by Seamus McGraw

Neil Entwistle

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LONDON (Crime Library) — Neil Entwistle, the financially troubled hi-tech entrepreneur who fled to England after the slaying of his wife and infant daughter has agreed to waive extradition and return voluntarily to Massachusetts to face charges that he murdered them.

At a brief court appearance Friday in London, Entwistle stunned observers by waiving his right to battle extradition to the United States. Pundits, who have been closely watching the case, had expected the 27-year-old Briton, who has been hiding out at his parents' home in rural Worksop since arriving in England last month, to dig in his heels and wage a potentially lengthy extradition fight. Though the extradition process between the United States and Great Britain has been streamlined since the two nations joined forces to fight international terrorism after Sept. 11, it could still have taken months perhaps up to a year before Entwistle would have been ordered back to the U.S. Extradition would only have possible because Massachusetts does not have the death penalty. British law prohibits the extradition of prisoners that are likely to face execution.

Entwistle Family

But Entwistle rendered all that moot Friday when, in a measured voice, he told the judge that he was ready to return to Massachusetts where a warrant was issued for his arrest earlier this week charging him with first-degree murder in the slayings of Rachel Entwistle, his young wife, and the couple's 9-month-old daughter, Lillian, on Jan. 20.

Judith Seddon, one of the lawyers representing Entwistle, told The Associated Press Friday that Entwistle had been planning to waive extradition all along.

"He wants to cooperate with the authorities in any way that he can, and he is anxious that the delay may cause his late wife's family and his own additional distress," Seddon told the news agency. "He believes that he will receive a fair and proper hearing in the USA of these very serious allegations."

Asked by a reporter whether Entwistle denied the allegations, Seddon did not comment.

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