Forensics and finances

There were no tears in the courtroom today as prosecutors continued to present forensic evidence in the trial of Neil Entwistle. State Police Chemist John Soares continued his testimony about the gruesome crime scene. He testified yesterday that the bodies of Entwistle's wife Rachel and baby Lillian were huddled in bed in their Hopkinton home, killed by what appeared to be gunshot wounds and covered by layers of bedding. He also said that there were about four reddish-brown stains on the walls of the master bedroom, all but one of which tested positive for blood. Today Soares talked about forensic tests he did on Entwistle's car, which was found in Logan Airport. Soares swabbed water bottles and coffee cups in the car for DNA and tested the steering wheel and car keys for gunshot residue. He was also given custody of 13 knives found in Entwistle's house, including one found on the kitchen counter. Also during Soares's testimony the jury (but not Neil or anyone in the gallery) viewed photos of Rachel's and Lillian's bodies.

On cross examination, Elliot Weinstein criticized Soares for failing to be open-minded and thorough enought in his investigation. "You wouldn't begin an investigation wanting the evidence to funnel in one direction, would you?" Weinstein asked. Soares replied that he would not. He admitted that he did not know how many people were in the Entwistle home before him and if anyone had moved anything. Additionally, Weinstein pointed out that Soares and others who processed the crime scene did not test anything in the walk-in closet or bathroom except for a towel, did not test anything in the house for occult (invisible) blood, and tested only the steering wheel of the car for gunshot residue. Soares also admitted that he thoroughly tested Neil's car for occult and visible blood, including the driver's side door, steering wheel, and seat positioning levers, but didn't find any.

The next witness of the day was Jeremy Roybal, a fraud investigator with eBay. For the first time in the trial, Assistant D.A. Daniel Bennett, who is working with Michael Fabbri, conducted a direct examination. Roybal's testimony consisted mainly of records on Neil's various PayPal accounts and one under Rachel's name, all created with different mailing addresses and e-mail addresses. He also listed numerous transactions associated with the accounts as information about the transactions was displayed in a spreadsheet on a monitor. Entwistle had received many complaints from buyers in late December 2005 and January 2006 because he had failed to deliver products. On January 20 and 21, PayPal made automatic refunds to these buyers because they were unable to contact the seller.

Next Chemist Deanna Dygan, who processed the crime scene with Soares, described the forensic tests she performed. She collected sheets and pillowcases, a hair found on the bed, and later the clothing that Rachel and Lillian were wearing when they died. The clothing was entered into evidence today, but because it was stored in bags it was not visible to spectators. Additionally, Dygan performed a lead test on a hole found in Lillian's pajamas to see if it was made by a bullet, collected swabs from the bedroom, and tested the pillow that was found under Rachel's and Lillian's heads. Photos of the pillow, which was stained with blood, were displayed on a monitor visible to everyone in the courtroom. Dygan testified that the pillow had high-impact blood spatter and tested positive for vaporous and particulate gunshot residue. According to her, vaporous gunshot residue does not travel farther than 18 inches, so whoever shot Rachel and Lillian must have done so from very close range. Dygan will continue her testimony on Monday.