Houston Teen Stabbed Twin Sister to Death … Then Claimed He Was Sleepwalking When He Did It

Elliott was found guilty of murder by a Harris County jury on Monday, with the punishment phase — or sentencing — set to begin on Tuesday.

Deputies arrived at the Elliott home around 4:42am on September 29, 2021, after the then-teenager called 911 to report a stabbing. Talking to dispatch, Elliott said he had stabbed his sister in the neck and she was “barely alive.” He was given instructions on how to give her chest compressions until first responders alive; when police showed up on scene, he continued to give CPR.

Bodycam footage from deputies showed him pumping his sister’s chest, before he was placed and handcuffs and taken out of the home. As one deputy told Elliott he’d be treated with respect, he can be heard telling them, “I don’t deserve respect. I killed my sister.”

The footage also reportedly showed Benjamin’s father say he has autism and had been home sick for two days before the murder.

Per KHOU, who reported on his trial, Elliott allegedly told detectives after his arrest that he felt like he was in a “realistic nightmare” until he came to above his sister’s bed, seeing a knife in her neck.

“I stabbed her and then suddenly wasn’t,” Elliott told a sheriff’s detective. “I freaked out and, like, put the knife down and put a pillow on her to try and stop the bleeding. Then called, you know, 911 from my phone.”

“How could a kid who cherishes his sister, who loves her, protects her,” Defense attorney Wes Rucker argued, per ABC 13. “How could someone commit a crime that heinous without a reasonable explanation?”

“Is this just some made-up bologna or a really creative defense?” Rucker said of the sleepwalking defense. “The answer is absolutely not. And this is not a rouse, this is not some defense to get Ben off a tragic, tragic set of circumstances.”

Sleep experts were called to testify during the trial, including one who reportedly said sleep deprivation and proximity to a knife could have contributed to a “perfect storm” of factors leading to Meghan’s death.

Family members and friends also said Elliott had a history of sleepwalking. His older sister Elizabeth claimed she found him possibly sleepwalking and unresponsive as she and his twin said his name — testifying, “I just like touched his shoulder and his eyes were barely open and then we told him to go back to bed.”

Benjamin’s mother also took the stand, saying there was no reason her son would want his twin sister dead, saying the pair were close.

The prosecution, however, pointed to digital evidence allegedly showing Benjamin was awake and using his phone shortly before Meghan’s murder. They also argued he used the pillow to muffle her screams, not to put pressure on the wound.

No possible motive was revealed for the crime.