NH teen could face 97 years for triple homicide
Eric Sweeney, now 19, was 16 when he fatally shot his sister‑in‑law, 25‑year‑old Kassandra Sweeney, and her two young sons—4‑year‑old Benjamin and 23‑month‑old Mason—in Northfield, New Hampshire, in August 2022. Sweeney pleaded guilty in August 2025 to second‑degree murder counts; at an Oct. 3, 2025 sentencing hearing prosecutors asked for consecutive terms totaling at least 97 years while the defense urged mercy and requested a 40‑year‑to‑life sentence citing a traumatic childhood.
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🔍 Key Facts
- Victims: Kassandra Sweeney, 25; Benjamin, 4; Mason, 23 months—shot in the head in August 2022 in Northfield, NH
- Defendant: Eric Sweeney, age 19 (16 at time of killings), pleaded guilty in August to second‑degree murder
- Sentencing requests: Prosecutors seek consecutive terms (35 years to life for the adult victim; 40 years to life for each child), totaling at least 97 years with up to 18 years suspended; defense asks for 40 years to life
- Legal filings: Sentencing memoranda from prosecutors and defense were made public and quoted in the report (Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand authored prosecutor memo)