Press Conference
AG: My name is Geoff Ward, I am a Senior Assistant Attorney General, and the Chief of the Criminal Justice Bureau, here with the Attorney General's Office.
I will not be able to provide much in the way of additional information beyond the press release we issued last night, which I'm happy to summarise at this point. But we can tell you that today the investigation is revealed that on August 3rd at approximately 11.33 am., officers responded to 56 Wethersfield Dr. in Northfield, New Hampshire, in response to a 911 call for service. The officers that arrived at that residence discovered 3 deceased individuals, inside the residence. Their autopsies were conducted yesterday and they were identified. As you are aware, it's Kassandra Sweeney, and her two children, Benjamin and Mason, ages 4 and 1. Doctor Duvall, the chief medical examiner for the State of New Hampshire, determined that the cause of death in each of those were gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide in each of those three cases.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Through the night and through the day today, investigators, at this point, believe they've identified all of the involved parties. And as a result, do not believe there's any danger to the public in general at this time.
Reporter - When you say you've identified all known parties - including a suspect?
AG - I can't comment specifically on a suspect, but when I say all involved parties I mean anyway who was involved in the incident, correct.
Reporter - So when you say the public shouldn't worry, but yet there's a mother and 2 kids shot to death in their home, why shouldn't people worry?
AG - So, people would need to be worried if we had not identified all of the parties involved. People may need to be worried if we believed somebody was on the loose or unaccounted for. Where we believed we've identified all of the parties, and we don't believe anyone is....(
truck comes past). We'll try that one again. What I can say with respect to that is, we've identified all the involved parties, meaning they're accounted for and so there's no reason to believe that the public, in general, is in any sort of danger from say, a perpetrator in this offense.
Reporter - So it's not a random event? You don't believe this was random?
AG - We do not believe this was a random event, no.
Reporter - Any connection between this and your other unsolved homicide in (
inaudible)
AG - No connection whatsoever.
Reporter - Is the father of the boys, the husband, is he a witness? Is he a person of interest? How would you describe (
inaudible)?
AG - So, what I can say about that is, the father is somebody we have been in contact with, who has been very cooperative and helpful in this investigation. Our victim witness advocate is working with him and his family, in providing services and he's obviously beyond devastated as a result of these crimes.
Reporter - Does the investigation go further into the family involved? Other members of the family other than the husband?
AG - In terms of what?
Reporter - Looking at other people within family?
AG - So, the investigation, again we're within the first 48 hrs., but what I can say, generally, any homicide investigation is going to leave no stone unturned with respect to the victims and victims known associates and family, and the same with any suspects or possible perpetrators.
Reporter - Do you have the weapon involved?
AG - I can't comment on that at this point in the investigation.
Reporter - So, just to be clear, because you haven't released that anybody has been formally arrested or charged, no-one has been formally arrested and charged in this case, as of this moment?
AG - That is correct, no-one has been arrested or charged in this matter.
Reporter - Can you tell us about the 911 call, where that call came from?
AG - I can't give you any more specifics about the 911 call. Obviously that's information that we have, but at this point in the investigation, with the investigation ongoing, that's information we're not releasing at this point.
Reporter - When do you think this murder took place?
AG - Wednesday.
Reporter - Wednesday (
inaudible).
AG - I don't want to get into the details in terms of a time, but obviously, prior to 11.30 am.
Reporter - Were the victims all found inside of the house?
AG - The victims were found inside the residence.
Reporter - In the bedrooms, different rooms?
AG - I'm not going to provide any specifics with respect to that.
Reporter - Have the police been called to the address before? And if so.....
AG - I can't comment on that.
Reporter - Do you know if the victims were asleep when they were shot?
AG - I wouldn't be able to comment on that.
Reporter - Where were they found?
AG - Again, details that I wouldn't provide at this stage in the investigation.
Reporter - A single gunshot wound?
AG - Single gunshot wound to each is correct.
Reporter - Can you rule out the husband as a suspect?
AG - So, I can't comment on suspects, period. What I can tell you is what I said before, is that we've been in contact with the husband, that he has been very cooperative and helpful in this investigation and he is working with our victim witness services coordinator. We're providing services to him and his family through our office of victim witness assistance.
Reporter - Was he near the residence in that timeframe you're talking about?
AG - So, that's not information that I would release at this point.
Reporter - When do you plan on filing, either warrants or arrests or charges at this point?
AG - So that, as you're aware in any case, is not something that we can predict. You know, what I can stress again, is that we're in the first 48 hrs. of this investigation. As I think many of you have seen there is still active work ongoing at the scene, so, we're still early in this investigation.
Reporter - Do you know who did the shootings?
AG - That's not....what I'm suggesting is that we know all the parties involved.
Reporter - Can you tell us what kind of gun was used on the wife? Was it a handgun?
AG - I'm not going to provide the specfics on that, only because of where we are in the investigation.
Reporter - So, if you know who did it, why are aren't they in custody?
AG - So, again and what I've said, I've not said we know who did it. I've said we've identified all of the parties involved. We're within the first 48 hrs. of this investigation. What I can speak to, generally, as in any homicide investigation, is these are complex investigations, oftentimes complex (
another truck goes by). In any homicide investigation, we're dealing with complex scenes and complex scenarios. We have to await autopsies being done, we have to await forensic testing, that does not move as quickly as it does on television, you know, in terms of getting back forensic testing results and things like that. So, generally speaking, in any homicide investigation, you know, how quickly something progresses to an arrest or a charge is going to vary. We're only within 48 hrs. here, there's still work being done at the case on the scene, and so, you know, we're still moving very quickly in terms of timeline, but I can't predict on when an arrest or charges could come.
Reporter - ......break-in or was anything missing from the house?
AG - That's not something I'd be able to share or reveal at this point.
Reporter - Was the mother's gunshot wound self inflicted?
AG - So, what I can tell you, is that the medical examiner's finding was that the cause of death was a gunshot wound and the manner of death was homicide. Homicide is defined as, they use it at the medical examiner's office, as a killing of one person by another.
Reporter - (
asks about another case, so haven't transcribed the answer)
Reporter - Would it be a reasonable belief that the person you are looking for, in the current case, is no longer in this area?
AG - So, getting back to Northfield, what I can tell you, I would not draw that conclusion from what I've said, is that, we've identified all of the parties and we don't believe there's any danger to the public.
Reporter - Was the manner of death for the children, homicide?
AG - It was, it was for all three victims.
Reporter - Do you have anyone in custody who has not been charged and connected with the Sweeney's murders?
AG - I'm not sure I follow?
Reporter - So, you know everybody whose been involved, are they all, you know, at home and already been questioned and free to do whatever they want to do? Or are they being questioned and being held somewhere and have just not been charged yet, formally?
AG - So, you know, I think what I can best say with respect to that, is that there's been no arrest or charge in connection with these homicides, but again, re-iterate that we believe we've identified everyone involved.
Reporter - (
asks about another case, again haven't transcribed DA's answer)
Reporter - People are just shaken to the core that a mother and two little children were shot to death in broad daylight in their house, can you just talk about the effect it has on your office and your prosecutors and investigators, and what's these days been like for you all?
AG - We have to approach these from our law enforcement perspective, from the perspective of getting the investigation done, finding the perpetrator and bringing that perpetrator to justice. There's obviously a human element here, and these are, you know, devastating crimes and what we focus on in those moments are how devastating they are for the families and making sure that we're doing our job, and not resting until we can find a perpetrator, we can bring a perpetrator to justice. Certainly, personnel wise, there's a strain on our office when there are a number of homicides in a row, and we've had a run of it, this year to say the least, and now this week. But we have the personnel to cover these and we work with the different agencies, who have the personnel to cover these, and we just keep going.
Reporter - Would it be a reasonable conclusion that, if you've spoken to all parties involved, that the 3 who died, knew their killer?
AG - Again, I'm not gonna, I guess, fuel that sort of speculation. I'm going to stick to the statements I've made, with respect to the fact that we've identified all of the parties involved.
Reporter - Are you confident that someone will be charged with 3 counts of murder in connection with what happened in Northfield?
AG - I don't prognosticate in any case, you know, I'm confident that we've identified the parties, and that's what I'll stick to at this point.
Reporter - What's the message to the public that's (
inaudible)?
AG - The message to the public, with respect to this case, is that there's no reason to be concerned for their safety, that there's no reason to believe that they're in any danger, in connection with this case. But certainly this type of violence is devastating to a family and devastating to a community.
Reporter - If you've spoken to all parties, did one of those parties have a defense attorney with them when you spoke with them?
AG - Again, that's not something I would comment on at this point in the investigation.
