Entwistle's family in court as jury selection continues

By Franci R. Ellement, Globe Correspondent

Neil Entwistle's parents and brother are in the courtroom today as the second day of jury selection begins in Entwistle's trial on charges of murdering his wife and baby daughter in 2006 in Hopkinton.

The prosecution and defense are whittling down a long list of prospective jurors, aiming to come up with a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates.

Defense attorney Elliott Weinstein, who has argued that Middlesex Superior Court Judge Diane Kottmyer is not properly screening for bias against Entwistle, pushed again today for changes in the questions posed to jurors.

Prosecutor Michael L. Fabbri countered that the questions were probing enough. Kottmyer said she had already incorporated some of Weinstein's suggestions and would take his motion under advisement.

Entwistle was charged with killing his wife, Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old child, Lillian Rose, after the two were found dead in the couple's bed on Jan. 22, 2006. An autopsy revealed chilling details: Rachel was killed by a shot to the head, and the baby by a bullet in the abdomen.

Entwistle was arrested in February 2006 in his native England and extradited to the United States.

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