A 17-year-old who allegedly stabbed his twin sister to death said he thought he was dreaming when he plunged a knife into her neck in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Prosecutors said on Thursday that Benjamin Elliott, who was booked in the Harris County Jail in Texas on murder charges in connection with the death of his twin sister Meghan Elliott, admitted to stabbing her in the neck, but believed he was dreaming or sleeping at the time.
“The defendant stated after realizing he was not dreaming, he removed the knife and placed it next to the complainant, turned on the light to the bedroom, applied pressure to the wound with a pillow,” a prosecutor said at a court hearing on Thursday, according to video shared by KTRK. Benjamin, who is being held in a mental health unit, did not appear in court, KPRC reported.
Harris County deputies responded to a 911 call from Benjamin about the stabbing at about 4:45 a.m. He was instructed by a 911 operator to perform CPR and did so until EMS personnel arrived and pronounced her dead, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
A prosecutor said that, about seven minutes into the emergency call, “the defendant calls out to his parents who are heard yelling and crying in the background.” Officers found Meghan with several stab wounds in a bedroom when they arrived.
Hours after the stabbing, investigators used a warrant to search the family’s home.
“Siblings are normally very close and you have that bond between, but people have things happen,” Deputy Thomas Gilliland said during an interview with WMAZ.
In court on Thursday, prosecutors said Elliott told investigators he didn’t suffer from any sleep disorders and hadn’t taken any drugs or alcohol, according to KTRK.
The twins had been regularly seen going to and from the bus stop together to attend Cypress Park High School, neighbors told WMAZ.
One neighbor said the twins seemed to have a good relationship.
“They were wonderful neighbors, nice and quiet and absolutely no problems,” Bob Dawson told KPRC.