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McAllister has issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence and, along with his family and friends, continues to stand by him. She described Markoff as "beautiful inside and out" and stated that he "couldn't hurt a fly."<ref name="fly" /><ref name="cnn family">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/25/craigslist.slaying/?iref=mpstoryview|title=Family visits Craigslist suspect in jail|date=2009-04-25|publisher=CNN|accessdate=2009-04-30}}</ref> However, on April 29 McAllister visited him in jail and told him that she cancelled their wedding originally planned for August 14, sources told ABC News. According to her attorney, she remains his fiancée and continues to support him.<ref name="ABC wedding off">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7467571|title=Fiancee Tells Accused Craigslist Killer that Wedding Is Off|last=De Nies|first=Yunji|coauthors=McPhee, Michele; Pearle, Lauren; and Netter, Sarah|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=2009-05-01}}</ref>
McAllister has issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence and, along with his family and friends, continues to stand by him. She described Markoff as "beautiful inside and out" and stated that he "couldn't hurt a fly."<ref name="fly" /><ref name="cnn family">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/25/craigslist.slaying/?iref=mpstoryview|title=Family visits Craigslist suspect in jail|date=2009-04-25|publisher=CNN|accessdate=2009-04-30}}</ref> However, on April 29 McAllister visited him in jail and told him that she cancelled their wedding originally planned for August 14, sources told ABC News. According to her attorney, she remains his fiancée and continues to support him.<ref name="ABC wedding off">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7467571|title=Fiancee Tells Accused Craigslist Killer that Wedding Is Off|last=De Nies|first=Yunji|coauthors=McPhee, Michele; Pearle, Lauren; and Netter, Sarah|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=2009-05-01}}</ref>

Concern has been raised by friends and supporters of Philip Markoff that the extensive publicity based on anonymous sources leaking information is unduly prejudicing the public against him before he has had a chance to offer a defense. <ref> http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=162619985050&topic=8789&start=210&hash=eb13169dd567b60fd99155fefdef394f Facebook Discussion of Negative Publicity in the Philip Markoff case </ref>. The extensive prejudicial publicity may ultimately become a central issue in the case. <ref> An informative discussion of the constitutional issues raised by extensive pre-trial publicity can be found in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Shephard v. Maxwell http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=384&invol=333 </ref>.


== Information reported by the media ==
== Information reported by the media ==

Revision as of 04:19, 3 May 2009

Template:POV date May 2009

NEUTRALITY DISPUTED



Philip Haynes Markoff (born February 12, 1986) is an American medical student accused of the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman in a Boston, Massachusetts hotel on April 14, 2009 and the armed robbery of another woman on April 10, also in a Boston hotel. He is suspected of involvement in a third robbery in a Warwick, Rhode Island hotel. The media have referred to Brisman's murderer as the "Craigslist Killer"[1] because he is alleged to have met his victims through ads they placed on Craigslist offering erotic services. Markoff has maintained his innocence of all charges and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

Biography

Philip Markoff is originally from Sherrill, New York.[2][3] His mother, Susan Haynes, works at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, and his father, Richard Markoff, is a dentist in Syracuse, New York.[4][5]

He graduated in 2004 from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School,[6] where he was a member of the National Honor Society,[7] history club and the Youth Court, as well as the bowling and golf teams.[8] His former English teacher and neighbor described him as "a good student and just a really nice kid... smart, wanting to succeed... nothing strange, nothing out of the ordinary."[7] Other old friends also recalled him as quiet, polite and intelligent.[7][8]

After high school, Philip Markoff attended SUNY Albany where he was pre-med, and graduated in 2007. At the time of his arrest, he was 23 years old and had no criminal record. He was a second year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine; the school suspended him following the charges. He was engaged to Megan McAllister, also a medical student, whom he met in 2005 while they were both volunteers at the Albany Medical Center Hospital emergency room.[9]

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.[10] 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 Trisha Leffler, a paid escort, was bound and robbed at gunpoint.[11]
  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.[12][13][14]
  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.[15]

One man who said he wished to remain anonymous to protect his employment claimed on The Today Show that he had placed an ad on Craigslist looking for "males for transsexuals"; he claimed that Markoff responded to the ad from an email address registered to the name "sexaddict5385", allegedly sending the man explicit emails and photos of himself.[16] The Today Show speculated based on this man's claims that Markoff may have used the Internet to solicit transsexual men to target as victims. Other than this one unidentified man, no other individuals have come forward with similar allegations.[17]

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 McAllister were en route to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. He had over $1,000 cash on him at the time of his arrest.[18] Boston investigators suspect that Markoff may have preyed on Craigslist erotic services providers to pay off debts due to a gambling problem.[18][19] Brisman's murderer has been referred to as "the Craigslist Killer"[1] by the media.[20]

On April 21, Markoff was arraigned on murder and gun charges[21] brought by the Suffolk County DA in Brisman's slaying. At his arraignment, Markoff maintained his innocence and pleaded 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.[2][3]

On April 23, jail officials allegedly found "shoelace marks" around Markoff’s neck and subsequently placed him under 24-hour suicide watch.[22][23] For a few days he was in the psychiatric unit of Nashua Street jail, where he was monitored around-the-clock after he allegedly attempted to strangle himself with shoelaces and to slice his wrists with a spoon he sharpened to a point using concrete in his cell, a law enforcement source said. He is no longer on suicide watch. [24]

Defense team

Markoff is represented in this case by Boston attorney John Salsberg, who is a partner in the law firm Salsberg and Schneider and a professor at Harvard Law School. [25] Attorney Salsberg serves as chair of the Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, a charitable organization formed to represent indigent defendants.[25] Salsberg has stated that Markoff is not guilty of the charges against him.[26] Attorney Salsberg was named a "Massachusetts Superlawyer" in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by a committee at Superlawer Magazine. [27] He recently won an acquittal for a man accused in another high profile murder case in the Boston area.[25]

Reaction of family and friends

Friends, neighbors and former teachers expressed shock and disbelief at the charges.[8][7] Some of his 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.[28]

McAllister has issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence and, along with his family and friends, continues to stand by him. She described Markoff as "beautiful inside and out" and stated that he "couldn't hurt a fly."[9][29] However, on April 29 McAllister visited him in jail and told him that she cancelled their wedding originally planned for August 14, sources told ABC News. According to her attorney, she remains his fiancée and continues to support him.[30]

Concern has been raised by friends and supporters of Philip Markoff that the extensive publicity based on anonymous sources leaking information is unduly prejudicing the public against him before he has had a chance to offer a defense. [31]. The extensive prejudicial publicity may ultimately become a central issue in the case. [32].

Information reported by the media

  • 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.[33] It has been reported that the victim in the Rhode Island robbery is reluctant to cooperate as a witness in the Markoff case. [34]
  • A semi-automatic weapon that police believe was used to kill Brisman was allegedly found hidden in a hollowed-out copy of the textbook Gray's Anatomy under Markoff's bed. It has been reported that 16 pairs of women's panties were also found under the bed, but it is not yet reported to whom the underwear belonged. Police investigators speculate that Markoff may have kept the panties as "souvenirs" from the crimes.[35] ABC News further reported that along with the weapon and panties police found duct tape and approximately 60 plastic flex-cuff restraints in Markoff's apartment.[24] Investigators said the plastic restraining ties used in the Warwick attack allegedly match those plastic ties.[34] Officials also told The Boston Globe that fingerprints found on the plastic restraints and duct tape left at a crime scene allegedly matched Markoff's fingerprints,[36] and Markoff's fingerprints allegedly were found in the room where Brisman was killed, police sources told ABC News.[34]
  • 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.[37][38][34]
  • Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said Markoff opened an email account on April 13, the day before Julissa Brisman was killed at the Marriott Copley Hotel, using his real name and address.[39][24] Police contacted the Internet-service provider linked to the email to Brisman and tracked that to Markoff's high-rise apartment complex in Quincy.[39]
  • 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. [40]
  • In a search of Markoff's apartment, police found $800 in cash, $250 worth of gift cards, and a bank card allegedly stolen from victim Trisha Leffler.[41]
  • Markoff allegedly had scratches on his body when he was pulled over and arrested by police on April 20, law enforcement sources told ABC News.[40]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b The term "Craigslist killer" has also been used in reports about other unrelated attacks elsewhere in the United States.
  2. ^ a b "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)
  3. ^ a b "Medical student charged with Craigslist murder in Boston". WBZ (AM) news radio. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  4. ^ Clarridge, Emerson (2009-04-21). "Neighbors recall Markoff's family". Utica Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  5. ^ 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)
  6. ^ 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)
  7. ^ a b c d Moskowitz, Eric (2009-04-21). "Alleged 'Craigslist killer' recalled as a nice, smart boy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  8. ^ a b c Stevenson, Mary (2009-04-21). "Police say VVS grad Philip Markoff 'Craigslist Killer'". The Oneida (N.Y.) Daily Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  9. ^ a b Van Sack, Jessica. "He wouldn't 'hurt a fly': Alleged killer's fiancee stands by her man". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  10. ^ "Craigslist killer strikes again in R.I." Boston Herald. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Fingerprints, Gun Tie to Craigslist Suspect - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  13. ^ Miranda, Jim. "Cops traced e-mail to Philip Markoff". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  14. ^ "Craig's List 'Massage' Ad Tied To Marriott Murder". WBZ-TV. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  15. ^ "Boston 'Craigslist' Killing May Be Linked to Attempted Robbery in Rhode Island". Fox News Channel. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  16. ^ Celizic, Mike (2009-04-27). "Was Craigslist suspect also targeting men? : Anonymous Boston man reports trading explicit e-mails with accused killer". The Today Show. NBC News. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  17. ^ Ross, Scott (2009-04-27). ""Craigslist Killer" May Have Sought Trannies as Well". NBC New York News. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  18. ^ a b "Investigators believe 'Craigslist killer' may have had gambling problem". Boston Globe. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  19. ^ "Foxwoods casino cooperating with investigation of Craigslist Killer, as police probe Philip Markoff's gambling debts". MassLive.com. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  20. ^ "Massachusetts Police Arrest Suspect In Craigslist Killer Case". New York Daily News. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  21. ^ "Criminal Complaint (Commonwealth v. Philip Markoff)". FindLaw. 2009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  22. ^ Lavoie, Denise (2009-04-23). "Investigators place Craigslist ad to find victims". Fox News. (Associated Press). Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  23. ^ "The Craigslist Killing: Case Overview". 48 Hours/Mystery. CBS News. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  24. ^ a b c 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". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-04-30. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ a b c Sweet, Laurel J. (2009-04-27). "Philip Markoff's lawyer won acquittal in 2004 slay case". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  26. ^ "Defense attorney: 'Philip Markoff is not guilty'". NECN. 4009-04-21. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ http://www.superlawyers.com/massachusetts
  28. ^ Gustafson, Kristi L. (2009-04-29). "Craigslist killing suspect has supporters". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  29. ^ "Family visits Craigslist suspect in jail". CNN. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  30. ^ De Nies, Yunji. "Fiancee Tells Accused Craigslist Killer that Wedding Is Off". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-05-01. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=162619985050&topic=8789&start=210&hash=eb13169dd567b60fd99155fefdef394f Facebook Discussion of Negative Publicity in the Philip Markoff case
  32. ^ An informative discussion of the constitutional issues raised by extensive pre-trial publicity can be found in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Shephard v. Maxwell http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=384&invol=333
  33. ^ Lavoie, Denise (2009-04-24). "Source: Fingerprints link Markoff to Rhode Island crime scene". Boston Herald. (Associated Press). Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  34. ^ a b c d Fletcher, Lisa (2009-04-22). "Craigslist Suspect Linked to R.I. Hotel". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ 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)
  36. ^ Saltzman, Jonathan (2009-04-24). "Gun match reported in Markoff case: Accused killer is placed on suicide watch". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Zezima, Katie (2009-04-24). "Gun Matches Bullets in Craigslist Murder Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  38. ^ Cramer, Maria (2009-04-23). "Sources: Preliminary tests link gun found at Markoff's home to slaying". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  39. ^ a b Cramer, Maria (2009-04-21). "Police traced e-mail to suspect's home". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  40. ^ a b Fletcher, Lisa (4009-04-23). "Fingerprints, Scratches Tied to Craigslist Suspect". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ Montero, Douglas (2009-04-35). "Accused 'Craigslist killer' described as 'catatonic'". The New York Post. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)



External links

Boston Police Department Arrest Booking Form

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