Sleepwalking or Murder? The Full Story of the Benjamin Elliot Case

A 911 Call That Shook Texas

In the early hours of September 29, 2021, Harris County emergency dispatchers received a chilling 911 call from a teenage boy in Houston, Texas.

“I just killed my sister,” 17-year-old Benjamin Elliot told the operator.

On the call, Benjamin sounded panicked and confused. He insisted it felt like a dream. His twin sister, Megan, lay bleeding from stab wounds as paramedics rushed to the family’s suburban home. She was barely alive when first responders arrived. Despite desperate CPR attempts, Megan Elliott was pronounced dead.

What followed would become one of the most unusual murder trials in recent memory — a case where the accused claimed he had been sleepwalking when he killed his twin.

The Twins: Close Bond, No Motive

Benjamin and Megan were fraternal twins who, according to family and friends, shared a deep bond. Their parents, Michael and Kathy Elliott, described them as inseparable. Megan was sensitive, artistic, and on the autism spectrum; she loved poetry, art, and running a YouTube channel. Benjamin, in contrast, was academically driven, soft-spoken, and fascinated by engineering.

Family friends said Benjamin was protective of his sister. “He liked being her protector,” one testified. There were no signs of sibling rivalry or animosity.

Just the night before the tragedy, Benjamin and his father had spent hours playing video games. His father had given him a survival knife from the family’s camping collection — the very knife later used in the stabbing.

“I Thought It Was a Dream”

In his interrogation with Harris County Sheriff’s detectives, Benjamin gave a disturbing account. He said he remembered going to sleep, then feeling the sensation of stabbing something. When he turned on the light, he realized Megan was bleeding.

Panicked, he tried to stop the bleeding with a pillow, then dialed 911. Over and over, he told police he thought he had been dreaming. He gave them his phone password and allowed them to search his device, which showed activity until about 4:17 a.m. By 4:41 a.m., he had placed the 911 call.

Benjamin insisted there had been no arguments, no problems at home, no motive. He was planning to take the SAT that weekend and was excited about pursuing mechanical engineering.

The Autopsy and Forensic Evidence

An autopsy revealed Megan had two stab wounds, one of which severed her carotid artery and jugular vein — a fatal injury. The knife matched the one Benjamin admitted his father had given him the night before.

But prosecutors found inconsistencies. Benjamin initially told 911 he stabbed his sister once. The presence of two wounds raised doubts about his version of events. Prosecutors also noted the absence of blood spatter on the walls, suggesting her head may have been covered with a pillow during the attack.

The Sleepwalking Defense

Benjamin’s lawyers built their case around a parasomnia disorder, claiming he killed Megan while sleepwalking. They pointed to family history — other relatives had episodes of sleepwalking — and Benjamin’s own childhood incidents.

Dr. Gerald Simmons, a neurologist and sleep-disorder specialist, conducted two sleep studies. He diagnosed Benjamin with obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that can trigger sleepwalking episodes. Simmons testified Benjamin could enter non-REM slow-wave sleep within minutes, the stage most associated with sleepwalking violence.

“It totally fits in line with sleepwalking violent behaviors,” Simmons told the jury.

Prosecution Strikes Back

Prosecutors, however, argued Benjamin was fully awake and aware. They pointed to key details:

• Complex action: Benjamin had to unsheathe the knife before stabbing — something experts said required conscious thought.

• Memory: He recalled the feeling of the knife going into Megan’s neck, something a true sleepwalker wouldn’t remember.

• 911 call tone: Prosecutors said he whispered during the call, trying to hide the crime from his parents.

• Lack of motive doesn’t equal innocence: Megan had struggled with depression; prosecutors hinted at hidden family tensions.

Their sleep expert, psychologist Dr. Mark Pressman, concluded Benjamin was not sleepwalking. He testified that true sleepwalkers only become violent when physically restrained, usually lashing out in reflex, not carrying out a deliberate stabbing.

A Divided Jury

In February 2025, Benjamin’s murder trial began. Jurors heard conflicting testimony from both sides. Family and friends described Benjamin as gentle, protective, and deeply bonded with Megan. The defense argued his 911 call — where he pleaded “I don’t want her to die” — proved his desperation and lack of intent.

Prosecutors painted a different picture: a deliberate stabbing, covered with a pillow to muffle screams, followed by a calm demeanor in interrogation.

When the jury first voted, it was split 7–5. After four hours of deliberations, they returned with a unanimous verdict:

Guilty of murder.

The Sentence: 15 Years

Prosecutors asked for 40 years in prison. But in a surprising move, Judge Danilo Lo sentenced Benjamin to 15 years, citing a request for leniency from one of the jurors.

To Benjamin’s family, the verdict was devastating. They had already lost Megan, and now they were losing their son. “It’s a nightmare that happened to all of us,” his mother said.

Was Justice Served?

Even after the conviction, debate rages. Was this a case of a young man who murdered his sister in cold blood and tried to cover it up — or a tragic medical mystery where sleepwalking turned fatal?

Benjamin, now 21, maintains his innocence. Speaking from county jail, he said:

“I feel like this has been a miscarriage of justice. I am not guilty of murder. Megan was my best friend.”

For prosecutors, however, the evidence was clear. “He knew exactly what he was doing,” one said in closing arguments.

For the Elliott family, there will never be closure. They mourn Megan, a gifted artist with a gentle soul, while holding onto hope that someday, Benjamin’s truth will be recognized.

Final Thought

The Benjamin Elliott case highlights the uneasy intersection of law, science, and human tragedy. Sleepwalking defenses have succeeded in rare cases before, but here, a Texas jury chose to convict.

Was this true justice, or a failure to recognize the mysteries of the human brain?

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