BOSTON -- Neil Entwistle's wife and 9-month-old baby were found dead under a comforter in a bedroom of a Hopkinton home that had a "strong odor," a Hopkinton police officer testified Thursday.

Hopkinton Police Department Sgt. Michael Sutton said that he was working as an evening shift supervisor on the night of Jan. 21, 2006. He testified that he was dispatched to the Entwistle home at 6 Cubs Path at about 8:30 p.m.

Prosecutors have argued that Neil Entwistle, 29, shot and killed his wife Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian, in January 2006 in the home because he faced heavy debt and was unhappy with his sex life.

Sutton said that when he and another officer arrived at the property, Rachel Entwistle's friend, Joanna Gately, was outside the home. Gately said that she went to the home to meet the couple for dinner, but became concerned when no one answered the door.

"We decided to gain entry to the house to check on the residents," he said. "I decided that the easiest door to try to get into would be the front door. Using a plastic laminated card, we were able to slip the lock."

Sutton said that there were a number of lights on inside the home and a dog was barking, but that the residents did not appear to be home.

"Nothing looked suspicious," Sutton said. "The kitchen had dishes and food was out as if someone had finished a meal and hadn't cleaned up yet."

Sutton testified that he went up to the second floor of the home and searched the rooms, including the master bedroom, but that he did not see anything out of the ordinary.

"There was a large bed in the center of the room, and it looked as if all of the bedding had been piled up in the center of the bed," Sutton said.

Rachel Entwistle's mother, Patricia Materazzo, met officers outside the home. They went to the police station, and after talking to the family, obtained a search warrant to re-enter the property on the following day, Jan 22. 2006.

After noticing an "odor in the basement," officers went up to the master bedroom where they saw a woman's watch on the floor near the bed.

"I lifted the corner of the comforter, and I observed what appeared to be a foot," Sutton said. "We made our way to the opposite corner of the bed. I then lifted the comforter at that corner. I first observed a small baby's face. I was looking down at the top of the head -- the forehead, eyes and nose. I looked to the right of the baby's face and saw a woman's face."

Defense attorneys have argued that Neil Entwistle was grief-stricken after finding his wife and baby dead and went to England to be consoled by his parents.

On Tuesday, a number of witnesses testified about Neil Entwistle's flight to England, including Carol Cox, a customer service supervisor for British Airways.

Cox said that Neil Entwistle approached her on the morning of Jan. 21, 2006, to purchase a flight to London. She said that he bought a ticket at boarded an 8:20 a.m. flight to Heathrow Airport.