Jury bias issue resurfaces at Entwistle trial

By Franci Richardson, Globe Correspondent

A woman who was in the jury pool at the murder trial of Neil Entwistle told a judge today that she had heard other potential jurors say that the jury should "fry him and send him away."

Defense attorney Elliott Weinstein immediately asked Judge Diane Kottmyer to change the venue or dismiss the case, arguing that the comments bolstered his contention that his client cannot get a fair trial because the case has drawn so much publicity. But Kottmyer denied the motion.

The Medford woman made the comments when the judge asked her -- during routine questioning in Middlesex Superior Court as part of the jury selection process -- if she had heard or read anything about the case.

The woman said she had heard the comments while standing in line with other jurors. She said in an interview outside the courthouse that she was not surprised to hear them.

"People make judgments about these things all the time," said the woman, who did not identify herself. "Unless you're living under a rock, it's hard not to hear."

"We have finally heard what we've been talking about, what we've been concerned about, and what we've been filing our pleadings about," said Weinstein, who had previously filed several unsuccessful motions for a change of venue and dismissal of the case. "We now know without any doubt that Neil Entwistle cannot get a fair trial."

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. The case has received extensive coverage both in the Boston area and in England.

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