Accused cries at pictures of murder scene

Published on 13/06/2008 22:01

THE jury trying Briton Neil Entwistle for the murders of his American wife and baby was shown detailed pictures of their bodies yesterday.

The eight men and eight women showed little emotion as the photographs were placed in front of them.

Entwistle, 29, originally from Worksop in the East Midlands, denies murdering his wife, Rachel, 27, and their nine-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, at their home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on 20 January, 2006.

The former IT worker cried, closed his eyes, and held his head in his hands yesterday as the jurors at the Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn, Massachusetts, were shown a 20-minute police video of the murder scene and the bodies of his family.

John Soares, a forensic biologist with the Massachusetts State Police crime laboratory, told the court the DNA of both Entwistle and his wife was found on the .22 Colt revolver used to kill the victims.

The jury was also told that a post-mortem examination found Mrs Entwistle was shot in the forehead at close range and Lillian was killed by a bullet which passed through her abdomen and lodged above her mother's left breast as she cradled her in the four-poster bed in the master bedroom of their home.

Assistant district attorney Michael Fabbri said Entwistle had had a secret life in which he trawled the internet for escorts and looked at websites about bankruptcy, killing and suicide.

Entwistle faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

CASE STUDY

AS A pregnant "older woman" Karen Nicol was well aware of the risks of Down's syndrome to her unborn child.

So when she conceived at the age of 40, she jumped at the chance of having a non-invasive test to put her mind at rest.

But Mrs Nicol, who lives near Dunfermline, was surprised to hear she would have to pay privately for the scan which was not available on the NHS.

With results and options clear early she found she was able to enjoy the rest of her pregnancy without concern.

"I don't understand why the NHS don't cover it. I think for older mothers it should be."