entwistle.

i watched this entire trial on court tv now called "truTV" they changed their name - during the past two weeks i was very ill with asthma and unable to do much else.

it was one of the most riveting, intriguing, and shocking of murder case trials i have ever seen and i have watched a few choice ones in the past year - some lasting several months- example: phil spector and that fertility nurse melanie or melody- what was her name? the one whose gambling husband was found body parts divided in luggage off the east coast - anyway it was a high profile case.

but the one i just finished watching and was a relatively short and suspenseful- if NOT- unusual trial was the murder trial of neil entwistle's which had evidence and proof that he did so many things that pointed towards guilt that he definitely seemed guilty of what he was charged with and very bizarre, off- something not right about him. He seemed very cold, without emotion or remorse,and narcissistic/ self absorbed in court although he did not speak at ALL in the trial or in any interviews. he was silent and did not testify on the stand.

simply it was neil entwistle's quiet glaring and rolling or rather blinking of eyes in utter annoyance that made him seem highly self involved and completely heartless, lacking a conscience and in turn- completely guilty.

the defense [neil's attorney weinstein and stephanie page] made a plea of innocence [which i do not believe at all] and professed the murder was a suicide and that the wife had killed their baby before killing herself. i really don't think so. i would think that is more likely to happen [killing of infant and then self] with a man than a woman. i just could not imagine it and the jury could not either and all voted - guilty, murder in the first degree on two counts.
for those that don't know or haven't heard of this case: simply- neil entwistle who was from england was living with his wife rachel [who was american and had met him in england.] they had moved back by her family in Massachusetts after their baby lillian [often called lily for short] was born.

a week after living in their newly rented home which was over 2 thous. a month, one day out of the blue, rachel and their child who was 9 months old and a baby were found dead, shot to death in bed. a bullet thru the baby's stomach which directly entered rachel's breast and a bullet to rachel's head.

neil entwistle later claimed to find the body, cover them up and not know what to do, so he fled the home, drove around, went to the airport, and flew back to england essentially running away. [it was days before concerned family of rachel's sent over police officers to search for her when she was not heard from - they later found the bodies- the police after searching the home twice i think, and not seeing the bodies which were under covers the first time. it was not realized right away that her husband neil entwistle had fled or where he was at that time.

it looked very guilty that neil had fled to the UK and not reported the dead bodies let alone called 911 because he claimed "he didn't know what to do" and couldnt deal with it. he later was extradited and brought back to the US, charged with the murders and expected to stand trial. the murder occurred in january of 2006 and he had been in jail since arrested and charged up until this trial aired on court/tru-TV- channel 55 on cable.

all evidence in the case pointed to neil's strange detachment to his wife and child and to his guilt. not to mention there was evidence he was searching on the computer while the dead bodies were there for jobs, flights home and escort/call girl services.

well, he got what he deserved in the trial and it was a tragic and chilling/haunting case that really is incomprehensible. he got life for both and will be stuck in prison in MA now and is unable to go back to england.

here is a copy of the cnn story on this the nite the guilty verdict was handed down which i had sent to my email.

i like court case esp murder trials and convictions. part of it is distraction from one self but also fascination with human behavior, analyzation. and then again, its also that i enjoy seeing victims and family receive the sort of justice they rightly deserve.

Click here: Entwistle guilty of murdering wife, baby - CNN.com

Entwistle guilty of murdering wife, baby
Story Highlights
NEW: Family maintains his innocence; attorney plans appeal
Entwistle convicted on two charges of first-degree murder
Defense said wife killed herself and husband covered up to "protect her honor"
Prosecutors argued that Entwistle killed family because of sex life, debts
Next Article in Crime »

(CNN) -- A man who fled the United States for his native England after his wife and daughter were killed was found guilty of their murders Wednesday.

Neil Entwistle, 29, repeatedly closed his eyes and shook his head as the foreman read the verdict: guilty of two first-degree murder charges, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

The jury in Woburn, Massachusetts, deliberated for less than 12 hours before reaching the verdict.

Entwistle faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced at 10 a.m. Thursday. Watch Entwistle react as the verdict is read »

During the trial, prosecutors said Entwistle was in debt and dissatisfied with his sex life when he fatally shot Rachel Entwistle and 9-month old Lillian as the two snuggled in bed.

"We may never know why this happened. But we do know that Rachel and Lillian Rose loved and trusted Neil Entwistle," Joseph Flaherty, a spokesman for Rachel Entwistle's family, said after the verdict.

"Neil Entwistle's actions on January 20, 2006, betrayed that love and trust. Neil Entwistle will now live with his evil deeds for the rest of his natural life, only to be judged again," the family said. Watch the victims' family thank the public for its support »

With the verdict, the jury rejected a defense claim that Rachel Entwistle killed Lillian and then committed suicide. Entwistle claimed that he returned the gun to his father-in-law's home 50 miles away because he wanted to preserve his wife's honor.

Outside the courthouse, Entwistle's parents continued to assert their son's innocence.
"Our son will now go to jail for loving, honoring and protecting his wife and Lillian," Yvonne Entwistle said, adding that she knew her daughter-in-law was "depressed." Watch Entwistle's mother assert he is innocent »

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"We will continue to fight for our innocent son with the hope that one day, justice will prevail and that our little granddaughter Lily will rest in peace," she said.

After the verdict, defense lawyer Peter Park said he was confident that an appeal would prevail on the grounds that police entered Entwistle's home illegally on two occasions.
Defense lawyers did not call any witnesses.

Police in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, discovered the bodies of Rachel, 27, and Lillian in the master bedroom of their home January 22, 2006, after responding to a missing persons report filed by the victims' relatives. Authorities said the two were killed two days before. See a timeline of the Entwistle case »

Entwistle told police in a phone call January 23 that he found his wife and daughter dead from gunshot wounds January 20 after returning from running errands. He told authorities he could see "a gunshot wound on Lillian's body and blood around her mouth."
He did not call police. Instead, he said, he got a knife to kill himself but "could not go through with it."

He said he then drove to his in-laws' home to get a gun to kill himself but could not get into the home. He also told police he was unable to contact his mother-in-law, he told police. See Entwistle break down in court during testimony »

Eventually, he said, he drove to Boston's Logan International Airport because he "wanted to go home to his parents in England." British police arrested him the following month.
Prosecutors doubted Entwistle's story. He had not worked for four months before the murders, and the family was paying $2,700 a month for their home, leading police to believe that financial problems may have played a role in the slayings.

Authorities discovered that, days before the murders, Entwistle looked at a Web site that described "how to kill people by various methods" and launched Internet searches on suicide, euthanasia and "how to kill someone with a knife," the documents said.
He also searched for escort services near his home, according to search warrants, including Eye Candy Entertainment, Exotic Express and Sweet Temptations.

Prosecutors said that the victims' gunshot wounds were not easily visible and that he would not have been able to see them without careful examination.

Court documents show that it took investigators and forensic chemists several hours to determine that the baby had been shot and that her gunshot wound was visible only after her mother's body had been moved.

After the verdict, Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone condemned the defendant for "disparaging" the memory of his wife with the suicide claims. He said the verdict brought justice to Rachel and Lillian, who would have turned 3 years old this April.

"She should be here walking, talking and playing, with her mom, Rachel, doting over her," Leone said. "But we all now know that's not going to happen, and that's not going to happen because of the reprehensible acts of Neil Entwistle."

Asked about Entwistle's parents' comments, Leone said he would expect "nothing less" from the parents of a man who had been convicted of murder.

"Frankly, our thoughts are with them too," he said.

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