Google Searches Lead to One Conviction, One Arrest

CNN/crime nailed one Google search crime story but missed the other. CNN caught the man who murdered his wife and daughter but missed the sex offender practicing medicine in Florida.

Neil Entwistle, the British husband and father who did a Google search on “how to kill with a knife” four days before the slayings of his wife and daughter, was convicted today. The jury found him guilty of two first-degree murder charges, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

The story CNN/crime missed was in Florida where a Google search by a patient uncovered that a doctor practicing medicine lost his license.

On Tuesday, a man accused of practicing medicine without a license was arrested after a South Florida woman who sought treatment from him discovered he was a registered sex offender during a Google search of his name, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Reginald Phillips was arrested on a charge of practicing medicine without a medical license.

Carol LaGraves was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis at the Center for Rheumatology, Immunology and Arthritis in Oakland Park since last year. Her doctor recommended she receive an intravenous medication to treat arthritis from Phillips. He agreed to perform the procedure late last month and spoke to LaGraves on the telephone.

But days before the planned treatment, LaGraves conducted a Google search of Phillips and found a link to the Florida Department of Health’s Web site, which revealed that his license had been revoked. He also appeared as a registered sex offender.

Phillips was arrested in 1995 and convicted of sexually molesting two men who sought medical care from him when he worked as a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic. He spent more than seven years in state prison.

When LaGraves and her husband met with Phillips on the day of their appointment and recognized him from his mug shot, they canceled the procedure and contacted the sheriff’s office.