A British man accused of murdering his American wife and baby was sent to a psychiatric hospital after prison guards found a letter to his parents reportedly saying it could be his last and giving instructions for his burial, US police said today.

A British man accused of killing his wife and infant daughter lost two legal challenges this week when a judge ruled he must submit to a DNA test and denied a defence motion to dismiss the murder indictment against him.

British man Neil Entwistle is due to appear in a US court today accused of murdering his American wife and baby.