New Hampshire Teen Sentenced to 60 Years for Triple Family Murder: The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Criminal Behavior

A New Hampshire teenager who murdered his sister-in-law and two young nephews at the age of 16 received a 60-year prison sentence on Friday for crimes his defense claims he cannot recall committing.

Eric Sweeney, now 19, was residing with his brother's family in Northfield for three years before the August 2022 incident when he fatally shot 25-year-old Kassandra Sweeney and her sons Benjamin, 4, and Mason, 23 months old.

Initially facing first-degree murder charges, Sweeney accepted a plea deal in August, admitting guilt to reduced second-degree murder charges. During Friday's sentencing hearing, defense attorneys requested a 40-year to life sentence, citing the "immeasurable trauma" Sweeney experienced during childhood, including a mother who "dragged him through drug dens and a succession of abusive father figures."

"We ask the court today to embrace compassion so everyone in this courtroom can move forward with healing," said attorney Lauren Prusiner, who suggested for the first time that Sweeney may have retrieved the gun with suicidal intent before panicking.

"That version of events is also possible," she stated. "We do not know what happened. Eric can still not remember."

Prosecutors sought a minimum 97-year sentence - consecutive terms of 35 years to life for killing Kassandra Sweeney and 40 years to life for each child's murder, with potential for up to 18 years suspended based on education, mental health treatment, and behavioral goals.

The final sentence allows for up to six years suspension, making Sweeney eligible for parole at age 68 when accounting for time served, according to Judge John Kissinger, who described spending many hours attempting to reconcile Sweeney's horrific childhood abuse with the violence he inflicted.

The judgment "reflects both the magnitude and nature of his crimes but also provides a path for the defendant - a difficult path - for him to achieve some measure of redemption and rehabilitation," Kissinger explained.

Though the defense emphasized Sweeney's youth, Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand rejected this as an excuse for his actions.

"He made the choice. He made the decision to shoot six times to kill the people he now professes to have loved," she said. "These killings were unprovoked and senseless. They were heinous."

Sweeney's brother Sean and his wife served as the teen's guardians when tensions developed in the household due to Sweeney's lying and rule violations. Prusiner revealed the couple had attempted to terminate their guardianship, and Sweeney's depression worsened after moving away from his trusted therapist.

Kassandra Sweeney, a nursing assistant, worked night shifts to care for her sons during daytime hours. On the morning of the murders, she had prepared them a snack and was recording videos of them playing to send to her husband. Four minutes after sending the final video, all three were shot in the head, with Benjamin shot through the hood of his dinosaur costume.

Prosecutors played some videos in court Friday, including one where the older boy described his brother as his best friend "'Cause I love him." The judge also heard testimonies from over a dozen relatives and friends of the victims. Many spoke through tears, describing Kassandra as smart, sassy and a devoted mother to her energetic, affectionate boys.

"Remember who they were," urged Kassandra's cousin, Alizabeth Dawson. "Their lives mattered. Their futures mattered. But the loss suffered is immeasurable, and the hole their loss has left in our family can never be filled."

While one family member expressed forgiveness based on her faith's teaching about evil, others voiced hatred toward Sweeney. Several suggested he should have taken his own life, and some hoped he would suffer abuse in prison.

"Rot in hell," said Peg Sweeney, who stated she had once loved him as much as her other grandchildren. "You can erase 'Gram' from your vocabulary."

Sweeney initially told investigators he discovered his sister-in-law and nephews after hearing something break and a deep-voiced man yelling. He left the house and called his brother, who then contacted police.

A defense psychologist testified that Sweeney's lie might represent an extreme defense mechanism stemming from his deeply traumatic childhood. Another psychologist discussed how childhood trauma impacts brain development and decision-making, noting it was extremely rare for someone to experience all ten "adverse childhood experiences" as Sweeney had.

"He stood on the street at six years old asking bystanders to buy him food," defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memorandum. "He wore shoes with the soles coming apart, and worried that any toys he received for Christmas through Toys for Tots would be sold for drug money."

Sweeney remained silent during the hearing, facing the judge while others testified behind him. His attorney explained his lack of visible emotion and memory as symptoms of his "broken brain," adding that he still hasn't processed what he did.

"It's not that he doesn't want to say something," Prusiner explained. "It's that even after three years, he can't find the words."

Paul Galasso, a volunteer tutor who worked with Sweeney in youth detention after his arrest and continues visiting him in jail, shared that Sweeney texted him following his guilty plea.

"I'd understand if you don't want to see me anymore," he wrote. "I did something really bad and I'm sorry."