CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire man accused of killing his sister-in-law and two young nephews when he was 16 is set to plead guilty to second-degree murder charges Friday.
Eric Sweeney, now 19, had been living with his older brother’s family in Northfield when prosecutors say he fatally shot Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons, 4-year-old Benjamin and 1-year-old Mason, in August 2022.
He was scheduled to go on trial on first-degree murder charges next month but instead will plead guilty to the lesser charges during a hearing in Merrimack County Superior Court. Sweeney, whose lawyers had considered raising an insanity defense, faces up to life in prison when sentenced at a later date.
According to prosecutors, Sweeney’s older brother, Sean, and his wife were serving as the teen’s guardians when Sweeney’s “increasing behavioral issues” began causing tensions in the home. In court documents, they say Sweeney was lying to the couple and violating house rules, prompting them to call the police to talk to him.
About two months before the fatal shootings, he left the couple a note that read in part, “I do not belong in this family All I do is steal and lie and be irresponsible,” and closed with “I love you big bro and sis bye.”
When he was taken into custody, Sweeney told police he had been in his room in the basement when he heard something break upstairs, a man with a deep voice yelling and multiple “pops,” according to court documents. He said he went upstairs and found his sister-in-law and nephews on the floor bleeding and then took Kassandra’s cellphone and keys and drove away. He then called his brother, who called police.
Prosecutors had planned to show jurors video clips Kassandra Sweeney recorded on her phone showing her sons “engaging in playful behavior” the morning of the shooting, including one created just 10 minutes before Eric Sweeney left the house.
“In all three videos, the victims are exhibiting no distress or other visible or audible signs that would suggest that an unknown or unwelcome third-party was present in the house with them,” prosecutors said in a court filing last month.