Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:09, 30 April 2009

Philip Haynes Markoff (born February 12, 1986) is an American medical student accused of the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman, an erotic massuese, in Boston, Massachusetts. He also is suspected of involvement in two other robberies that occurred in April 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts and Warwick, Rhode Island. The media have referred to Brisman's murderer as the "Craigslist Killer" because he is alleged to have met his victims through ads on Craigslist, though the term "Craigslist killer" has also been used in reports about other unrelated attacks elsewhere in the United States. All three of the alleged victims had placed sex ads on Craigslist. Markoff has maintained his innocence to all charges and plead not guilty at his arraignment in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, Massachusetts on April 21, 2009.

Biography

Markoff is originally from Sherrill, New York. His mother, Susan Haynes, works at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, and his father, Richard Markoff, is a dentist in Syracuse, New York. He graduated from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in 2004, where he was an honors student. He went on to SUNY Albany, where he was pre-med, graduating in 2007. At the time of his arrest he was 23 years old and a second year student at Boston University School of Medicine; the school suspended him following the charges. He is engaged to be married to another medical school student. Markoff's childhood neighbors and former teachers expressed surprise at the charges due to Markoff's good character and his fiancee stated her belief in his innocence.

Attacks

Markoff is suspected in three robberies — one of which resulted in Brisman's murder — that took place in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The robberies were against three women, closely spaced in time and exhibiting strong similarities to each other. Law enforcement officials suspect that they were committed by the same individual. None of the victims were sexually assaulted.

1. The first incident took place on Friday, April 10, 2009, at the Westin Copley Place Hotel, in Boston, Massachusetts, in which a paid escort was bound and robbed at gunpoint.
2. The next incident occurred on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, at the Copley Marriott, also in Boston, and resulted in the death of Julissa Brisman, an exotic masseuse.
3. The third incident occurred on Thursday, April 16, 2009, at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, Rhode Island, resulting in the attempted robbery of an exotic dancer offering lap dance services.

NBC News reported that one transsexual has claimed that Markoff allegedly used an email address including the term "sexaddict" to send explicit emails and photos. The identity of the person making the claim has not been disclosed.

Arrest

On April 20, 2009, citing security camera footage and Internet-based evidence, police arrested Markoff, who was living in the High Point apartments in Quincy, Massachusetts, and charged him with armed robbery and kidnapping for the events of April 10, and murder in the death of Brisman on April 14. The arrest took place on Interstate 95 in Walpole, Massachusetts, while Markoff and his fiancée were en route to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. He had over $1,000 cash on him at the time of his arrest. Markoff has been referred to as "the Craigslist Killer" in the media. Boston investigators suspect that Markoff may have preyed on erotic services providers to pay off debts due to a gambling problem.

On April 21, Markoff was arraigned on murder and gun charges brought by the Suffolk County DA in Brisman's slaying. At his arraignment, Markoff maintained his innocence and plead not guilty to all charges. He is being held without bail on a murder charge, although separate bonds were set on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from the incident involving a second woman.

Defense Team

Markoff is represented in the case by Harvard Law Professor John Salsberg. Professor Salsberg is a well respected lawyer known in the Boston area for his advocacy for the rights of the indigent and the unjustly accused. Professor Salsberg has stated that Markoff is innocent. Attorney Salsberg directs the Suffolk Lawyers for Justice Project. Attorney Salsberg recently won an acquittal for a man accused in another high profile murder case in the Boston area.

Suicide attempts

On April 23, jail officials found "shoelace marks" around Markoff’s neck and subsequently placed him under 24-hour suicide watch. For a few days, he was in the psychiatric unit of Nashua Street jail, where he is monitored around-the-clock after he attempted to strangle himself with shoelaces and tried to slice his wrists with a spoon he sharpened to a point using concrete in his cell, a law enforcement source said. Jail sources said that he had been outfitted with a special restraint suit for a few days. He is presently no longer on suicide watch.

Overheard

The Boston Herald, CBS News, and ABC News reported based on an anonymous source that Markoff was overheard to say to his family members during a jailhouse visit that they should forget about him and move to California because more information would be coming out.

Family and Friends Maintain Markoff's Innocence

Markoff's friends have formed a group and set up a Facebook webpage entitled "Philip Markoff Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty." The on-line group now has hundreds of members. His fiancee has issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence and, along with his family and friends, continues to stand by him,. It was announced on April 30, 2009, that the wedding planned for August of 2009 was called off, but they remained engaged.

Evidence

• Fingerprints allegedly belonging to Markoff were found in the hallway of the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, Rhode Island, where a stripper offering lap-dance services has claimed that a client she met through Craigslist attempted to rob her. Markoff also allegedly sent text messages from the hotel. It has been reported that the victim in the Rhode Island robbery is reluctant to cooperate as a witness in the Markoff case.

• A semi-automatic weapon that police suspect may have been used to kill Brisman allegdly was found hidden in a hollowed-out copy of the textbook Gray's Anatomy under Markoff's bed. Some woman's underpants were also found under the bed that Markoff shared with his fiance. Police investigators speculate that Markoff kept the panties as "souvenirs" from the crimes. It is not known how the police determined who the underwear belonged to before they made their announcement that the panties were linked to any crimes. ABC News further reported that along with the weapon and panties police found duct tape and approximately 60 plastic flex-cuff restraints.

• Police investigators report that ballistics tests have made a preliminary match between the gun recovered at Markoff's residence and the bullets that killed Julissa Brisman. The gun found inside Markoff's apartment is a forensic match to casings on bullets used to shoot and kill Brisman, ABC News has reported.

• Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said an email account used by the likely killer had been opened on April 13, the day before Julissa Brisman was killed at the Marriott Copley Hotel. Police traced the ISP number linked to the email to Brisman and tracked that to Markoff's high-rise apartment complex in Quincy. The ISP number is for the High Point Apartment Complex--which has hundreds of residents--and not for Markoff's specific apartment.

• Officials told The Boston Globe that fingerprints found on the plastic restraints and duct tape left at a crime scene allegedly matched Markoff's fingerprints.

• Trisha Leffler, a prostitute who said she was bound and robbed at the Westin Hotel in Boston on April 10, told ABC Boston affiliate WCVB that she immediately recognized Markoff as the man who'd robbed her when she saw him on surveillance photos released by police. "I hope he will be behind bars for the rest of his life," she said.

• Markoff's fingerprints allegedly were found on the plastic ties used on one of the victims and in the room where Brisman was killed, police sources told ABC News.

• Investigators said the plastic restraining ties used in an attack at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I., -- on a woman who had advertised "erotic services" -- allegedly match the type of plastic ties found in Markoff's apartment.

• In a search of Markoff's apartment, police allegedly found $800 in cash, $250 worth of gift cards, and a bank card allegedly stolen from victim Trisha Leffler.

Online activities

Boston investigators suspect that Markoff may have preyed on erotic services providers who advertised on Craigslist because of a gambling problem.

See also

• Murder of Julissa Brisman
• Internet homicide

References

1. ^ "Med student held without bail in possible Craigslist killing". CNN. 2009-04-021. Retrieved 2009-04-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. ^ "Medical student charged with Craigslist murder in Boston". WBZ (AM) news radio. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
3. Clarridge, Emerson (2009-04-21). "Neighbors recall Markoff's family advertisement". Utica Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
4. Goodnough, Abby (2009-04-22). "Boston Craigslist case: med student's preppy profile". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
5. Ferris, Joleen (2009-04-31). ""Craiglist Killer" shines national spotlight on hometown of Sherrill". WKTV.com. Retrieved 2009-04-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ Moskowitz, Eric (2009-04-21). "Alleged 'Craigslist killer' recalled as a nice, smart boy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
7. ^ Van Sack, Jessica. "He wouldn't 'hurt a fly': Alleged killer's fiancee stands by her man". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
8. "Craigslist killer strikes again in R.I." Boston Herald. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
9. "Tips pour in on Craigslist killer: Police link Westin, Marriott attacks to clean-cut online stalker". Boston Herald. Hotel Online. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
10. "Fingerprints, Gun Tie to Craigslist Suspect - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
11. Miranda, Jim. "Cops traced e-mail to Philip Markoff". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
12. "Craig's List 'Massage' Ad Tied To Marriott Murder". WBZ-TV. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
13. "Boston 'Craigslist' Killing May Be Linked to Attempted Robbery in Rhode Island". Fox News Channel. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
14. Ross, Scott (2009-04-27). ""Craigslist Killer" May Have Sought Trannies as Well". NBC New York News. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
15. ^ "Investigators believe 'Craigslist killer' may have had gambling problem". Boston Globe. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-04-21. Cite error: The named reference "gambling problem" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
16. "Massachusetts Police Arrest Suspect In Craigslist Killer Case". New York Daily News. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-21. New York Daily News refers to Philip Markoff as "Craigslist Killer."
17. "Foxwoods casino cooperating with investigation of Craigslist Killer, as police probe Philip Markoff's gambling debts". MassLive.com. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
18. "Criminal Complaint (Commonwealth v. Philip Markoff)". FindLaw. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
19. Sweet, Laurel J. (2009-04-27). "Philip Markoff's lawyer won acquittal in 2004 slay case". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
20. Lavoie, Denise (2009-04-23). "Investigators place Craigslist ad to find victims". Fox News. (Associated Press). Retrieved 2009-04-24.
21. ^ "The Craigslist Killing: Case Overview". 48 Hours/Mystery. CBS News. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
22. Wedge, Dave (2009-04-25). "Accused Craigslist killer tells kin: 'Forget about me'". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
23. Gustafson, Kristi L. (2009-04-29). "Craigslist killing suspect has supporters". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
24. "Family visits Craigslist suspect in jail". CNN. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
25. Lavoie, Denise (2009-04-24). "Source: Fingerprints link Markoff to Rhode Island crime scene". Boston Herald. (Associated Press). Retrieved 2009-04-29.
26. Pearle, Lauren (2009-04-22). "Victims' Panties Found in Craigslist Suspect's Home". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-04-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
27. McPhee, Michele (2009-04-29). "Source: 16 Pairs of Women's Underwear Found in Home of Alleged 'Craigslist Killer': Law Enforcement Source Says 16 Panties, 60 Flex-Cuffs Found in Philip Markoff's Home". Retrieved 2009-04-30. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
28. Zezima, Katie (2009-04-24). "Gun Matches Bullets in Craigslist Murder Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
29. Cramer, Maria (2009-04-23). "Sources: Preliminary tests link gun found at Markoff's home to slaying". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
30. Cramer, Maria (2009-04-21). "Police traced e-mail to suspect's home". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-29.

External links

Phil Markoff Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty Facebook Support Group

Boston Police Department Arrest Booking Form

• 1986 births
• Living people
• People from Oneida County, New York