What happened to Entwistle's hearing?

For anyone who was wondering why I did not post anything about Neil Entwistle's hearing that was supposed to be on Friday, the reason is that I have not seen anything about the hearing in any news media - on the Internet, on TV, or in newspapers! I have no idea why, but I'm guessing it was postponed for some reason. Each of his hearings has been shown live by either CBS or Court TV, and there have always been several Internet articles, so I find it highly unlikely that the hearing took place and received no media coverage. Even if it was postponed, I would expect to see at least one article telling me that it was postponed. I guess the news media just need to get their priorities straight!

Justin Barber's jailhouse interview

Convicted murderer Justin Barber has given an interview from jail to Jean Casarez, a reporter for CNN and Court TV. He was the focus of tonight's Nancy Grace episode - you can read a transcript of it here. I can't believe Nancy decided to hold the judge in contempt for sentencing Justin to life in prison instead of death. The jury voted in favor of death by just an 8 to 4 majority, so although the judge did overrule their recommendation, I think Nancy's "ruling" was a bit excessive.

Also, while you're at the CNN web site, go to Nancy Grace's home page and vote in the nifty new poll, which happens to be about Scott Peterson!

Neil's parents say he's innocent

Neil Entwistle's mother Yvonne spoke to the Guardian this week, proclaiming her belief in her son's innocence:

"Our Neil is innocent, totally 100 per cent innocent. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day, we think of Neil, Rachel and little Lillian. And if it wasn't for family and friends, especially friends who are remarkable people, we would not be able to face each day."

Read the full story at Worksop Today.

Edit: Although the Boston Globe is reporting that Neil's next hearing is Friday January 26th, the above article says the hearing will be Tuesday the 23rd. I'm not sure who's right, so I will be watching for him on Tuesday just in case.

Happy birthday, R.E. Lee!

Peterson will wait until 2011

Scott Peterson's appeals will most likely begin around 2011! Although it seems like a long time to wait, this is actually relatively soon for appeals to begin for a death-row inmate in California. It usually takes a judge about four years to appoint an appeals lawyer, but because Scott and his family have already hired two high-profile attorneys (who also represented the Menendez brothers), he has cut in the line a bit. Until 2011, court officers will examine and officially certify all the documents from Peterson's trial. See the Modesto Bee for the full story.

Also, some of the jurors in the Peterson case were on Greta Van Susteren Monday to promote their new book, We The Jury. Unfortunately, I didn't know about it ahead of time, and missed it. But you can read a transcript and see some interesting excerpts from it here and here.

Whose DNA is it?

Today has certainly been an Entwistle-ful day! Neil has returned to the Middlesex Jail, and the results of the prosecution's DNA testing have now been revealed. Not surprisingly, most of the DNA found on the alleged murder weapon, a .22 caliber pistol, belongs to Neil. Surprisingly, though, there is a small amount of DNA that doesn't belong to Entwistle - and the prosecutors have no idea whose it is! The DNA doesn't belong to Neil's wife, Rachel, his baby, Lillian, or Rachel's stepfather who owned the gun and used it for target practice. Nor does it belong to any member of the stepfather's household. This is the first major stumbling block the prosecution has hit, and I imagine the jury will have trouble convicting Entwistle unless this mystery is solved.

Thanks to the Boston Herald for this info.

Neil is not suicidal

Bridgewater State Hospital finished their evaluation of accused murderer Neil Entwistle sooner than expected. Yesterday the hospital decided Entwistle was not suicidal, as was suspected, and he was returned to the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge. Instead of living in a cell in the jail's infirmary like he did before, Neil will now be held under even higher security - there will be an officer outside his cell to watch him 24 hours a day. His next court appearance is still scheduled for January 26th.

Peterson's fishing boat causes appeal issues

Scott Peterson's fishing boat, which was entered as evidence during his trial, has been moved from one courthouse to another without his lawyers' consent, potentially strengthening his chance of getting his conviction overturned on appeal. San Mateo County, where Peterson's trial was held, gave the boat back to Stanislaus County, where he allegedly murdered his wife (but where it was ruled he would be unable to receive a fair trial). Because Scott's lawyers did not get to argue about the boat's move beforehand, this gives them another nitpicky point to bring up when the appeals begin.

Also in Peterson news, Scott's ex-girlfriend, Amber Frey, has given a radio interview to ABC 30, a California news outlet, in which she gives relationship advice and talks about her new marriage.

Finally, for anyone who missed it, Scott's old house has been sold again, this time to a couple who wants to keep their identity a secret. Check out KTVU for more on this story, as well as numerous older Peterson articles, pictures, and more.

Who is Eben Howard?

Thanks to the Boston Herald, new details have emerged about Eben Sewall Howard, the man who tried to attack Neil Entwistle on December 20 in the Middlesex Jail. Howard is 33 years old and suffers from schizophrenia. Like Entwistle, he is on trial for murder and was being housed in the jail's medical wing so that he would be isolated from other inmates. Allegedly, Howard killed his ex-wife's boyfriend and, while out on bail, assaulted a black hospital worker while yelling racial epithets. His father, Rick, explained his erratic behavior: "He's unfortunately suffering from schizophrenia, which may have had something to do with him lunging at Mr. Entwistle."

Now Howard is in Bridgewater State Hospital with Entwistle. He was sent there immediately after the attempted attack and is now on medication. "He's certainly better,'' said his father, "I talked to him today, as a matter of fact.''

Neil, meanwhile, will stay at Bridgewater for thirty days in total (he's been there for about half that time so far). Then the psychologists who are now evaluating him will tell the court whether he can return to jail or whether he must stay at the hospital. According to the Boston Globe, Neil's next hearing has been moved to January 26, probably to give him a few days to adjust to whatever the psychologists decide. It seems like he will, indeed, attend this hearing, which is good news.

I am looking forward to the psychologists' verdict. Neil's mind and personality seem quite similar to those of other notable wife-killers, such as Scott Peterson, Justin Barber, Christian Longo, and Charles Stuart. As far as I know, none of these guys have ever been psychologically evaluated, so whatever the shrinks decide about Neil will shed some light on the others as well.

The circumstances of Howard's attack are also interesting. I wonder if he knew about Neil's crimes and tried to assault him out of rage, or if the attack was merely a result of Howard's schizophrenic delusions. Most inmates hate baby killers and are eager to punish them for their crimes, so it's quite a coincidence that the first guy to attack Entwistle was most likely insane and possibly didn't even know who Neil was.

Goodbye Harriet

Sadly, Harriet Miers has resigned her position as a legal counsel to President Bush. Miers is a courageous, hardworking woman, a true conservative, and one of the relatively few unmarried famous politicians in the world. She has always been among my favorite politicians, and I wish her well in her future endeavors!

Neil's suicide letter

Poor Neil Entwistle has expressed suicidal thoughts in a letter to his parents. In a letter discovered in his cell on Dec. 20th, two days after he learned that he would not be allowed to await his trial in England, Entwistle wrote:

"This may be my last letter. I have nothing to look forward to.''

He also wrote that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread over the graves of his wife and baby. Neil is now at Bridgewater State Hospital, where psychiatrists are evaluating him. Middlesex Sheriff James DiPaola described Neil's letter this way:

"There were some key words that caught the attention of the officers. It included burial instructions. It wasn't, per se, 'I'm going to hang myself, I'm going to harm myself.' It was more of a conversation about he being depressed.''

It was also learned that an inmate named Eben Howard tried to attack Neil shortly before guards discovered the letter. He's certainly had a rough holiday season. Although Mr. Entwistle may be a murderer, I can't help but feel bad for the guy. Neil has two more hearings scheduled: one for January 21 and one for April 23. I'm not sure if he will appear at either of them, but I will post again as soon as I know.

Gay marriage is going down!

Democracy lives! The Massachusetts legislature has finally decided to listen to the voice of the people and advance a ballot question on gay marriage. Now an opportunity to ban gay marriage has a chance of going before the people. See the full story at the Herald.