Jun 17, 2008 8:40 pm US/Eastern
Computer Expert: Entwistle Researched Ways To Kill
WOBURN (WBZ) ―
A computer expert has testified that a laptop taken from the home of a British man accused of killing his wife and his 9-months-old daughter was used to do an online search on "how to kill with a knife" four days before the slayings.
Medford police Detective Lawrence James testified Tuesday that the Google search was done on January 16, 2006.
Neil Entwistle is accused of killing 27-year-old Rachel and their daughter, Lillian Rose, in their rented Hopkinton home in January 2006.
Prosecutors claim that Entwistle researched methods of murder and suicide shortly before the killings. He has pleaded not guilty.
He told police he returned home from shopping to find the victims dead in a bed in the master bedroom.
Earlier Tuesday, Judge Diane Kottmyer agreed to allow prosecutors to present evidence suggesting Neil Entwistle trolled the internet for sex in the days before the murders and logged into his account at Adult Friend Finder after the murders.
James is expected to testify that Entwistle allegedly looked for local escort services, using search terms that included "half-priced escorts."
The prosecution witness is also expected to claim that the suspect joined a Web group called "Adult Friend Finder," where he exchanged e-mails with women saying he was looking for a "discreet" sexual relationship.
A DNA expert also testified for the prosecution Tuesday and linked Entwistle to the alleged murder weapon.
Laura Bryant from the State Crime Lab testified that DNA analysis linked Entwistle to the handle of the gun. She also testified that DNA from Rachel Entwistle was found on the barrel of the weapon.
That weapon, a .22-caliber handgun, was part of a collection of licensed firearms owned by Rachel's step-father. Prosecutors allege that Neil Entwistle took the weapon from Joseph Matterazzo's home, used it to kill his wife and baby daughter, and then returned it.
Two university friends of Neil and Rachel Entwistle took the stand for the prosecution Tuesday afternoon. Benjamin Pryor and Dashiell Munding told jurors Neil came to visit them in London in the weeks after the murders. Both men testified that, over dinner in London, Entwistle told them he went out to run errands on the morning of January 20, 2006, and left the back door open. Entwistle told his friends that he returned to find his wife and baby daughter dead.
Pryor said Neil Entwistle told him he was devastated by the discovery, went to the kitchen to commit suicide with a knife but couldn't; Entwistle said he then drove to Rachel's mother and step-father's house to get a gun, but found the house locked.
In potentially damaging testimony, both men testified that Entwistle told them he contacted Rachel's family and police before flying to England to be with his family. Police have testified that they discovered the bodies after Rachel's family members asked them to check on the home because they were unable to contact her.
The bodies of 27-year-old Rachel and 9-month-old Lillian were found in the master bedroom of the family's rented home in Hopkinton. Prosecutors allege Entwistle killed his family because he was deep in debt and dissatisfied with his sex life, then fled to England.
Before testimony began Tuesday morning, attorneys argued before the judge over the admissibility of some evidence - specifically emails and downloads from the web site Adult Friend Finder. Testimony relative to Neil Entwistle's alleged use of that web site is expected Wednesday.
Entwistle was already in England when his wife and daughter were buried and he did not attend their services. The co-owners of a Plymouth funeral home testified Tuesday that Entwistle called from England and ordered three flower arrangements for the services -- one from him, one from his parents and brother, and one from the couple's friends and family in England.
For the bouquet from him, Entwistle asked for a white lilly and an orange rose wrapped together and tied with a ribbon. The card read, "My Orange Rose and My Lilly, for always, xo, xo, xo."
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