Northfield Teen Who Killed Sister-In-Law And 2 Nephews Seeks 'Lenient,' But Unknown Sentence

By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH

Prosecutors want a minimum prison sentence of 118 years for Eric Sweeney, the Northfield teen who murdered his two nephews and his sister-in-law on Aug. 3, 2022.

But, Sweeney, now 19, is asking for less time in prison for shooting sister-in-law Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons Benjamin, 4, and Mason, 23-months. Exactly how much less time isn’t known, but Sweeney is reportedly seeking an extraordinarily "lenient” sentence.

Sweeney’s lawyers Morgan Taggart-Hampton and Lauren Prusiner want to keep his sentencing proposal sealed indefinitely, saying it contains confidential information. The motion to seal is not on the record as of now, and neither is their sentencing memo.

Sweeney is scheduled to be sentenced Friday by Judge John Kissinger in Merrimack County Superior Court. He pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder last month. That was the first time in three years he publicly dropped his claim that Kassandra, Benjamin, and Mason were killed by an unknown intruder.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley, and Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand argue Sweeney deserves three consecutive sentences, one for each murder.

“Benjamin and Mason embody the reason why crimes against children deserve the harshest of penal sanctions. They did absolutely nothing wrong, they were innocent and utterly blameless for what the defendant did,” Hinckley and Durand wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “[Sweeney] should also receive a separate sentence for the murder of Kassandra Sweeney - she was also an innocent victim, and her death deserves a separate, consecutive sentence.”

It’s common for both the state and defense to disagree ahead of sentencing hearings, and both sides typically file a memorandum laying out what they think are appropriate sentences based on the crime, the history of the perpetrator, and the law. But with days to go before Sweeney’s hearing, it’s publicly unknown how much time his lawyers believe he should serve in prison.

According to a separate motion Hinckley and Durand filed opposing the sealing of the defense memo, Sweeney’s lawyers claim their argument depends on records that must remain confidential.

“This filing directly references confidential proceedings, medical records, DCYF records, and other potentially privileged information of Mr. Sweeney, and thus is a confidential document under New Hampshire Rule of Criminal Procedure 50 (c)(3)A),” Hinckley and Durand cite in their motion to object to the sealing.

Sweeney had been living with his brother Sean Sweeney and his wife, Kassandra Sweeney, since he was 13, according to court records. Sean and Kassandra Sweeney were his legal guardians, and there are indications Eric Sweeney had a troubled life up until he was taken in by his big brother.

“The defendant had a bad childhood in which he suffered from abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother and her associates. This upbringing undeniably harmed him,” Hinckley and Durand wrote in their sentencing memo.

Hinckley and Durand argue that any evidence of mitigating factors, such as past abuse or subsequent mental illness, must be introduced in court through witness testimony who are subjected to cross-examination. The defense is trying to short-circuit the standard legal process to allow their evidence to be considered without challenge, Hinckley and Durand state in their objection.

“Here, the defense is asking that certain information about the defendant be taken into account by the Court in support of an extraordinary request for sentencing leniency,” Hinckley and Durand wrote.

The prosecutors make the case in their sentencing memo that there is nothing in Eric Sweeney’s past that demands leniency.

“In this instance, the State has reviewed and taken into account several mitigating factors. As to circumstances of the victim and circumstances of the offense committed, the State can identify nothing legitimately mitigating,” Hinckley and Durand wrote.

According to court records: On the morning of Aug. 3, 2022, Eric Sweeney got a pistol from the locked safe under Sean and Kassandra Sweeney’s bed. He then shot and killed Benjamin, Mason, and then Kassandra, shooting each of them in the head. Eric Sweeney then took Kassandra’s truck and drove away from the Wethersfield Drive home.

Eric Sweeney got onto I-93 south and drove three exits away from Northfield when he started calling and texting Sean Sweeney using Kassandra’s cell phone.

“Help,” Eric Sweeney texted.

Eric Sweeney told his brother he had been in his basement room when he heard a loud deep, male voice in the house followed by several “pops.” He went into the main home to find Kassandra, Benjamin, and Mason dead, he told his brother. Sean Sweeney called 911 and raced from his job back to his home.

But that story quickly fell apart when police arrived to meet Sean Sweeney back at the house a short time later. Eric Sweeney returned to the property as well, and maintained his story about the unknown intruder.

Police saw no sign of burglary inside the home, and Eric Sweeney told police he never heard the family dogs, Moose and Daisy, barking at the supposed home invader. A surveillance camera at a neighboring house did not record any strange vehicle entering the dead-end Wethersfield Drive that morning. Police found gun residue on the truck’s steering wheel.

The State’s sentencing proposal includes incentives for Sweeney to complete his high school education, get a college degree, engage in therapy, and maintain a good discipline record in prison. Sweeney could earn up to 15 years off his minimum sentence if he were to meet all of the goals in the State’s proposal.

"The State does not turn a blind eye to the potential for rehabilitation and affirmative change that may be obtainable with a youthful offender and hopes that the defendant will take advantage of every opportunity to better himself. But none of that potential can excuse or mitigate the violent crimes that the defendant committed or attenuate the loss of Kassandra, Benjamin and Mason; the three young lives that were taken by the defendant's violent actions,” Hinckley and Durand wrote in their memo.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.