Entwistle Murder Trial – Day 2

Entwistle is led into courtroom. Jury is seated.

Cross by Weinstein:

Lloyd Cooke on the stand again. He supplied police with a DNA swab and fingerprints
You own guns? Yes.
For recreational activity? Yes.
Have used guns for hunting? Yes.
Rifles? Yes.
You don’t use handguns for hunting? Correct.
How long have you been shooting? Since my 20’s.
So you’ve been shooting for over 30 years? And you’re only a fair shot? Yes.

Weinstein is going on about whether or not Cooke is a good shot and what makes a good shooter. He drones on about what makes a natural shooter. And, now goes into what makes a good basketball player.

The handguns you own, what are they? A 22 revolver, 38 special and a Beretta.

Joe Matarazzo had handguns? Yes.
What kind? A 357 and a 22 revolver.
Rachel was your niece? Yes.
So you followed her growing up? Yes.
Did you know her friends? No.
You knew she moved to England. Yes.
You knew she was dating Neil Entwistle? Yes.
You knew they moved in together? No, I don’t think I was told that?

You met Neil here in the United States? Yes.
You first met Neil when? I’m not sure.
You formed an opinion about Neil? Yes.
A nice guy? Yes.
A quiet guy? Yes.
Neil and Rachel had a loving relationship? Yes.
You went to the wedding? Yes.
You met some of their friends from England? I guess.
You met Neil’s parents at the wedding? Yes.
Nice people? Yes. Quiet and reserved? Yes.

You knew Rachel was pregnant? Yes
. You knew Rachel gave birth? Yes.
Neil and Rachel were happy to be parents? Yes.

You and Joe and Neil went to the gun club together in 2005? Yes, twice.
You used Joe’s guns? Yes.
You had to show Neil how to load the guns? Yes.
How to load the guns? Yes.

Next witness:
Michael Matterazzo on the stand now. This is Joe’s son. He is married and has 2 children. He works construction.

Do you know Joe Matterazzo? Yes he’s my father.
What is your relationship with Joe and your siblings? It’s great.
Did you meet Rachel? Yes.
When did you meet her? 15 years ago.
Describe the relationship you had with Rachel. It was great, it was like having another sister.

The relationship between Priscilla and Rachel? They were very close.
Did you meet Neil Entwistle? I think it was on a school break and Rachel came home. Did you met he more than one time? Yes.
What was your relationship with Neil? It was good.
Did you attend the wedding? Yes.
What part did Joe play in the wedding? He gave her away.

Did Rachel come home after she had the baby? Yes, she moved into my folks home. Did Rachel come home alone? No, she had Lilly.
Do you remember when Neil arrived? Not a specific date.
Did you spend time with Rachel and Neil and Lilly? Yes at my father’s house.
How often? Several times.
Did Rachel have any friends? Yes.
How often did Rachel spend time with friends? I’m not sure.
Did Rachel enjoy being a mother? Yes, she loved it.

On the day of the 20th, were you working? Yes, on a construction job.
When did you get home? Around 3.
Did you speak with Joe that day? Yes we made plans to go to the gun club on Saturday. On that Saturday did you go to the club? Yes.
Did you meet Joe? Yes and my brother Anthony.
Did you spend a period of time at the club? Yes, I left around 3.
Did you shoot that day? Yes.
What was the condition were the guns were in? They were in their cases and locked. How long did you spend at the range? We were there for a few hours and then went to lunch.
Where did you go after lunch? Back to the club.
Did you make or receive any calls? Yes, my wife called.
Did Joe receive any calls? Yes, from Priscilla.
What was Joe’s demeanor that day? He was funny, in a good mood.
After the call with Priscilla, what was his demeanor? He was concerned.
Did you speak with Joe that evening? Yes.
And how was Joe. He was very upset.

Did you speak to Joe on Sunday? Many times. When you saw Joe and Priscilla in the police station, how were they? They were very upset.
Did you see the Gately sisters? Yes, the were very upset.
You learned some news at the station? Yes.

Over the next week did you spend time with the family? A lot.
Did you attend the wake? Yes.
Was Neil there? No.
Were any of the friends from England there? No.
Did you meet with police and provide a statement? Yes and a DNA swab.

Cross by Weinstein:
You met Rachel 15 years ago? Yes.
Did you ever live in the same Plymouth household with Rachel, Joe and Priscilla? No. But your brothers did – off and on? Yes.
Did you ever socialize with Rachel and her friends? Yes.
How frequently? We went to a lot of the same events.
How many times did you go to your parents house? Yes, often.
And Rachel and her friends were there? Yes.
How often? A couple of times a week.
Was it the same friends who were there each time? Yes, mostly.
During the week, you’d pop by a couple of times a week for dinner and Rachel and her friends were there? Yes.
How many times on the weekends? I don’t have a number.
In January? 3. In February? 2.

Are these from memory or are you just filling in the blanks? Yes, I don’t have a specific number.
What friends where there in January? I don’t recall.
How many were there? I don’t recall. Who was there the first weekend in February? I don’t recall.
How many where there? I don’t recall.

Weinstein is starting to shake Michael up.

Did Rachel have a boyfriend in high school? Yes.
Did she have a boyfriend at Holy Cross? I don’t know.
Did you know her friends at Holy Cross? No.
Did you visit her at Holy Cross? Yes, once or twice.

When did Joe first show you his weapons? I was around 11.
When you were 11 do you know where he kept the guns? No.
How often did you go shooting when you were 11? Pretty often, I was on the gun team.

When your dad moved to Carver, did you know where the guns were? No.
Did you have a conversation about the gun locks? Yes.
Did you know where the keys to the locks were? Yes, on the counter.
How did you know that? Because I know what the key looks like.

How many bedrooms were on the 1st floor? One.
Who’s room was that? Rachel’s when she was home from college.
How many bedrooms upstairs? 2, my father’s and my brothers.

You were in the office at the home? Yes.
There was a computer up there? Yes a PC.
Did you know it was on dial-up? Yes.
There was a desk on a table with a drawer? Yes.

In the fall of ’95 Rachel and Lillian moved back from England? Yes.
You visited with Rachel and Lillian at Carver? Yes.
When? I don’t have a specific date.
When Neil came back, did you see Neil? Yes.
Was he different from when you first met him? No.
Rachel and Neil were a loving couple? Yes.
Neil loved and cared for Lilly? Yes.

Fabbri on re-direct:
The keys to the guns, describe where they were. On the right counter. He’d put his keys and wallet there.
Did you touch keys on counter? No
Prior to 2006, when was last time you went shooting with your father? About 15 or 16 years old.

Why can you remember seeing Rachel during Junior. year? He would go over to visit his brothers. It changed senior year because of a new job situation.

Witness: George Wilson - Controller for a construction company, 58 years old. He enjoys shooting sports. He's been a member of the shooting club for 33 years and is the lead instructor for the junior rifle program. He goes on to describe the program which is for youths ages 10 to 20.

Met Zachary, Anthony and Joe Matterazzo in Sept. 2005 - 2006. Zachary came every Saturday morning. Anthony came 5-6 weeks and decided to shoot skeet instead.
They would drop Zach off and go skeet shooting. He saw the three on a regular basis.

The junior program runs in the basement where there are no windows. Skeet shooting outside. There is an outdoor rifle range.

Have you observed others using their own or others' weapons? Yes.Are there other people at the club who handle weapons other than their own? Absolutely.

He describes the 7 stations in the shooting range. Can shoot prone, standing, kneeling. He observed Joe Matterazzo shooting. Long barreled 22 pistol (late fall 2005).

Sat., Jan. 21, 2005. He saw Joe, Mike, and Anthony at the club. They were in the indoor range. They came in 10:00 - 10:15. They spent a minute or two. He'd never met Michael before. He was at the club 9:30 to noon. Spent a minute or two with them.

They came to say Zachary wasn't coming and didn't see them do anything. Later in 2006 - he spoke to police officers. He provided a DNA swab.

No cross.
Next witness: Joseph Matterrazo - Husband of Priscilla. Married since 2001. Knows her 18 years. They have no children together. Her children are Rachel and Jerome. He met them when Rachel was 14 and Jerome 15 or 16. He came to her house one day and met them and took Priscilla for a walk on the beach. He started dating Priscilla about the time he met the children, about 15 years ago. Had known each other for 3 years before.

Relationship with children? Parent relationship. He started living with them in Plymouth about 8 months after beginning dating. They got married in 2001 and children lived with them until Jerome moved out to go to college in North Carolina. Rachel lived with them until she went to college at Holy Cross. They went to all her college events. Rachel spent her junior year in England as an exchange student. Rachel lived with them during the summers. Rachel and Priscilla had the closest relationship he ever knew. He tried to be a father to her since her father passed away when she was young.

Rachel had many friends. He names some of her closest friends from high school and college. She had foreign friends. She was very popular. After college she went back to England to get a teacher's certificate.

She taught there in St. Augustine's. She had many friends there.
Do you recall August, 2003? Who did she meet there? Neil.
He doesn't remember when he first met Neil. He never went to England.

Rachel and Neil had a very good relationship. When did they get married? "I'm bad with dates." He walked her down the aisle as father of the bride.

Rachel and Neil returned to England. She taught, and he worked for an electronics company.

Joe is an estimator for a construction company (John Ryan). He does electrical work. He saw Neil and Rachel when they returned on a couple of occasions.
He first met Lillian in August, 2005 when Rachel and she returned to the US. Rachel came with Lilly and Neil came in September, 2005.

Rachel and Lilly moved in with them in Carver and stayed in the first floor bedroom. Joe describes the layout of the house. Rachel and Neil were given access to the entire home.
Shown a set of keys: They are Rachel and Neil's keys to the Carver house.

Any buildings on the property? Barn and storage shed.
Garage is attached to house but you have to go outside to enter it. You access the office from the garage. It has 2 desks, table, fax machine, two computers. He used it for an electrical company he had.

Shown a photo of his fax machine, computer, one of the two desks. It is the office above the garage as it appeared fall 2005 - early 2006. Joe didn't use the computer, he's not very good on computers.

Other keys in house? Yes.
Spare set? Yes, in doghouse in the yard.
Looked for the spare key in 2006... keys not in doghouse.

Was defendant working in 2005? No.
Was he looking for work? Yes.
When did he start? November, 2005.What kind of work? Electronic, his field.
Did defendant have a computer? Yes. What kind? I don't know. Laptop.
He only saw Neil with the computer if he brought it down from the office (1-2 times)

Your work hours? 7 AM to 6 or 7 at night, Monday thru Friday. Sometimes on weekends. Spent evenings at home.

Weekends? Sportsman's club, working on his cars.
Observed defendant spending time in office? Yes.
When? After supper, on weekends. Doesn't know during time he was working and on weekends he was doing his own things.

He liked Neil a lot, he was one of the family. Neil had a great relationship with Rachel and Lilly.

Hobbies? Shooting and restoring cars, hot rods. Neil wasn't too interested in the cars. Objection (sustained).

He spent very little time with Neil observing the cars. He took Neil to occasional car shows.

Shooting? He's participated in it with his older children. When he divorced, he stored the guns away and didn't get back into the hobby until 2005 with his younger sons Anthony and Zachary.

They attended an open house at the gun club and then joined. The boys joined first, then he and Lloyd joined.
Joe is telling what type of guns he has.

Who did sport with you? Older sons, years ago. Zach, Anthony, and sometimes Michael. Joe gives the ages of his children. Anthony and Zach were about 12 and 14 at the time.

Priscilla and Rachel had no interest in guns, he never saw them touch the guns, never took them shooting. Kept the guns in Priscilla's clothes closet. They had trigger locks, one also had a strap. All guns were kept secure.

He kept a set of keys on the counter between the kitchen and dining room. No one else in the family used that corner. He had 3 sets of keys. The one on the counter had all the keys. He kept one set in the nightstand and 2 keys in his truck. He was unable to find the set in his bedroom. He first learned they were missing sometime in 2006.

Shown a photograph of a gun (rifle) case against the back wall of the bedroom, ammo box, and box he keeps pistols in. A couple of rifles in closet aren't in the picture. Points out black case he kept his pistols in as of Jan. 21, 2006 and before. Dark green container: stores ammunition. Long black container: shotgun

Fall, 2005: He went to the gun club twice with the defendant. Went the first time in October. Neil, Lloyd, possibly Anthony went. Brought all the guns, except the shotgun which he didn't have at the time. They spent 2-3 hours there. They shot all the guns. Neil shot them. He explained safety rules for them and showed him how to load them. He shot the 22 revolver and did quite well.

Sidebar: Fabbri is trying to include what Joe said to Neil about his shooting.

Neil did very well with it. He, Anthony, and Lloyd all shot the guns. Joe, Neil, Lloyd, went shooting. Zachary and Anthony were probably with the junior rifle group. They again brought all the guns, but he forgot the keys. They used Lloyd's guns. Everybody shot, including the defendant.

In Sept., 2005, Neil was not working. He was trying to start his own business, Embedded Technology.

Did he have a conversation with him about it? Yes.
Did he respond? Yes.
What did you say to him? He asked what Neil was developing. Neil showed him a connector that goes on the back of a computer and explained how it was going to work. "He lost me." He spoke about it further.

I asked if he was going to manufacture this item and put it on the market? He told Neil he would help him set up the business. Neil said he was pretty well all set.

Do you remember any conversations about income? Yes.
When? Several at dinnertime, random talking.
Did he ask about any income that the defendant have? Yes. He doesn't remember what Neil said.

What did Rachel say?

Sidebar Holy crap, just realized the Entwistle also goes up to the sidebars!

When in the fall of 2005 did this conversation take place? September, early. They usually discussed this about suppertime. Joe, Priscilla, Neil, and Rachel were there.
Rachel mentioned that Neil had a contract to develop something and was receiving $10,000 a month for it.

Job interviews? He went on a couple of job interviews. Doesn't know with whom.

Rachel and Joe started looking for a place to live. They found a place in Hopkinton and moved in January, 2006. He helped them move in. He borrowed one of the company trucks and he, Neil and Anthony loaded the truck and took it to Hopkinton.

Rachel went there in the BMW. Joe is shown photo of the BMW. Rachel and Neil used the car.

Prior to Jan. 6, 2006 had he been to the house on Cubs Path? No.
Who drove the truck? I did, Neil gave directions.
They unloaded the truck, drove back to Carver, loaded the truck again. 45 minute ride.

Took 495. Neil gave directions the second time also. After the second delivery, Neil stayed and gave him directions to get back to 495.

He went to a job site. He and Anthony went back to the Carver home.

Rachel, Neil, and Michelle and her boyfriend Michael were at the Cubs Path house. They came back later to the Carver house. Priscilla had watched Lillian all day.

He didn't go back over the next few days. Tuesday night, January 11 was the last night that the Entwistles’ stayed in Carver. He didn't see the family again. He may have spoken to Rachel once or twice, never spoke to Neil. He only made the 2 trips to the Hopkinton house, did not have keys to the house.

Jan. 20, 2006 - He left for work at about 6 AM. He went to his office in Rockland. Left the office about 9:00- 9:15. It's going a bit fast here, but Joe Matterazzo is essentially giving his alibi for the day. He goes into details about where he went, when he went, with whom he spoke, and what he did in each location.

Ritanita - Well, Joe Matterazzo certainly has his day covered! It went by way to fast to get the specifics, but one example is that he stopped at Burger King at about 12:57. He's a diabetic and has to watch his sugar.

He met with Priscilla in the lunchroom about 1:45. He went back to his office, stopped for gas. He worked on plans and estimating for the rest of the day. He met his boss and an estimator at a restaurant until 6:00 - 6:15. Stopped at Dick's sporting goods store and got home about 7:30. Priscilla was home. He and Priscilla were home all evening. Priscilla was fine, OK.

Next morning... He and Anthony met Michael at the gun club. Zachary was sick that day and didn't come. They shot the firearms. They said hello to George and went out on the gun range for about an hour. He brought the pistols, including the 22, the rifles and the shotgun. They went for lunch at the sub shop nearby.

He didn't speak with Rachel or the defendant during that day. He received a call from Priscilla at the gun club. They left about 3:00. Michael went home, he and Anthony went to the Carver home.

Priscilla wasn't home. Anthony wanted him to teach him how to clean the guns. They cleaned them in the family room downstairs. Anthony cleaned them with his instructions. Then, he locked the guns and put them in the bedroom. Priscilla and Terry -Theresa Pratt - came home around 4:00. They came downstairs and watched them clean the guns.

Sidebar - Fabbri is trying to elicit Priscilla's demeanor when she arrived home.

Did you spend the evening at the Carver home? Yes.

Who was there? Me, Priscilla, Anthony.Did you hear at all from Rachel Entwistle? No.
Neil Entwistle? No.

Jan. 22, 2006 (Sunday morning) Got up and ate breakfast. Joanna Gatley called Priscilla. They made a call to the Hopkinton Police Station. They spent time at home. They called Rachel's cell phone and house phone several times.

Back to Saturday evening. Did you receive a call? Yes, Joanna called.
Other calls? No

Back to Sunday - Joanna Gatley called and they called the police again. He called his friend Joe Flaherty. He's known him for 30 years. As a result of the conversation, they headed to Hopkinton. They dropped Anthony off at his mother's home in Pembroke. He stopped at his daughter Erika's house to drop off a key.

Headed to Rachel and Neil's house in Hopkinton. Priscilla drove her car. They arrived about noon. Joanna and her sister Maureen were there, outside in the driveway with the dog. Terry Pratt arrived and her boyfriend John and maybe someone else.

He and Priscilla stayed, Terry and John drove off. They stayed there for a little while and went to a sandwich shop for lunch. They received a call from Detective Manning. As a result, they went to the police station and met with one of the police officers. They spoke with him for a while.

He, Priscilla, Joanna, and her sister were there, along with Neil and Rachel's dog. The meeting lasted an hour maybe. Next, they filled out a missing persons report for Rachel, Neil and Lillian. They waited in the conference room and a little while later, the Chief of Police came in and informed him that a lady and a baby were found in the Hopkinton home. They learned nothing about Neil's whereabouts. Joanna's mother and father came. Michael came down to the station. They left the station about 1 AM and went home.

Monday, January 23 Received a call from Cliff Entwistle. It lasted about 10 minutes. Received another phone call. It was Neil Entwistle. The last time he'd heard from him was when he moved to Hopkinton. The conversation lasted about 15 min.

His voice was very shaky, whimpering type. He said, "Hi Joe, I don't know how things got like this." He said he'd left the Hopkinton home about 9AM and went to Staples. Tried to find a WalMart. Was gone about 2 hours. Said he'd fed Lillian her breakfast before leaving.

When he returned home, he walked around the house, went inside, called for Rachel, no answer, cleaned the main floor. Found "big mess" in bedroom, Rachel and Lillian shot, drove to Carver house but couldn't find key to get in. Went to the airport to get a ticket. He called his father to get a ticket. He never said he left the airport. He said he got a ticket and went home.

Joe asked why Neil cared that he had guns in the house? No answer.
Did you do this? Neil said no.
Did he ask to speak to Priscilla? No.
Anybody else? No.
Joe called Det. Manning.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Neil usually called between 9-10 in the morning. He spent time speaking to him. Neil said: Lot of publicity, news people at his father's house - Concerned people were pointing fingers at him - Joe told Neil to call Det. Manning - Mentioned Joe had guns twice, Joe asked why and Neil didn't answer. Neil repeated what he had done that morning.

Funeral arrangements: Tues. or Wed. he asked if Rachel and Lillian could be buried together. He said that's the way I left them, I found them.

Each call was 15 minutes or so. He was shaky and nervous, emotional. He never asked to speak to anybody else.

Joe called Neil Thursday about the funeral arrangements. He told Neil he needed his permission to make the arrangements. He told Neil what he needed to write to give the permission. He mentioned the pornographic stuff in the news was ridiculous. Neil agreed to fax the permission note. Neil faxed it right over.

Joe identifies Neil's fax. Joe brought it to the funeral director. Joe reads the fax out loud. After that, he didn't speak to the defendant again.

He spoke to police that week on the phone and at his house. He turned over all guns, ammunition, and computer.
In the course of days and he weeks turns over keys to gun locks, fingerprints, DNA swab.
Anthony, Zach, Lloyd, and Priscilla gave fingerprints and DNA swabs at the same time.

Funeral and wake: Defendant was not there.Back to gun club... October, November already mentioned. Also went every Saturday until murder.

Cross by Weinstein:Neil called you from England, he was crying and whimpering? No.
You couldn’t see him cry? No.
But there was no question he was upset? No.

What year was it that Rachel, Priscilla and Jerome start living together? I don’t recall. Your boys lived their mother? Yes.

But then you began to bring the boys to your home? Yes.

You began to blend the families? Yes.
You were here when I questioned Michael? Yes.
Did it accurately reflect Rachel’s life at the time? Yes.
Did you pay for her tuition at Holy Cross? No.
You helped with living expenses? Yes.
Rachel financed her tuition through loans? Yes.
And she carried those loans through her time in England and through her marriage? Yes.
Does the amount of $18k sound right? Yes.

The room that Rachel was was small? Not that small.
Your bedroom was above? Yes.
You could hear conversations? No.
You could hear dogs barking? Yes.
You could hear the baby crying? Faintly.

You drove a truck. Yes. Priscilla drove a Dodge? Yes.
Priscilla paid for it herself? No, I believe we took out an equity loan.
How long did you pay that loan? I don’t know – we refinanced.

Weinstein is going on and on about the cars, how much they cost and how many miles.

Prior to August 2005, it was you and Priscilla and the dog? Yes.

Then it was you, Priscilla, Rachel, Lillian and 2 dogs. So 4 adults, a baby and two dogs? Yes.
So the household dynamics certainly changed? Yes.
Then the people got along, but not the dogs? Not the dogs.

You went through earlier what your day was on the 20th? Yes.

And you know the police went out to verify if your alibi? Yes.

The fall of 2005. Rachel and Lillian had returned from England. Yes.

Lillian was basically caring for Lillian? Yes.

Rachel had no car? No.

So if you took your car and Priscilla took hers to work, Rachel had no vehicle. Correct.

The family dinner usually happen when you got home from work? Yes.

And when Neil came here to live that practice continued? Yes.

Now, the computer, it was a dial-up service? What?

Did you have a wire that plug to the phone and to the computer? Oh yes.

You saw Rachel and Neil in the office together? Not all the time.

But, you did see them in the office together? Yes.

Rachel wanted a car of her own? Yes.

Rachel had her own car while in England? Yes.

And that was a BMW? Yes.

You were aware that Rachel and Neil were looking for a car? Yes we discussed it at dinner. Yes.

Neil and Rachel found a BMW on the Internet? Yes.

The found a fairly new one where Rachel could take over the lease payments on one? Yes.

At the dinner table, Rachel asked for help from her mother? Yes.

She asked you for help? Yes.

Both of you turned her down? Yes.

You didn’t help her because you thought you would need a new vehicle? Yes.

And you needed Priscilla to sign your loan? Yes.

In fact you had a bankruptcy? A long time ago.

Rachel was upset that you wouldn’t co-sign the lease? She understood.

But she was upset? No, she wasn’t happy. But accepted the fact.

Fabrri on re-direct.

You didn’t co-sign the lease? No we had a small store and it didn’t work out and we had to refinance the house so we had maxed out our credit.

Weinstein re-cross

Regardless that you explained to Rachel why you wouldn’t co-sign, she was still unhappy.

Rachel really wanted to be driving a BMW, the ultimate driving machine? To Rachel, yes.

Next witness:

Dawn Campbell is a bookkeeper. She worked at John Ryan. She knew Joe. She Saw Joe at work on the 20th and his demeanor was fine.

Next witness: Nancy Huntley, bookkeeper at Vern. Her company does work with John Ryan.

She knew Joe and she was the one who gave him the drawings on the 20th.

He was fine that day.

No cross.

Next witness:
Joseph Morrissey, an electrician. He saw on the job on January 20th. They spent an hour together talking about the job.

Cross

Did you speak with police about this case? Yes.

No further questions.

Next witness:

Edward Flagg another electrician. Worked for John Ryan. He knows Joe and saw him at the job site. Joe was there for an hour.

He didn’t see him later that day. His demeanor was fine.

No cross.

So everyone has confirmed Joe’s whereabouts.

Next witness: Maureen Renaud she is a toll collector. She knows Priscilla because her mother-in-law is Priscilla’s sister.

She met Rachel in and saw her at family functions.

She met Neil in 2003. She says Neil and Rachel seemed like a happy couple.

Did you know Rachel was going to move back to the States? Yes.

In 2005 Rachel and Lillian moved here? Yes.

She and Rachel spent time once a week in 2005. They belonged to a baby group. It was a parenting group.

She and Rachel would get together with the kids at Rachel’s about every week.

Was Rachel happy to be here in the States and being a mother? Yes, very much so.

Maureen co-signed Rachel’s car lease.

January 8th or 9th was the last time she saw Rachel when they got the kids together.

Cross by Page:

You knew Rachel because you married her cousin Peter? Yes.

You would see her at family functions? Yes.

You and Rachel had young babies in common? Yes.

Were you aware that Rachel was involved with a baby group in the UK? No, I wasn’t.

It was a support group? Not per se, but it was supportive in talking with other parents.

Lillian had a problem with reflux? Yes.

When Rachel came back had you seen Rachel before Neil came back? Yes.

Rachel didn’t have a car at the time? No.

Neil was a quiet and reserved? Yes.

At one time you described Neil as boring? Yes.

Rachel never complained about money to you? Yes.

Both Rachel and Neil both had good jobs in England? Yes, that’s what I heard.

When she approached you to co-sign the lease she told you her parents wouldn’t so-sign? They couldn’t.

You were you concerned about her finances? No.

Damn, the tape keeps looping...you got coverage Rn? Now yes, but I missed a lot. Thanks to CNN for dropping the feed several times! Sheesh!

Next witness: Michelle Vigneaux, a close friend of Rachel from high school.

They reconnected when Rachel became pregnant. She sent a message to her. She learned Rachel was pregnant late fall, 2005. They began to e-mail once or twice a week.

When they came back for a baby shower, she had a chance to meet Neil.

She saw Rachel when she moved back to Mass. in August.

She came back with Lillian and Neil joined them in September.

Their families lived close together and she'd see her when see went to visit her relatives.

They spoke on the phone and e-mailed occasionally. They saw each other Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, whenever they could.

She was happy to have Lillian, was happy to be in the US. Rachel and Neil had a "typical" relationship. They had playful nicknames for each other, were concerned about Lillian...

Emergency lights go on, building evacuated. Shades of Jensen!

Ritanita - Well, while we're waiting, I'll comment a bit. While the defense isn't exactly trashing Rachel, they are painting her as a person who was in debt, liked "flashy" cars. Notice how many times Weinstein mentioned the student load debt and how many questions he asked about her wanting the BMW. In my report, I think I even missed a couple of them. Neil, on the other hand, is being portrayed as the quiet, reserved "outsider" in the US. I say...horse feathers! The defense is also pushing a, "Joe could have done it" theory. I don't think the defense has much going for it for all of Weinstein's pre-trial trash talk.


Ok, folks allowed back in the building...just a faulty alarm!Fabbri continues with the witness.

January, 2006 - She and her husband came to help them move on Jan. 7. Joe, Anthony, Joanna were there, unloading the moving truck. She spent about three hours at the home to help unpack. Rachel was very happy to be moving.

She spoke to on Thursday, Jan. 18 or 19 for about 30-40 minutes that evening. Rachel's demeanor was good, fine.

She did not see or speak to her after that.

Cross: Page

You were very close friends with Rachel all you life? Yes.

Lost touch after high school? Yes.

Saw each other on breaks from college. Yes.

Kept in touch by e-mail. Yes.

They visited each others houses.

Kept up e-mail contact when Rachel went to England? Yes.

Saw her when Rachel came home to visit? Yes.

Rachel had other friends from high school, you got together with Rachel and baby? Yes... at another house.

Rachel had good job in England? Yes.

Neil? Yes.

Own car? BMW? Yes.

Rachel liked to socialize? Yes.

She liked to have dinner parties? Yes.

Celebrate with friends? Yes.

When Neil came over, Rachel was happy to see him? Yes.

And he was happy to see her and Lillian? Yes.

She didn't have a car? Yes.

You dropped over her house? Yes.

Rachel's mother was there? No.

They wanted to get a house of their own? It was something they wanted to do eventually, not necessarily right now.

They had relocated here to start a new life? It was a positive thing? Yes/

They left behind a lot of positive things in England? Don't know.

It was hard for them to have private time in the Carver house? She did mention it was busy.

It was difficult to make love (due to lack of privacy)? She said it was different.

She felt like she wanted to get back in shape? Yes we spoke about going running.

She went to parenting class? Yes.

She wanted to continue when she moved? Yes.

Neil wanted to go with her? Don't know.

Neil was quiet and reserved? Yes.

You spoke with the police a number of times after January 20? Yes.

Asked if she knew of anyone who would want to harm Rachel or Lillian in Feb.? Yes.

She never complained about the relationship or money? No.

They were always smiling at each other and with the baby? Yes.

They were in love? Yes.

Witness steps down.

Sidebar...

The Judge explains that they finished today's testimony early and adjourns the court 20 minutes early.

A huge thank-you to ritanita for all her help!