A 17-year-old from New Hampshire has been indicted in connection with the murder of his sister-in-law and his two young nephews, ages 1 and 4.
Eric Sweeney was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder for purposely causing the deaths of 25-year-old Kassandra Sweeney and her 4-year-old son Benjamin and 23-month-old son Mason in their Northfield, New Hampshire, home on Aug. 3., 2022, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
>Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Sweeney was also indicted on one count of falsifying physical evidence, which alleges that he "did alter, destroy, conceal, or remove a Taurus .40 caliber handgun" with the goal of impairing its availability in connection with the murder investigation.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our >News Headlines newsletter.
He continues to be held without bail, and he will be arraigned at a later date, the attorney general's office said.
An underage suspect was arrested in the days after the killings, but until now his name had not been released because he was only charged in juvenile court.
Police found the bodies of Kassandra Sweeney and her two young sons in their Wethersfield Drive home on the morning of Aug. 3, 2022, while responding to a 911 call. Each died of a single gunshot wound and their deaths were ruled homicides, autopsies found.
Obituaries released last year offered a glimpse into the young family.
Benjamin Michael was only 4 years old. He enjoyed learning about dinosaurs, making crafts, and loved movie nights with his parents and little brother Mason.
Mason was only 1. He loved dancing to "Baby Shark." Spending time with his grandparents was a weekend highlight, according to his obituary.
Their mother, Kassandra, made her family the center of her world, spending most of her time building memories with her husband and two kids.
The attorney general's office said in the days after the killings that Sean Sweeney, the children's father, was "cooperative and helpful" in their investigation.
He spoke about the case in a Facebook post in the days after the murders.
"I wanted to thank everyone for the outreach and support, while things will never be 'normal' again my body finally shut down and let me get some sleep last night and I woke up feeling as 'normal' as possible," he wrote. He called his wife Kassandra "the most amazing, caring, sweetest all around good person that anyone could ever meet," adding that she loved their children very much.