A Texas teen called 911 to report he had stabbed his twin sister while sleepwalking. He tried to give her CPR but could not revive her. Identified as Benjamin Elliott, the 17-year-old was arrested and taken for interrogation about the murder in 2021. The police had a suspicion that he might have lied about the sleepwalking because of the lack of emotion after his sister’s death.
There’s more to the story. He told the investigators that he did not realize what he was doing and felt as though he had stabbed someone. At first, the officers did not tell him his sister had died to uncover the secrets. The Texas officer asked him, “So, how’s your relationship with Meghan?” he replied, “Good. She’s my twin sister. I’d do anything for her.” They inquired whether the twins had a recent fight or falling-out. Elliott answered, “No. We’re pretty close siblings.”
This may seem like an unfortunate event, sleepwalking; however, from a scientific point of view, the details did not match. He told the officer that he slept between 2:30 and 3:30 in the morning. The sleepwalking stage occurs only during N3 of the sleep cycle, which takes a long time to reach. In the case of Elliott, he slept around 2:30 and reached the stage in just 11 minutes. His sleepwalking defense could only work if he reached this sleep stage more quickly than usual.
Experts also observed Ben in his sleep. He had obstructive sleep apnea, which may trigger a sleepwalking episode. They still weren’t sure if he was sleepwalking that night. Another suspicious observation was the absence of bloodstains throughout the room. It was limited only to the pillow that he had used to stop the bleeding. The motive for the death may not be clear. However, the possible scenarios point out that it was a murder.
The case went to court, and prosecutors sought an appropriate sentence for Elliott. After four hours of deliberation, the judge handed him a 40-year prison sentence. But his father’s testimony changed the verdict. He told the judge, “That is stunningly untrue. He has been frustrated. He’s been angry. He’s been incredibly sad. He’s broken down literally all of four screaming.”
“She would want allegiance. She would want compassion for Ben,” he added, referring to what his deceased sister would have wanted. The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison rather than the minimum 5-year sentence. He will stay in prison till 2040 now.
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The Texas case drew national attention due to eerie details and parents supporting their son despite the murder. They believed their son was sleepwalking, and parasomnia ran in the family. More than 2 million people watched the horrific aftermath of the crime and the courtroom sessions. One viewer commented, “This is one of those cases that’s just sad for everybody involved.”
The second one added, “These poor parents lost both their children. Devastating.” One more chimed in, “The parents defending him are insane, but it’s like they’re in shock and trying not to lose both of their kids instead of just one.” Many people claimed there might be an incorrect verdict in the case, and that being emotionless may not be a suspicious reaction.
Disclaimer: Inquisitr individually could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
