A Person of Interest...

[maleficent]

Mother/Daughter Slaying Victims Laid to Rest

PLYMOUTH, Mass., Feb. 1, 2006 — As family and friends of Rachel and Lillian Entwistle arrived for their funerals late this morning, there was one noticeable no-show: Neil Entwistle, husband and father of the victims.

Described by police as a "person of interest" in the investigation, Entwistle, 27, has been holed up for the past week at his parents' house in Worksop, England, a city north of London.

"That's the million-dollar question. Why isn't he back for his wife and daughter's funerals?" mused Boston Herald investigative reporter Dave Wedge. "Defense lawyers would tell you he'd be a fool to come back because once he's back, the authorities would probably keep him here."

Hundreds of people showed up at this small, white church to pay their respects to the former schoolteacher and her 9-month-old daughter. Pallbearers unloaded one wooden casket from a hearse parked in front of the church and carried it slowly up the stairs.

On Jan. 21, police found the bodies of Rachel, 27, and Lillian lying in bed in the master bedroom at the couple's Hopkinton, Mass., home. A single bullet from a small-caliber handgun had pierced the torsos of both mother and daughter; Rachel had a second bullet in her head.

Officers had come to search the rented, two-story colonial in the Boston suburb after receiving a call from worried family members who said the Entwistles had failed to show up for their own dinner party the night before. Investigators later discovered that Neil Entwistle had caught a flight from Boston's Logan Airport to London's Heathrow the day before, an unplanned trip.

Entwistle, an unemployed computer programmer, has been in touch with Massachusetts investigators by phone, but when they flew to London last week to meet with him at the U.S. Embassy, he backed out of the interview.

Rachel's family has refused to comment publicly about Neil Entwistle, and left his name out of the obituary submitted to their hometown newspaper. Joe Flaherty, a spokesman for the family, told reporters recently, "Rachel was a wonderful wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister and mother. She was always first to share her beliefs, her love and her support with others. She made her close friends a part of her family, and she always kept her family at the center of her life."

Neil Entwistle maintained a series of "get rich quick" Web sites, promising customers the chance to make millions with pornographic sites in return for a deposit of $1,700. He sold computer software on eBay and received primarily favorable reviews from customers.

On Jan. 6, however, everything changed. Starting that day, eBay received a flood of complaints from customers who said they had not received the merchandise they purchased from Entwistle. The online auctioneer shut down Entwistle's account.

In early January, Neil, Rachel and their baby moved out of the Carver home of Rachel's mother and stepfather, with whom they had been living since moving back from England the previous year. They moved into the $3,000-a-month home in nearby Hopkinton.

Entwistle is the only one to be labeled a "person of interest" in the case, though police will not describe him as a suspect. Investigators claim they are making progress in the investigation.

"The really unusual thing about this case," says Wedge, "is that [Neil's] family has not said a word. No friends, no uncle, no nephew, some pal of his from a soccer team — no one's come out and said a single word about this guy, that hey, he's not the kind of guy who would do this, that he loved his wife and child and would never harm them."

The Middlesex district attorney's office released a statement Tuesday saying the Nottingham police and Scotland Yard in London were keeping tabs on Entwistle.

Person of interest is such a polite term...

[maleficent]

and on the extradiction process -- if it comes down to that...
Extradition law could affect Neil

A law passed in England in 2003 meant to make it easier to extradite terrorism suspects to the United States could be used to bring Neil Entwistle back to Massachusetts if he is ever charged in the killing of his wife and daughter.

Even with a process in place it could still take authorities three years to return Entwistle to the U.S., said Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Douglas McNabb who is an expert in extradition law. Entwistle has not been named a suspect in the deaths of wife Rachel and daughter Lillian but Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley has labeled him a person of interest.

"The U.S. cannot seek his extradition until after he has been charged," said McNabb of McNabb Associates. "At this point, he hasn’t been charged, and there’s a presumption of innocence. We do not want to forget about."

There are different scenarios on how the U.S. could extradite someone from England, but the most likely would begin with the person formally being charged with a crime.

"They can contact the authorities in England, the United Kingdom could provisionally arrest him," said McNabb. "It’s like a temporary arrest. The U.S. then has about 60 days to file a full-blown petition for extradition."

In the past, the U.S. would need to present a prima facie case, which amounts to probable cause, McNabb said. The British government passed a law in 2003 that made it easier for the United States to have someone sent back to the country.

It was designed for terrorism suspects, but mainly has been used for white-collar criminals, McNabb said. The law is not part of the U.S.-UK extradition treaty, and the United States does not have the same law, he said.

After the official petition of extradition is filed, there would be a hearing in front of a judge, where witnesses could testify.

The judge then makes his recommendation to the Home Secretary, the equal of the Secretary of State in the U.S., who decides if a suspect should be extradited.

"If the Home Secretary says ’yes, he should be extradited,’ this gentleman can appeal the decision to the High Court," said McNabb.

Even if the High Court rules a suspect should be extradited, it does not end there. McNabb said a suspect could appeal to the House of Lords.

Again, even if the House of Lords decides against a suspect, it still does not end, McNabb said.

"He can appeal it to the European Court of Human Rights (in France)," said McNabb. "They’re about two to three years behind on their dockets."

A lot of it comes down to whether a suspect can afford to pay for the defense to take it all the way to the French-based court. It is also possible a suspect could waive extradition.

"It could be quite some time before the U.S. can bring him back," McNabb said.

All his actions seem to point to his guilt... but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt right now... It does seem like a good way to get away with murder...

[Charlatan]

Originally Posted by maleficent

All his actions seem to point to his guilt... but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt right now... It does seem like a good way to get away with murder...

It is the benefit of the doubt that keeps the papers (and police) calling him a "person of interest". US libel laws are stringent.

[feelgood]

A law passed in England in 2003 meant to make it easier to extradite terrorism suspects to the United States could be used to bring Neil Entwistle back to Massachusetts if he is ever charged in the killing of his wife and daughter.

And exactly what makes him a "terrorism suspect"?

[Charlatan]

Nothing. What they are saying is that the law was changed to make it easier to extridite terrorist suspects. What is missing is the phrase, "and everyone else suspected of a crime that they want to extradite."

[The_Jazz]

Originally Posted by feelgood

And exactly what makes him a "terrorism suspect"?

Basically, they're just using an existing law in a new and possibly unforeseen way. The US has done the same thing with RICO, which was orginally aimed at the Mafia. It is now being used to break up some violent anti-abortion protesters.

[maleficent]

Neil Entwistle Arrested In England

(CBS4) HOPKINTON CBS4's Dan Rea has learned that Neil Entwistle was arrested this morning in England in connection with the murders of his wife Rachel and 9-month-old daughter Lillian in Hopkinton.

Entwistle is now is custody at Scotland Yard.

The warrant was issued last night out of Framingham District Court.

Until today's arrest, investigators had called Entwistle a "person of interest".

He had been in seclusion at his parents home in Worksop, England since last month, when his 27-year-old wife and infant daughter were found shot to death in their rented Hopkinton home.

He reportedly refused to cooperate with Massachusetts investigators when they went to England last month to interview him about the murders.

Neil Entwistle has never said anything in public about the murders. He did not attend the funerals.

Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley will provide more information about the arrest in a news conference at 10 a.m. this morning.

Moving up in the world - from 'a person of interest' to arresting him...