Texas teen allegedly killed twin sister while sleepwalking
CBS News' '48 Hours' investigates the 2021 killing of 17-year-old Meghan Elliott in Texas, who was stabbed in the neck while asleep; her twin brother Benjamin later called 911 and has said he was sleepwalking. Sleep specialist Dr. Jerald Simmons conducted two sleep studies and concluded Benjamin could enter slow-wave sleep and may have been in that state during a 24-minute phone-inactive window the night of the killing. The episode airs Sept. 27, 2025 and examines the rare criminal defense of parasomnia in a fatal stabbing.
Crime
Legal
📰 Sources (1)
Texas teen killed his twin sister in mystery stabbing
New information:
- On Sept. 29, 2021, 17-year-old Meghan Elliott was stabbed to death in her Texas bedroom; her twin brother Benjamin later called 911 saying, 'I just killed my sister.'
- Benjamin Elliott has asserted he was sleepwalking; a neurologist and sleep-disorder expert, Dr. Jerald Simmons, conducted two sleep studies and concluded Benjamin falls into slow-wave sleep and could have been sleepwalking during a 24-minute period when his phone was inactive.
- CBS News' '48 Hours' is airing an investigative episode on Sept. 27, 2025 exploring the case, interviews with family, prosecutors (Megan Long and Maroun Koutani), and the sleepwalking defense.