Neil Entwistle due in court

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

The 27-year-old will be arraigned at Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A grand jury decided a fortnight ago that he should face two charges of murder, and one each of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

The hearing, scheduled for 9am local time, is likely to be brief, according to a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.

Entwistle will be brought before Judge Peter Lauriat for his first appearance at superior court.

In February he was arraigned at district court in Framingham, where he entered not guilty pleas to the murders.

The charges were then passed to a grand jury panel to decide whether there was a case to answer.

Today’s court appearance is the next step in US legal procedure.

The unemployed IT worker is in custody in Middlesex County Jail, which is in the same high-rise building as the courthouse.

Entwistle is accused of shooting his wife Rachel and nine-month-old daughter Lillian dead at their home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, in January before fleeing to Britain.

According to court papers, prosecutors believe Entwistle ran up debts of tens of thousands of dollars before the murders.

He also allegedly searched the internet for information on how to kill people and oneself days before his wife and daughter were shot.

Entwistle has apparently told police that he panicked and fled the US for his parents’ house in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, after finding the bodies.

He was later arrested in London and agreed to be extradited back to the States.

Rachel’s American mother Priscilla and stepfather Joseph Matterazzo have accused him of an “unbearable” betrayal.