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Jun 19, 2008 9:35 pm US/Eastern
Police: Entwistle Looked For Sex Before Murders
WOBURN (WBZ) ―
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Rachel and Lillian Entwistle
AP
A police detective testified Thursday that Neil Entwistle posted a profile on a swingers Web site in the weeks before his wife and baby daughter were slain, saying he looked to meet "American women of all ages" for sex.
Entwistle is charged with killing his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, at their Hopkinton home in January 2006.
Medford police Detective Lawrence James testified Thursday that Entwistle used his credit card to purchase a month-long membership in "AdultFriendFinder.com" for $19.95 on December 21, 2005.
He then posted a profile, describing himself as an Englishman who "moved to the U.S., looking for 1-on-1 discreet relationships with American ladies and always seek to make all experiences ones to remember."
The Web site bills itself as "The World's Largest Sex & Swinger Personals Community."
After James, medical examiner Dr. William Zane took the stand to describe Rachel Entwistle's gunshot wounds.
Zane told the court she was shot twice - once downward through top of her skull, which penetrated her brain, and once in the front through the left side of her chest. She died instantly.
The bullet that struck Lillian in the abdomen traveled into Rachel's left breast, where it was later recovered, Zane testified.
Lillian passed away within a minute or minutes of being shot, according to Zane.
Mother and baby were found cuddled together in bed, both wearing pajamas, with Rachel's right arm over Lillian's chest.
During cross examination, defense attorney Stephanie Page suggested through questioning that Rachel Entwistle could have shot both Lillian and herself.
"Were you ever told Rachel Entwistle tested positive for gunshot residue on the front of her right hand?" she asked Zane. "No," he replied.
"Is today the first time you've heard there was gunshot residue on her hands?" continued Page. Zane responded, "Pretty much to my recollection."
Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter.
Zane said the presence of gunshot residue could mean one of three things: that Rachel handled the gun, fired the gun or was near the gun when it was fired. Zane said learning that Rachel Entwistle had gunshot residue on her hands does not change his opinion that she was murdered, but tells him only that she was "in the room when the gun was discharged."
A state police chemist who testified earlier said gunshot residue could travel up to three feet.
Prosecutors say the .22-caliber handgun used in the killing was owned by Rachel Entwistle's stepfather, Joseph Matterazzo, and kept in his home in Carver. Prosecutors believe Entwistle stole the gun, used it to kill his wife and daughter, then drove more than 50 miles to Carver and returned it. The defense did not offer an explanation on how the gun would have been returned to Carver if Rachel Entwistle committed suicide.
Entwistle told police he returned home from shopping to find the victims dead in a bed in the master bedroom.
After Page's cross-examination of Zane, prosecutor Michael Fabbri followed up by focusing on the bullet that entered the baby's abdomen and then went into her mother's breast.
"Have you ever been involved in a suicide where one person tries to inflict their own death by shooting through another person?" Fabbri asked.
"No, I haven't," Zane replied.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
