NEIL Entwistle who is serving a life sentence for murdering his Redditch teacher wife and nine-month-old daughter is now blaming his dead spouse for the crime.

The IT worker killed his wife Rachel and child Lilian at their family home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts but wrote a letter to her parents claiming she shot dead their baby before turning the gun on herself.

The 40-year-old, who emigrated to the US before committing the murders in 2006, said, however, he harbours no ill feelings towards his deceased wife, who taught drama at St Augustine's High School in Redditch.

He wrote the letter several years ago to Rachel’s parents Priscilla and Joe Matarazzo, from Old Colony Correctional Centre in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, though authorities reportedly would not let him send it to them.

It was instead sent to his dad, Cliff, 62, a Labour councillor from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, who believes his son is innocent, and emerged this week.

As seen by The Mirror, the letter begins: “The following words have been written with love and compassion, they are words of regret and remorse.”

Entwistle goes on to claim his silence on the matter was done to “protect Rachel’s memory and save you from any hurt”.

He writes: “I did not kill Rachel and Lilly but I do carry the guilt and in no way blame Rachel. And this is where it is difficult for me to share openly.”

He describes how his wife “could do no wrong in my eyes” and says he prays “daily” for his parents-in-law “to receive the comfort we both need”.

Entwistle describes Rachel as “depressed” when she supposedly carried out the murders.

In reality, Entwistle took the gun from his father-in-law’s home without his knowledge, and, after committing the murders, fled the scene without calling 911 and bought a one-way ticket to the UK.

However, he failed to clean the weapon which he’d taken back to the Matarazzo home and Rachel’s DNA was found by police on the barrel and his on the grip.

Entwistle was arrested in London two weeks after the murders and following a trial in 2008, was found guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The family had previously lived in Swan Drive, Droitwich.

In 2012, Entwistle failed to get a re-trial on the grounds evidence was got during unwarranted searches.