services.
In a recorded statement played for the jury during his trial, Elliott described waking from a dream to find himself standing over his sister. He said he removed the knife and called 911 to report that he had stabbed her.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Maroun Koutani argued in his opening statement that cell phone evidence contradicted the defendant’s sleepwalking claim, while the defense argued that the killing was unintentional.
“How could a kid who cherishes his sister, who loves her, protects her,” Defense attorney Wes Rucker told jurors. “How could someone commit a crime that heinous without a reasonable explanation?”
According to ABC 13, the sleepwalking defense is rare but has been used in the past. In 2019, Raymond Lazarine claimed this defense during his murder trial in Harris County for killing his wife, but he was convicted.
[Feature Photo: Benjamin Elliott/Harris County PD]
