Neil Entwistle loses conviction appeal

Neil Entwistle, 32, was convicted in 2008 of the murder of wife Rachel, 27, and nine-month-old Lillian Rose.

His lawyer Stephen Paul Maidman argued that two home searches by police were carried out without warrants and that the evidence seized should have been suppressed during the trial.

He also claimed that the judge did not thoroughly scrutinise potential jurors to identify any bias against Entwistle after ‘saturating and inflammatory’ international news coverage before the case.

But Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court refused to grant Entwistle a re-trial and said he had recevied a ‘fair trial’.

In a written statement, Justice Ralph Gants said none of Entwistle’s claims on appeal warranted a reversal of his convictions.

“The interests of justice do not require the entry of a verdict of a lesser degree of guilt on the murder convictions or a new trial,” he said.

Entwistle’s wife, Rachel, and daughter, Lillian, were found shot in the master bedroom of the family home in Hopkinton on 22nd Janurary 2006.

Entwistle was charged and extradited from Britain, where he had returned on 21st January

He was convicted in Middlesex Superior Court on two counts of first-degree murder.