Commonwealth v. Neil Entwistle
Whoever defends Neil Entwistle against charges that he killed his wife and infant daughter will face considerable challenges, say criminal lawyers, although the prosecution will have some of its own.
Challenges for defense
Forensic evidence. Authorities say that Entwistle used a .22-caliber revolver owned by his father-in-law to shoot his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Lillian. Prosecutors base this at least in part on traces of DNA allegedly left by Neil Entwistle on the grip of the revolver and on DNA from his wife found on the muzzle. Criminal lawyers say that his wife's DNA could have come from tissue or blood after she was shot in the head at close range.
Inconsistencies in statements. When a State Police investigator called him at his parents' home in England on Jan. 23, Neil Entwistle said he had left his Hopkinton house around 9 a.m. Jan. 20 and returned two hours later to discover his wife and daughter dead, according to a police affidavit. But Neil Entwistle's father told Rachel's stepfather in another call that his son told him he had been gone for 20 minutes, according to the affidavit. Neil Entwistle's father also said his son told him he had called the police after discovering the bodies, which authorities say he never did.
Also, Neil Entwistle told the detective he found his wife and daughter dead on the bed, saw blood on the baby, and saw that she had been shot. But police say that when they found the bodies, there was no visible evidence that they had been shot.
Evidence from personal computers. The same week he allegedly killed his family, Neil Entwistle surfed the Internet for websites that describe how to kill people and commit suicide, according to police affidavits. Two days before the killings, the affidavits say, he also searched the Internet for escort services.
Entwistle's behavior. He skipped his family's funeral. Criminal lawyers said Neil Entwistle's decision to stay in England while his wife and daughter were buried on Feb. 1 could reflect ''consciousness of guilt."
The trip to Carver. He told investigators that after he discovered the bodies, he drove some 50 miles to Carver to his father-in-law's house to get a gun to kill himself, but could not get into the locked house, a police affidavit said. But investigators said they found keys to the house locked in the leased BMW that Entwistle left at Logan International Airport before his flight to England. Prosecutors said Entwistle did get into the house and returned the .22-caliber revolver he allegedly used in the shootings.
Pretrial publicity. Some lawyers say the intense media coverage of the case, including the release of affidavits with detailed information about what investigators say they have found, could taint the jury pool.
Challenges for prosecution
The alleged murder weapon. Rachel Entwistle's stepfather told investigators that his son-in-law had used the .22-caliber revolver when they went target shooting. Neil Entwistle might be able to argue that was why police allegedly found his DNA on the gun. In addition, the stepfather told police he used his .22-caliber pistols for target practice the day after the shootings. If he fired the revolver allegedly used in the killings, he might have contaminated the evidence.
The time of death. Investigators say the slayings occurred on the morning of Jan. 20. But Hopkinton police did not find the bodies lying under comforters until the evening of Jan. 22. Police officers did a ''well-being check" of the house the night of Jan. 21, but did not find anyone. Parents and friends also searched the house earlier on Jan. 22. Neil Entwistle's lawyer is likely to argue that Entwistle was in England at the time of the murders and that the crime scene was contaminated by others.
The motive. Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley theorizes that Neil Entwistle was so upset about his financial situation and his family life that he planned a murder-suicide. But there is no known history of domestic violence in the Entwistle household.
Compiled by Jonathan Saltzman
