Hopkinton, Mass. ? A British man accused of killing his wife and infant daughter in their Massachusetts home and then fleeing the country pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder.

Neil Entwistle, 27, is charged with two counts of murder and firearms charges in the Jan. 20 slayings of his wife, Rachel, 27, and their daughter, Lillian Rose, who would have turned 1 on Sunday.

Prosecutors allege he shot them in their $2,700-a-month rented home in Hopkinton, a suburb of Boston, after racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debts and becoming dissatisfied with his sex life.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for May 23. Superior Court Judge Peter Lauriat set a goal of starting the trial by April 2007.