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June 19, 2008

Are there clues in Neil Entwistle's computer?

Posted: 09:26 AM ET

WOBURN, Massachusetts– Was Neil Entwistle on his computer in his home after killing his wife and daughter? That is what it appears the Commonwealth is going to argue as testimony from a computer analyst revealed that someone logged on to Entwistle’s laptop – using his password protected username – on January 20, 2006 at 12:30 p.m., an hour and a half after Entwistle claims he found his wife and daughter dead in their bed.

Prosecution witness Lawrence James also told jurors that there were numerous searches for adult dating websites; escort services and flights to England in the days before the murders.

Entwistle is charged with the murder of his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and nine-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose. He has pleaded not guilty in the case.

–In Session staff

Filed under: Trials


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JOHN WESTLEIN   June 19th, 2008 10:05 am ET

IT DOES NOT HELP THE DEFENSE THAT HIS ATTORNEY IS SO DARN SMUG. HE REMINDS ME OF MR. BURNS FROM THE SIMPSONS.

Rich Alley   June 19th, 2008 10:14 am ET

Does anyone know the name of the lead Prosecutor?
Please advise... Thanks.

Lillian Etheridge   June 19th, 2008 10:15 am ET

I;m not fully convinced that he wasn't planing to use those tickes to fley. thank you

Kat   June 19th, 2008 10:19 am ET

You folks take too many breaks. I have been watching tru since this trial began and there are more opportune times for commercial breaks.

I would rather hear the witness statement then listen to Lisa Bloom rush to repeat it.

Beth Karas is outstanding!

Kat
Victorville, CA

Leslyn   June 19th, 2008 10:34 am ET

How on earth can anyone have reasonable doubt about this man's guilt? Do you really think that the "real killer" had Neil's computer password and after he or she committed their heinious crime they sat down and surfed the net? Please...

Dee Bristol   June 19th, 2008 10:55 am ET

From the computer files, it sounds like Neil was planning this for awhile. I'm just surprised he agreed to come back to the states without fighting extradition. You'd think he'd be able to keep his lies straight too, telling everyone a different story about what happened isn't too smart .

FrankMalone   June 19th, 2008 11:03 am ET

The prison systems in the United ingdom and the United States for many years have held an unbelervable amount of dangerous characters. In Great Britain, the Kray twins of London were incredibly violentand they murdered an actress called Myra Hindley and thankfully were quickly captured. They were preceded by another even mire violet character known today as "Jack the Ripper" and his crimes were even more violent than those of the Kray twins. In modern day times, he would be referred to as being a "Serial Killer" and after having sex with the cheap London prostitutes he would then kill them.His crimes were so well known that a phrase was created, the phrase being "Watch out, the Ripper's about:

Danielle   June 19th, 2008 11:29 am ET

This guy just gets more and more shady sounding.

Patricia   June 19th, 2008 11:49 am ET

Neil Entwistle is a cold hearted, calculating killer! With all the evidence that has been put out by the prosecutor, I can't understand why he didn't plead guilty and save the citizens of MA the cost of a trail plus the cost of his legal team! It's an outrage! I'm so frustrated that MA does not have the death penalty. He should die in the same manner that Rachel and baby Lillian did. I'd be more than happy to pull the trigger!

Bryan C   June 19th, 2008 11:51 am ET

The Judge in this case should meet with attorney's to save tax payers money and devise some sort of Guilty plea agreement . Simply put Neil Entwistle has no defense for his actions. Planed , executed, fled = Guilty.

Anne Salem   June 19th, 2008 12:08 pm ET

The female defense attorney representing Neil Entwistle is DRIVING ME CRAZY! I simply can no longer listen to her cross examination – her style is very annoying – ending every single question with "Isn't that right". ENOUGH ALREADY! I wonder if any of the jurors are equally annoyed . . . not very good for the defense particularly in a case where there really isn't any. I would think the last thing the defense wants to do is antonize the jurors!

Deborah   June 19th, 2008 12:16 pm ET

The defense team is trying to lead us to believe that this crime could "possibly" be a suiside, but how did Rachel kill herself and Lillian and then return the gun to her stepfather's home if she were dead? Probably the same way she got onto the computer to check email and flights after her death? I hope the jury doesn't buy that theory!!

Kay Segal   June 19th, 2008 12:20 pm ET

In Stephanie Paige's cross examination of Dr. Zane,the Medical examiner,I believe the defense has just revealed their strategy: they're using the Phil Spector playbook defense strategy that the victim committed suicide. Can't wait for them (the Defense) to show the diagrams or computer-automated visuals to show how Rachel Entwhistle shot both herself and her baby. Is this unbelievable or what?

rochelle   June 19th, 2008 12:21 pm ET

here we go again...the victim killed herself...and we have some of the same players, dr. dimaio...when should we expect to see dr. baden ?

Ashby   June 19th, 2008 12:24 pm ET

The defense is pathetic! suicide? oh this is a joke.

Debbie   June 19th, 2008 12:31 pm ET

I am totally outraged that the defense is taking this trial to the point where suicide is to be considered?
Did Rachael return the gun to her parents after she shot her child and herself? Neil had the car.. did she take a cab? This is disgusting.

doris bel   June 19th, 2008 12:35 pm ET

this ridiculous prosecutor (woman) suggesting that Rachel Entwistle shot herself twice, shot her baby, then somehow, got up and drove to her fathers home and disposed of the gun, before coming back home and positioning herself and the baby in the bed......oh, and threw the comforter over herself and the baby......unbelievable....I have to go and vomit now......

Paula   June 19th, 2008 12:40 pm ET

Perry Mason, she's not! Talk about graping at straws!

Ruth Andrews   June 19th, 2008 12:45 pm ET

Is this defense being paid "by the word"? If I was a juror, I'd be very angry at the 'Ned-in-the-Third Grade' questions being posed by the defense attorneys.

keith snyder   June 19th, 2008 12:46 pm ET

The staement that the heart must be beating to elicit a bruise is not true. There are untold cases of post-mortem bruising in the literature.

Riley   June 19th, 2008 12:52 pm ET

I know... innocent until proven guilty.....

It makes me so mad when it is OBVIOUS the person who was charged with the crime did it. The money wasted on the costs associated with the trial could be better spent elsewhere.

And why is it that some men think it is easier to kill their wife (and baby or fetus) than file for divorce? Scott Peterson, Neil Entwistle, Drew Peterson, Mark Hacking, Cesar Laurean... the list goes on.

Christine Still   June 19th, 2008 12:56 pm ET

Having been a juror in two homicide trials and then later becoming a police detective, I can assure you that jurors intensely dislike the hammering of an established expert witness especially an M.D.( with the possible exception of a psychiatrist). Any conclusions dragged into testimony are affected by the methods, comportment and yes, even the appearance of the defense attorney. The women on the jury will be especially ticked off by this mousy & aggressive woman. Sorry, no juror will ever admit it but it is true.

maggie   June 19th, 2008 12:57 pm ET

WHY is nobody tring to find out why/what Neal was doing online with the "adult" website if he was happily married. He was NOT happily married, that's why he went there.
WHY & HOW can he sit there day after day, hearing all the evidence & not shed a tear for at least his child?
He's so smug thru all of this, void of emotion, does that not speak volumes?
What's the REAL reason he "supposedly" did what he did? Movitve? And why did he never call 911 or her family? What kind of unfeeling person is this who found his wife/child shot to death?
AND WHY were the bodies found covered up? WHO covered them back up? no bullet wounds in the comforter, right!!??
This man is sooo guilty, I just hope they find out WHY he did it before they cart his little body off to jail!
maggie in FL

Sue Chard   June 19th, 2008 1:00 pm ET

Todays defense development made my stomach turn. Yea he loved them so much that now he's willing to say his wife murderered their daughter. I'd call him lower then pond scum, but it would be an insult to the scum. His layers aught to be ashamed of themselves.

PAT   June 19th, 2008 1:08 pm ET

i cant belive what they are bring up!!! she killed baby and then herself ! NO WAY

A Kendall   June 19th, 2008 1:17 pm ET

This defense is rediculous. I could see Rachel wanting to kill Neil after finding out about his shenanigans, but kill the baby? As a mother who has been in a similar situation I don't think so. With so much family support around her, this would be a completely unthinkable scenario. This guy is guilty and the fact that the defense is trying to jump on the Phil Spector bandwagon for a defense makes it even more obvious.
AK – New London NC

Becky Mendoza   June 19th, 2008 1:24 pm ET

If Rachel Entwistle was going to commit suicide, according to the defense, why would she have a dinner party planned for that night? I would think she would do it on a day no one was coming over.

Bart Barrett   June 19th, 2008 1:26 pm ET

How does the defense stand a chance? I was listening this morning to the defense try and pose an argument that it was possible for Rachael to commit suicide by shooting herself not only once, but TWICE! It appears that already, the defense has been reduced to the ridiculous in this case.

Wanita Shomali   June 19th, 2008 1:57 pm ET

absolutely!!! The computer is like a fingerprint it tells all.. Sex was more important than the lives of his wife and baby daughter. He has no respect for human life. The defense team can talk a good talk, but no one in their right mind would take the defense team seriously. Their as guilty as their defendant!!!

Chandra Welch   June 19th, 2008 2:03 pm ET

I would just like to comment on the completely ridiculous notion that this was a murder suicide. If this was the case, then who returned the gun to Rachel's parents home? Certainly not the deceased victim! Neil Entwistle is guilty and the defense has no ground to stand on with this theory!

Sherilyn   June 19th, 2008 2:09 pm ET

Neil (ENT) claims he found the bodies and panicked. he would have either had to uncover the bodies when he found them or cover them after he killed them. Because when the police searched the home twice they did not see the bodies. So that could also infer he took the gun back where he got it after he killed his family. He is guilty and a blind person could see it.

Lory   June 19th, 2008 2:15 pm ET

If Rachel discovered these computer e-mails, along with finding out about their dire financial situation, she could have been devastated and driven to take her and her daughters life. She might not have been prepared to face such unhappiness and humiliation at the hands of her husband.

Joni   June 19th, 2008 2:58 pm ET

Wasn't there blood evidence on a wall in the couple's bedroom? What if the residue on Rachel's hands were from a defensive attitude she was assuming while being shot? If she was shot in the bed and there was no exit wound, how did blood spatter end up on the wall?

Julie Austin   June 19th, 2008 3:11 pm ET

Anyone with common sense knows that autopsy is just a part of the investigation. A piece of the puzzle so to speak. Homicide investigators investigate the personal and professional side of the victim's life, not the autopsy examiner. They bring that information to the autopsy examiner and he or she puts the information he has together with the information that the homicide detectives have furnished and a picture begins to form and conclusions are then drawn. If a jurist understands that, well then the defense hasn't scored that much.

Lynn Caronia   June 19th, 2008 3:42 pm ET

In the computer searches of Neil Entwhistles activity before the murder of Rachel and Lillian, was there any information sought about hw to stage a murder to look like a suicide? If Rachel had gun shot residue on both sides of both hands, couldn't it be just as likely that the killer tried to force the gun into her hands after the murder to create evidence of possible suicide. How did the defense get test results for the gun shot residue on both of Rachels hands that apparently was not tested for or known to the prosecution before the Medical Examiner was cross examined today? I want to know whether the gun shot residue on Rachels hands was confirmed by independent testing and what proof if any the defense needed to provide in order to claim that the gun shot residue was found on the front and back of both of Rachel's hands in order to get these facts into evidence? What if Neil shot Lillian first as Rachel tried to sheild her ? Could that have caused the GSR to fall on Rachels hands? Does the position of the bodies support or disprove the sequence of shots and the presence of GSR staged to look like a suicide after the shooting occurred? I know this is not short and succinct but maybe these questions can be explored by the commentators to explain the evidence now on the record.

Liz   June 19th, 2008 4:21 pm ET

To the Defense Attorney:
Why don't you dress more appropriate? Just a curious comment.
On court TV the Hosts are so well dressed, great job you do in your broadcasting of the trials.

Liz   June 19th, 2008 4:24 pm ET

PS: Was that a lady's wedding ring, when the London PD said metal ring! Thank you.

Lorraine Messineo   June 19th, 2008 4:57 pm ET

Entwhistle's attorneys want to establish reasonable doubt? I think they already have...I reasonably doubt that Neil Entwhistle can be innocent.

Jeannie from WA State   June 19th, 2008 5:22 pm ET

Here is a wild thought that entered my mind today. Rachel was shot in the head and the baby was shot in the stomach. Since the baby was shot in the stomach and not in the head, maybe the shooter didn't intend for the baby to die. The person only did it for staging purposes to make it look like an intruder came in and didn't plan on the baby bleeding to death before she was found. They were expecting guest that day. Is it possible the killer thought the guest would find them sooner?
Jeannie from Tacoma, Washington

frances ball   June 20th, 2008 11:02 am ET

O Yeah! Rachel shot Lillian, shot self in head, got upand disposed of the gun, raked glasses and watch to the floor, then covered their bodies with comforter but was too tired to write a suicide note.

Podycat   June 20th, 2008 8:59 pm ET

I have not had anyone to discuss this with..so here I am..geez I guess his wife shot the baby, then herself and then drove the gun back to her fathers place and put it back and then drove back home to continue to be dead..hmm works for me, NOT! crazy!

Joyce   June 21st, 2008 3:54 pm ET

Kind of eerie, isn't it?

Patty Snider   June 24th, 2008 2:16 pm ET

can they tell what was accessed for content?

Patty Snider   June 24th, 2008 2:17 pm ET

where can i find a timeline that Neil e. says was accurate? At what time did he arrive at airport? he was prob looking to book a flight but it was to close to flight time and he couldnt book it. so he had to go to airport

Linda Adams   June 25th, 2008 11:30 am ET

QUESTION????

If the defense is trying to say Rachel killed her baby and then killed herself, how in the HELL did she get the gun back to her step-father's house???

Jeannie   June 25th, 2008 11:45 am ET

There is one theory not explored that I really believe is a true possibility. It is based on the theory of suicide. I can't help but wonder if Priscilla discovered her daughter and granddaughter dead? If she did, it is perfectly understandable that she would have disposed of the murder weapon to protect her daughter. It is my understanding that Priscilla is catholic, and the catholic religion forbids suicide. As a matter of fact, Rachel would not make it to heaven and she would not be able to be buried in a catholic cemetary. Priscilla's response to the deaths seemed a bit odd. She called her husband immediately from Rachel's house very upset. What if she discussed with Joe what she had found and then made a decision to cover up the suicide? Priscilla is the one that removed the gun and took it home, had Joe clean it and called the cops almost immediately so the bodies would be found. Since they did not find the bodies she continued to check on Rachel. Priscilla's prints would not be on the gun because she was wearing gloves that day. I don't think she intended Neil to get the blame but she's not willing to stop this whole process because; She's upset at Neil for taking offi; She's ashamed and afraid of the community discoverng the truth; she's afraid she could be charged with a crime for in essence creating a false report, etc. If I were on a jury and heard this possible scenario I could not find the guy guilty. I feel that the possibiliy/liklihood of new evidence and/or person will and could be found at a later date exonerating Neil. I haven't been able to see the "overwhelming" evidence everyone is talking about. I don't know if he did it or not but I do know that my I have far too much doubt to convict this guy.

Grace   June 25th, 2008 2:27 pm ET

Regarding the gun powder residue on Rachael's hands, couldn't that have come from her holding the gun with both hands trying to push it away from her head as her husband held it there in order to kill her?

jane jones   July 3rd, 2008 5:01 pm ET

qhat was the outcome of the teacup trial?

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