Alleged 'Craigslist killer' was heading to Foxwoods with fiancée

Globe - It's probably not in the best of taste showing an ad for "the butchery" right before a video about a murder.

Why, why, why!!?!?!?!?

"exposed the seamy world of prostitution fostered by the anonymity of the Internet" - How about the seamy world of Boston University?

Possibly, this guy figured it was ok to rob people engaged in what he viewed as an immoral occupation. On the last one, things must have gotten out of hand, and he shot the woman. I'm sure most people read this fellow as a sociopath, and they could be right about that. It is just very strange. The police seem certain that they have the right person, and it would appear that they probably have quite a bit of evidence including witnesses to previous robberies that this suspect committed.

They are always described as good guys etc. If he is the predator they say he is, then no amount of references will change what he is,or what happened. It proves that, on this earth there are some truly sick and evil people.Life without parole appears to be in the offing. A serial killer in the making.

The emerging facts of this case don't appear to fit with the profile of the suspect. I hope they get the right person.

Markoff is one SICKO FREAK.

Markoff is GUILTY and should be sent to the GAS CHAMBER.

The end.

Why is it becoming more and more commonplace that the police feel the need to run to the media with all the information for a SUSPECT and then the media instantly convicts the SUSPECT by labeling him the craigslist murderer without having one iota of evidence. Furthermore, any actual evidence by the police should be kept to themselves rather than brought to the public. The only thing the police do by acting this way, offering up so much information, is taint the very cases they will eventually try in court.
So the public has some photos of a guy which *kinda* look like some blurry security camera photos of some guy at some hotel around the time a killing took place. He's on a handheld device. With the amount of "3G" and free wireless everywhere, even that is not necessarily a 'smoking gun'. And speaking of gun - where is the murder weapon? Found that yet?

I'm not saying this guy is NOT the guy, but what I am saying is that everyone is innocent until proven guilty BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT in a court of law. The media should report the FACTS and not their own opinions on the matter. Folks are so tied in to their tubes these days they'll believe anything and everything they see on TV. Unfortunately, the media does not do thorough research on any case, is limited just as much as you or I as to factual information regarding an INVESTIGATION, and really only cares about being "FIRST" to break the news. Being first means giving out quick information, often false, unchecked, and unreliable.
Jeers to the media and jeers to every person out there that has already convicted this guy without any hard evidence presented.
People can and do make mistakes. Nobody is perfect - that includes investigators and the police. He is a suspect. That is all at this time.

On might think that the University which granted Martin Luther King, his doctorate would respect the Constitution and the bill of rights. Innocent until proven guilty. Well, scratch BU Law off the list.

"Ellen Berlin, chief spokeswoman for the Boston University School of Medicine, said Markoff has been suspended because of the criminal charges."

Charges, not conviction, BU decided the man is guilty. He's been arrested, but being arrested is not a crime.

Me thinks little Miss McAllaster is grossly out-of-touch with reality, no matter what the verdict is on her soon-to-be perfect husband.

I hardly think the Boston cops (or any cops for that matter) "profit" by selling stories to the media.

Why publish is fiance's name?

This is why I absolutely, positively HATE all journalists of any kind. Your scum.

Have a nice day.

The motive does not appear to be sexual, but one of robbery. The one who resisted (and he handcuffed them first) was summarily executed. He could have run away, but instead he killed. In that sense, he was no different from a punk who shoots down a liquor store clerk. The only sophistication is in working close as he did, exploiting the situation of intimacy in massage. Imagine what kind of a doctor he could have been. His father is a dentist. I wonder if this intimate robbery dates back to those days, when he may have "helped" his dad. Think about your handbag when you go to the dentist. Or don't . This is already scary enough. So in that sense, maybe he is a kind of pervert, with a compulsion to rob this way, especially if he felt under pressure with upcoming nuptials. But the money - where did it go? Was it a lot?

I knew this kid was rich and a "good" kid as soon as I saw the survelience tape. His family and fiance need to read American Psycho if they want to understand how a bored, rich, "good" kid could commit such horrific acts.

Well, I knew his neighbors will be surprised, but when you look at other serial criminals (BTK, Ted Bundy, John Gacy), there are commonalities. They tend to blend in well withn the pop. they are stalking (Gacy was a clown at his victims' parties), they are very intelligent and have excellent planning skills, and they are very secretive about their private lives. My guess is this BU student wanted to thrill himself before he got married, and perhaps wanted to live a douible life. He certainly had the money ajnd looks tthat no one dared think that he would be caught, until the police checked his computer.

Great selection of students BU. Remember 2001 Daniel Mason, the 36 year old former Israeli sniper that assasinated Michael Lenz.

Hold off judgment, this is the Boston PD we're talking about

//exposed the seamy world of prostitution fostered by the anonymity of the Internet//

"Fostered"? The "seamy world of prostitution" has been around for some time. Unless you have evidence that "the anonymity of the Internet" has promoted the growth of prostitution, you should probably find another word.

There's been an increase in strange grammatical constructions and imprecise word choices in the Globe in recent years; is this from an influx of younger staff writers?

Maybe we could say "an influx of younger staff writers has fostered poor writing at the Boston Globe"?

I just hope they really do have the right person. It won't be the first time that the wrong person was nabbed in a rush to please the public and the media.
I would also hope that physical evidence and a positive ID from the surviving victims would be made before running with this story.
My heart goes out to the victims and their families, I hope that justice prevails in the end.

Craigslist...perhaps it is time to require ad posters and responders to verify an email address in order to reply....

Is it just me or, other than being tall and blond, there is no real resembance between this guy and the surveillance photos?

So far, none of the news reports have stated what evidence the police have other than, like the story above, vauge references to "forensic evidence including fingerprints, electronic evidence, and photographs of the suspect taken by hotel surveillance cameras". The only thing the public has seen is the hotel surveillance footage, which is worthless.

"Ellen Berlin, chief spokeswoman for the Boston University School of Medicine, said Markoff has been suspended because of the criminal charges."

So much for innocent until proven guilty....

Fiance sounds delusional. I don't think the groom will be making it to the wedding.

"Could not hurt a fly?"

Norman Bates said the same thing about himself.

"He was a loving person inside and out."

Nothing says love live restraint ties and a gun.

"There may be other victims out there with a similar MO, a Craigslist MO, and if there are, we want to help you," Conley said at the news conference.
======================
The perp has the MO, not the victim. Learn to speak English, dingbat.

What's a 'Las Vegas' prostitute? Does she gamble while serving you or dress like a show girl?

Umm Megan, know how many predators were known to friends as people who "were beautiful people inside" and "wouldn't hurt a fly?" Hey, Ted Bundy even worked in a suicide hotline. But of course the first step in a tragedy like this is denial.

The truth (and his innocence or guilt) will come out. In the mean time a smart person would write that August appointment in pencil...

Obviously they have some hard evidence linking this guy to the crime -- I don't think they would/could arrest him without it, and they searched for him specifically -- but the story feels incomplete without it. It is possible the police haven't made it public yet. Perhaps the link is a terrible mistake or misunderstanding, but perhaps not. The comments seem filled with outrage, but of a highly incoherent kind; surely the biggest crime is what happened to that poor murdered woman. Nothing about the reportage can come close to comparing with that. (The fact that one commenter actually referred to this as "much ado about nothing" -- about the slaying of a human being -- is pretty sickening.)

geez all those people contributed to the article and nobody bother to explain who the heck Jeremy Gray was. Was he a friend of one of the victims, man on the street, what friend did he lose?

The fiance seems grounded. At least she'll have conjugal visits

Too bad the gf is in denial. He could be innocent but it looks very bad. My guess is that they have him nailed.

He probably was raising money to pay for the medical school and for the expensive wedding.

Craigslist need to do away with the section dealing with this kind of personal advertising. Obviously, it is for one thing and one thing only - prostitution.

When the assailant began rummaging through the woman's belongings, her husband entered the third-story room, McCartney said.

This dude was pimping out his own wife? Man times are tough, huh?

Enough already. Let the courts sort this out.

Isn't it interesting and amazing the majority of the latest killings have been described as, "nice", "quiet", "kept to himself/herself", "couldn't have committed the crimes", "a good neighbor", and so on. Scott Peterson was also described in those terms. Noone can possibly know what is going on in others' minds and their private lives. Check Ted Bundy out for instance.....he was a "nice guy" too! The girlfriend in this case, I believe, is in shock and denial. But, she, too, could not read his mind nor know of his horrid actions. Did she KNOW where he was? I think not! She ought to dump this murdering creep!

What a nut case. He didn't need the money, which wasn't much anyway. And stealing the victim's laptop? Like he didn't have his own.

Not sure why, but I get the feeling Megan was involved somehow. Just a weird feeling, and I had that before I checked out the megan-philip website for their wedding this August. She had about 8 bridesmaids and I forgot how many flower girls. If she was not involved then she is one dumb blond. I am blond so I can use that statement.

Real life Dexter eh?

Her husband? Maybe her pimp.

I sure hope they have the right guy. I recall the case of mistaken identity Suffolk County A.G. Dan Conley was totally responsible for a few years ago. A guy in Revere was arrested for first degree murder in the beheading of his own brother. Conley swore by the evidence (including DNA) but later was forced to admit he had the wrong guy after the real murderer confessed after beheading another person at the YMCA in Lynn. The worst part is the brothers' father was dying and one brother went to find out why his brother didn't show up at their dying Dad's bedside. That's when he found his beheaded brother! Think of what that poor family went through . . . they had a dead brother, a dead father and another brother thrown in jail because of Dan Conley's top notch investigative work! And as far as the F.B.I. being involved in the Craiglist case, they're a bunch of hacks as well. F.B.I. stands more for Famous But Incompetent! As I said in the beginning, I sure hope they have the right guy!

If he had gone to a real school like NU none of this would have happened!

it's about time they get this guy and to think a college student what is going on in his life to be so young and do something like this

Sheesh! How dumb can his fiancee be? Of course, the cops have the right guy - Ted Bundy resurrected! Even looks like Bundy and the MO is the same. They need to throw the book at this slimeball. Pity that poor girl who was murdered by him.

can anybody say "american psycho"

wow!!! it's scary to think that someone who seems like a sweet and responsible person would have a motive that no one would ever expect. let's hope they got this right and arrested the right person. it would be very unfortunate for the family as of course the suspect himself if it ended up being someone else. it would follow him forever :(

I think they've got the wrong guy

His poor deluded fiancee. I knew him very well in med school. Though I am shocked to discover that I know the suspect, I must say that I am not at all surprised. He was a very nice man, but it was clear to me and others I knew that he was disturbed and a bit "off."

Lets wait and see. So far, there is no evidence presented to the public of his guilt other than pictures which look like they could be of ANYONE. If there is adequate evidence, convict him. If not, let him go.

He doesn't sound like someone who would have reason to do this. Supposedly no criminal record. But maybe he has sealed juvenile records. Maybe he is a psychopath. We just need to wait and see.

I agree with others how assume the BPD must have really good evidence against him - he's likely guilty as charged. Bad news all around - feel bad for the fiance. she is in denial but most people would be since it is such shocking news. Markoff, Madoff, whatever.

@ "Furthermore, any actual evidence by the police should be kept to themselves rather than brought to the public."

You can be sure that there is a *lot*of evidence that the police must have (based on the information that has already been revealed) that they haven't even talked about (as they shouldn't).

It would be good for people to understand this as a story a about a sciopath- the look and act normal- fooling everyone along the way- but they are hollow inside. Pity everyone harmed by this man. Pity the man himslef.

"When the assailant began rummaging through the woman's belongings, her husband entered the third-story room, McCartney said. The attacker pointed the gun at him and backed out the door."

And by "husband", they mean "pimp".

As for why "they" published the fiance's name - SHE sent the letter to ABC News. She probably wanted to get in on the attention. Psychos attract psychos.

Also

I guess the - happy endings - that these prostitutes offered didn't work out that way...

let's bring casinos to Mass. More vice, that's what will solve society's problems.

For pete's sake take it easy on the fiancee. If Markoff is indeed guilty and she had no idea, this is a horrible turn of events for her.

The news reports that the cops searched the Quincy apartment of Markoff and discovered both a gun and some plastic handcuffs. If true, this could connect him to both the murder and the robberies which used cuffs. I have no idea why a guilty person would keep such evidence around, especially when the multitude of surveillance photos might be recognized by people he knew in the area. My original suspicion was that this was someone from outside, maybe a person in the Russian mafia who might have been "sending a message" about amateur sex workers poaching on gang territory. But at least I got "Russian" right, in a way. The fact that he was a regular-looking guy is consistent with many, many Jekyll Hyde personalities, who can fit in but who maintain a dark side where they can act out unacceptable fantasies. The more conventional the life-style, the more pressure on the instincts is the idea. No letting go, except covertly. It may well be that his chief weakness was gambling and the debts he created with it. The girlfriend was happy with the external look of the guy, with his mask, and so of course she defends him/it. He was a good actor for her. I doubt that these two had deep and interesting discussions about anything. As far as her elaborate wedding went, he was just perfect for the role of the groom on the wedding cake. Someday, she'll realize she might have been his victim somewhere down the line. She'll wise up and understand that she dodged a bullet without realizing it.

Why publish is fiance's name?
This is why I absolutely, positively HATE all journalists of any kind. Your scum.
Have a nice day. Posted by contempt April 21, 09 10:14 AM

Because HIS fiance contacted the media, by way of Good Morning America, with an email statement professing his innocence. DId you not read the article?
oh and BTW, what about my scum? Did you perhaps mean YOU'RE scum?
Have a nice day.

ABC news reported that they found the gun and restraint ties at his apartment. They also have emails to the victim from his IP address.

@11: "Why publish is fiance's name? "

Why NOT publish the fiancee's name? She is not a victim here, so her name is not protected, and she has certainly put her own self out into the media by emailing ABC, etc.

I wonder how many other victims there are out there, and how many more there might have been if he had not made the "mistake" of killing one of his targets and drawing attention to himself.

Cut the fiance some slack! Imagine if the person you thought you married or dated (who you thought was perfect for you) turned out to be a monster. She is probably in shock. Once she comes to her senses and sees the evidence that appears to be stacked, she'll accept the truth. There must be something big that led the cops to this guy.

He doesn't exactly fit the profile, but let the evidence speak for itself (having the murder weapon is a biggie!). This is BIG NEWS, and the media has the right to report on it.

re: migs #28 post:

Friends of Brisman, a troubled young model and aspiring actress who had battled alcohol abuse, welcomed news of the arrest.

"That sounds great," Jeramie Gray, 26, of New York said with a sigh.

Dear Contempt --> Good for you. Thank you for your pointless comment and needless rage

Innocent until proven guilty is a legal concept, not a way of life. If I see someone shoot and kill another person, I don't need to wait until a jury says so for me to know that he committed the act. The media and individual persons have a right to form conclusions based on the information at hand.

Hope none of the above posters serve on any jury. Talk about jumping to conclusions in advance of any evidence.

He is an arrogant misogynist. Anyone who says otherwise is either a girl he was trying to hit on or one of the dudes he hangs out with - all douche bags.

DEXTER MORGAN CAN SOLVE THIS CASE THE CORRECT WAY WITH HARD EVIDENCE.

I have to agree - the BPD really wouldn't make an arrest in such a high-profile crime unless they were absolutely sure. They got his IP address off of the emails with the gunshot victim ... led directly to him.

Can there be a connection to the Rebecca Payne killing, a Northeastern student from last May. A dark van was seen leaving her apt. She too was shot several times??

I heard the police found tie wraps and a gun in his apartment.

They also traced his computer from Craig's list.

He is sooo guilty.

The fiancee is most likely completely innocent and deserves sympathy.

Sorry to hear this happened in the great city of Boston...very sorry for all of the families involved....but I do have to admit it is a welcomed change to see that Florida has some competition for the national spotlight on heinous crimes…good to see we do not have a lock on violent crime here in the melting pot of the unemployed (Fl)...GO B's...

Hm. The comment about sealed juvenile records. I also heard someone refer to his "step-father". Is that the dentist, Richard M. Markoff? Coincidentally, there is a man of this name (even the same initial) who worked in a charitable social organization of the Simon Properties Group which deals with at-risk children. Does this young man have a distant past in an abusive home? Not to say that very many children rescued from the system will turn out like this. I really want to emphasize that. But is it possible that this man was taken from such a past, and that it wasn't understood by his caretakers later on? A total guess.

Obviously a person is innocent until proven guilty, but reading some of the blind defenses of this kid among the comments reminds me of those women who marry jailed serial killers.

I suspect his being blond and good looking will be very helpful to the defense's PR efforts. Certainly seems to be helping here.

C'mon, you moonbats who find the need to defend this guy: take a time out and step back from the story. It seems like the idiot sent emails to the girls from his OWN RESIDENCE! What a genius, even I can track down an IP address to a street address in about 1 minute. Besides, he is a dead ringer for the photos, and I bet the husband in the last case will ID him too (the guy had a gun pointed at him by this psycho)

He may have gone after prostitutes because of their reluctance to report the robberies.

Another one bites the dust, sicko freak. His girlfriend needs to wake up and get out of her so called perfect world she was living in and face facts sicko's have two sides to them one she saw and the other one he hid from her. odoylerules why didnt you wait until the kid was brought before the court you would have answered some of your questions, you need to wake up also.
Always the cops did this and that, they put out information to alert people and hopefully get some help which apparently they did to catch the jerk. R

@ BUSM Student

I'm in your class (heme/onc test on Friday). I agree with what you said. I didn't know him very well, but whatever. Good riddance.

Lets focus on the boards.

You would it think that an educated man wouldn't do things like this!
How much money can those women carry w/ them? How low!

Are you people serious? Innocent until proven guilty? That is for the courts. As for me, a private citizen, I'm not idiot...he did it and anyone with any commonsense knows it. So, if he is not found guilty, you'd want your daughter to marry him? He's "innocent" isn't he? Fools. Yup, go ahead blame the cops for doing a good job. No wonder cops feel the need to insulate themselves. They are policing morons.

An IP address is as good as DNA, they've got him.

Fascinating - if he is a sociopath - which seems to be the case (again assuming the cops have good DNA evidence which the judge clearly thought was good enough to order him held without bail) they always fit the "good boy" no one would suspect character. They are only sorry they got caught - no remorse for the victim. The police are not sharing their evidence with the public but safe to say they have plenty.

To the people who attack Boston University for suspending him, universities are not held to the same standards as courts when it comes to student behavior. When he accepted the offer of admission, he implicitly, and EXPLICITLY, agreed to a code of conduct. And unfortunately for him, being charged with murder is enough reason for BU to suspend him. Even if it turns out he is innocent of that crime (and "only" guilty of the thefts), BU could still refuse readmission based on his "character". Whether or not you agree is immaterial; BU is well within its rights.

I do agree that everyone needs to slow down and stop condemning this man before he's had a jury trial. The District Attorney and the police would not have made such a production out of arresting him after an "intensive manhunt" if they didn't have evidence of something, even if it's the robberies. This is just a terrible situation for everyone involved (the victim, her family, the alleged murderer, his family/friends) and I hope the media stops the circus-like atmosphere around this immediately.

The evidence they discussed on the news last night was an IP address they traced to his home.
If that is the case then he is not very bright for a med student.
An IP address can easily be changed and you have to know that this is something that can be used to track you down with ease.

I'm sure the IP isn't the only piece of technological evidence though because again an IP can be rerouted several times. Most likely they are combining the IP wiht teh text messages.

interesting how post #47 says the guy was a little strange!!!! wow I do feel for his girfriend though. Look at what happened to Lacey peterson! people thought scott was mr. wonderful... another sicko...

There are some real morons who post here. Of course they got the right guy. He is guilty. And even those who post otherwise know that is the case. So, why do you say what you do, when you know that what you say is not the case. Strange.

Sounds like a Ted Bundy type. Bundy was exactly the same way. A very charming, affable person and a successful law student. Sociopaths/Psychopaths are often like that.

Obviously wasn't too bright if he didn't realize his e-mail would be traced back to him.

Semi-automatic weapon and ammunition/materials similiar to crime scene found in his Quincy apartment,,,parents must be proud

Hmm... the guy in the surveillance video seemed like Tom Brady to me....

Um, if the fiancee didn't want her name out there, she would not have sent an email to GMA defending him. Trust me , the Boston PD would not publicly humiliate a WASP-y looking fella like this without evidence, they only do that to the darker skinned folks. Oh, and gotta love the husband in the next room foiling the attack on his wife, the private lapdancer. Maybe they were setting HIM up!

I shed less tears for a prostitute, but still a bad crime.

Looks like they got their man.

Reminds me of 30 years ago when I got 52 Symphoney Rd mixed up and knocked on 25 Symphoney and was arrested and ID'd as a Rapist in that neighborhood. Only problem was the day of the rape I was in the hospital having my Gallblader removed. But the police were certain, the woman certain and they had phyiscal evidence.

Dexter is a brilliant person, who is cold, calculated, and intensely intelligent.

This guy is a jerkoff Frat Dork who had a gambling problem and liked to beat up women. I hope he gets the chair.

Geez, the guy is charged and convicted by the press and the readers of the press. Nice justice system we have in the US.

IF he's guilty, he'll be punished, and should be. I believe in an eye for an eye. Nothing has ever shaken that belief.

IF he's not guilty, he's got plenty of fodder for law suits just based on what this article (and previous days articles) say.

And the 'he couldn't hurt a fly' schtick? Sure he could. We ALL could. 'He's a good boy'? Well, maybe so. Maybe not.

I do think BU is dumb to suspend him from school. Not that he'll be there for a whle, but 'what if...'. Another lawsuit I guess.

No matter what, Mr Markoff has be trashed reputation. Sad - all the way around.

I think the police have a lot more evidence against this guy. I mean why would they give all the info. to Newspapers. Do we think criminals don't read the paper? Just read between the lines in the reports we had on the investigation:
1. A gun was involved. I am sure the police retreived the bullet from the victim and ballistics will confirm that the gun they found in his apartment is a match.
2. During the robbery in RI, the woman's husband entered the room. That means two possible eye witnesses. I am sure the police kept them from reporters until they could do a line-up.
3. The guy used something to tie the hands and tape the mouth of the victims. These items don't sound like something he picked up at the last minute in the hotel. Therefore he bought them somewhere and hid them somewhere (home or car). This could be directly linked to him and the crimes.
4. They picked him up in his car. I think they identified his car. Hotels and motels often have survellience cameras of their parking areas. I know that the parking garage in Copley for the Hotels have cameras. The police may be ablel to prove his car was in the vicinity of all three cimes.

If any or all of these additional facts hold true, then I think they got the guy.

golf1945 --> wow. You certainly have an active, conspiratorial imagination.

Not sure who IS guilty but...the motive was money? what? If you needed cash and were willing to comit a crime that is the method that you would choose? that makes no sense, you electronically and physically tie yourself to this type of crime, but some how you were smart enough to get into med school... right, I am sure we have all the facts. Maybe the motive was money and something else, or money was a cover for the something else, just doesn't seem like an efficient way to make money.

I know its great news that they caught this guy... but I hope in the long run people will remember the women that was killed rather than the monster that killed her.

Jimbo, so I suppose you saw this murder happen right?

He is really HOT!! What a shame!!

@ Odoylerules: Arrest warrants aren’t issued based on circumstantial evidance. There usually is something more solid than “he may look like the guy in the photograph” – there are two living witnesses, as well as the exact same plastic ties used in both the robberies and the murder case (according to the paper). And I can guarantee you that there are things the police haven’t released to the media: this is how so many “suspects” trip themselves up: mention something about the crime that only the person who commited the crime and the police know. And no, I’m not getting my information from CSI, I actually have a bit of knowledge and experience in investigation procedures.

Yes, he is innocent until proven guilty. He will have his day in court, just like everyone else.

@contempt: dude, she released her own name HERSELF when she emailed Good Morning America. Globe had nothing to do with it. If SHE had kept quiet, WE wouldn’t know about her. DUH!!
Yoshimi

"Jumping to conclusions in advance of any evidence?" Are you kidding me? They have the picture of the guy at each of the THREE, count them three, hotels where attacks took place at the exact time the attacks took place. They could convict him on that circumstantial evidence alone.

I am a med school graduate myself and while this case is tragic, it doesn't surprise me. From the exterior, medical students appear to be the perfect person--intelligent, sophisticated, articulate, privileged, weathy, etc. But the truth is many medical students do an incredible job at hiding their emotional problems, spouse issues, parental conflicts, etc. I know many med students who are too proud to admit they need help or have a problem that needs to be solved. Compounding matters, med students are devoid of alot of the thrills typical young people get to experience in their lives. No time to date, go to sporting events, restaurants, and trips due to the abundance of exams we suffer through. United States doctors have to live their 30s in their 20s, considering they have to go through 4 years of high school, 4 years of college, 4 years of med school, and 4 years of residency before they start making 6-7 figures. Of course you become a doctor to enjoy what you are doing, but I know several that do it for other motives. Who knows what went on in Markov's head, but it's likely he wasn't right mentally, he needed help and was too proud to admit this fact.

this story truely gets more interesting by the minute. We'll see this episode on TRU TV sometime in the near future....THE CRAIGSLIST KILLER...does not have the same ring at the GREEN RIVER KILLER though...

Sounds and looks like the Scott Peterson case, re-incarnated......or, in this case, re-incarcerated.

The picture really doesn't look like him.....Someone who is tech savvy can easiliy manipulate IP addresses to set someone up.

The girlfriend should shut up and go home to her parents house and hide out there until this mess is cleared up. What in the name of all that is right and just would she feel the need to respond to GMA? I always think it is so offensive when someone says, "My boyfriend is such a great guy, he wouldn't hurt a fly and I cannot wait until the day we are married so that we can begin a beautiful and meaningful life together". How come his friends never felt that way?

this is yet another example of the horrors of the George Bush economic policies. This young man was driven to gambling because of the financial aid cutbacks of the evil Bush administration and so that he could preen like a peacock at his wedding, which is another example of the materialism promoted by Bush, Cheney, and their dirty gang.

I dslike being the one to say this, folks, but: How about a PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE?

The man is INNOCENT until he is found guilty by a JURY.

Just a reminder . . .

Switching gears...
Commissioner Davis (BPD) was quoted as saying that this case has been helped immensely by the public (input from the other victims, I assume) and he wished more cases had this much involvement.
It's a shame that we can't get the gang-bangers off the streets too.

The "seamy world of prostitution fostered by the anonymity of the Internet" is seamy precisely because it is illegal. Women who do this kind of work are vulnerable to both the police and criminals. They are afraid to report incidents like this to the police for fear they will be busted for prostitution, and it's not unheard of for the cops to extort money or sexual favors from them. Nothing can prevent all crimes of this kind, but if the working girls could operate more openly they would be far safer.

Accidents don't happen repeatedly, hence shooting THREE times.

Contempt,
The girlfriend "outted" herself via email to a national news agency in which she maintained future husband's innocence. Clearly, she is not a shrinking violet who shuns the limelight. The poor thing needs a reality check as that boyfriend will not be around for August nuptials. He may well be "married" by then, but probably not to her.
Let us pause and remember the victims of all crime. May they find healing and peace.

To all you ready to convict him: I assume the evidence is there. Once we see it, then we can stop name calling. For instance, did he have a gun? Can the bullet be traced to the gun? And what if it can't? Are the IP addresses certainly his? Does he have an alibi at the time of either crime? It would not be the first time that there has been an innocent person accused of a crime. Until we know any of the evidence, it is hard to take as certain.

So his big plan to to get out of gambling debt was to book a $400 a night room at the Copley and then rob the excorts of $200 in cash. Maybe he should go get a MBA instead of a Phd. Any smart gambler knows the only way to get out of debt is to double down. He must of bet the Celtics instead of the Bruins...

Comments regarding innocent until proven guilty are correct. Recent case of Duke University's actions w/r/t the Duke lacrosse team players is case-in-point. The DA eventually had to resign and Duke had to apologize. 'Innocent until proven guilty' is the most appropriate course of action.

C'mon guys, they don't arrest people unless they have solid evidence. Every one of these comments seems to be taking an opinion on the matter without hearing the evidence. He's going to get a fair trial. It's at that trial where you'll hear what the evidence is. As for his fiance and family members I can understand their response. Of course they feel they have the wrong person. Maybe they do. Maybe they don't. But I can tell you that you need to have some solid evidence that this man was at the scece of the crime or had a hand in some of this to arrest him. I'm sure what they've found on his computer is alone enough to arrest him. And I'm sure there's more because you need a warrant to seize someone's computer to perform the forensics necessary. The victims computer wasa used to track down who she had corresponded with which lead them to this man. In fact I would guess that her merely having communication with this guy via email is enough to obtain a warrant.

"Why publish is fiance's name?"

Because she contacted a media outlet to make a statement, thereby inserting herself into the story.

In Massachusetts, this guy may be out of jail in time for the next semester

I used to live at 8 High Point - Oddly enough on the same floor as Philip Markoff, although I do not remember seeing him. Anyway, they have a surveillance camera where the entrace and mailboxes are. I am sure that will help.

Jon S, I hear what you are saying but you're wrong. While IP's are dynamically allocated by an ISP they typically have a lease time which can varry from anywhere between 24 hours and several weeks. A re-release of an IP may occur if the host's router reboots but who shuts their router off?. They could track this person down by first determining the public IP to narrow it down to the ISP and the gateway used. They can then correlate it to the DHCP address that was leased to this particular user. I'm sure there's some NAT'ing in the mix as well. After all your connection requires a username and password for you to authenticate and receive a DHCP address.

He will make a pretty cute fiance' in jail, thats for sure. I feel bad for his naive fiance' when she said "we plan to marry and spend a wonderful life together" - another reason not to get married at 23.

I feel bad for his parents trying to explain how their son goes from a medical student at BU to a felon. Guess they save a lot of money on tuition!

And an IP address is not as good as DNA. There's something called spoofing which can be done. You can spoof a MAC address and you can spoof and IP address. The hard evidence is sitting on this guys computer.

From the weight of the evidence which seems to be there about this guy, you almost have a case of either deep psychopathology in which he thinks he is invincible (as seems possible), or a kind of protracted "suicide by cop" in which his living a lie is so stressful and depleting of energy, that he knows he will eventually be caught and hopes for that outcome. In either case, they have the right man (unless it is a doppelganger, like a similar-looking blond preppie neighbor who set him up with false evidence). The doppelganger story seems to be more appropriate to fiction, in which case the accused would feel like he was living a Kafka nightmare. Since this does not seem to be his defense, we'll most likely discover that he plea-bargains his way into some kind of diminished capacity defense, and goes off to the slammer without seeing a jury. He may well see the light of day in ten years, which would put a thirty-something sociopath right in line to go work on Wall Street or somewhere equally tempting to the compulsive gambler - unless of course, he has killed more than we know, and will get a stiffer sentence. I would think that the plea bargaining would involve trying to solve older cases he might also have been involved in. If you'll notice, the police are strongly asking for anyone to come forward who ran into this man's MO, even if they are turning tricks as a trade. But they are no doubt looking into cold cases as well, of dead bodies and missing persons, and probably looking into New York as well. At least you hope they are that diligent. I guess that when they make the movie, Matt Damon will be too old to play him.

Why publish is fiance's name?

Contempt, the fiance's name is out there because SHE put it out there - emailing Good Morning America

Please note Professor Kimberly's response. As a student at Boston University School of Medicine who did NOT know the suspect, I fully respect BUSM's decision to suspend him. I am well aware, as a student, of the consequences of any inappropriate conduct or even suspicions of inappropriate conduct. This is a higher standard that I, and the suspect, agreed to by matriculating in medical school.

This was not a standard undergraduate student. Guilty or not, as the courts will decide, this is a gentleman who could potentially have been caring for patients in 2 more months. As physicians and medical students, we are held to a higher standard than the general public, and we are well aware of that. Which of you would want to be cared for by a student who was on trial for murder charges?

If he is acquitted, I am confident that BU will reinstate him without penalty.

Secondly, as we all have our opinions on this case, I would like to remind everyone that true sociopaths are high-achievers, capable of fooling the most saavy of examiners. But also, our country does allow for "innocent until proven guilty." Let's just let this guy have his trial and stop judging him before we have all the facts.

@golf 1945 #72: did you even read the story? It says Markoff's stepfather is named Gary, last name unidentified.

He will make a pretty cute fiance' in jail, thats for sure. I feel bad for his naive fiance' when she said "we plan to marry and spend a wonderful life together" - another reason not to get married at 23.

I feel bad for his parents trying to explain how their son goes from a medical student at BU to a felon. Guess they save a lot of money on tuition!

I think that having Mass State Lottery as a sponsor for video footage about a homicide/robbery case that may stem from this young man's gambling addiction was a very poor choice.

Gambling, duh! That was obvious before they even caught the guy.bo

This guy was not computer savy at all. If he was he would have been surfing the web using a program like tor or some other software that hides your ip address. He thought he was invincible and ended up getting caught.

Family and friends are already starting a campaign to help him get away with it. Even though what they have now is kinda weak. But, what are the odds? How many times can you be at three locations where crimes were committed by coincidence? I hope they come up with more convincing evidence than what they have now....Some hair fiber and really undeniable evidence.

I think I've solved this. I keep hearing things about an "Eye Pee" address. It has something to do with either The Google or The Internets. I guess it's like some kind of electronic marker do-hickey. So maybe his computer has this Eye Pee address that he brought with him in his car when allegedly killed the girl. Before she died, she saw his Eye Pee address and carved it in the carpet or sheet rock. Something like this: "eye pee is 15 south main st." That was the dead give-away.

Thank you Boston Police - I'll take the reward money.

"An IP address is as good as DNA, they've got him."

Posted by NotAndy'sgirl April 21, 09 01:33 PM
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Just a little FYI, an IP address is about as far away from DNA as evidence can get. Just google IP spoofing.

Judging from most of the comments posted here, I'd have to say this guy is guilty.

Who's next?

On the evidence front, they said they found the gun, ammo, and binding apparati in his appartment. Seems like that would be evidence.

Not to mention the surveillance tapes, and text messages. A good scan of his computer would seal the deal.

obviously if the police are charging him there is substantial physical evidence. the police ran to the media because they wanted help identifying this creep and getting him off the street asap. they would have found him eventually but they wanted it sooner then later.. as for everyone saying oh he looks like a good guy bla bla bla if killers look like killers before they killed then don't you think we would be able to prevent a wholeeeeeee lot of murders? open your eyes people its the people you least expect most of the time. obviously julissa was putting herself in a position of danger by meeting up with some she didn't know but that still doesn't give this sick-o the right to kill her. i wonder what his dumb fiancee is going to say after she sees all the evidence they pulled from his house.. he's probably used that stuff to tie her up before!! and for the person whose upset that the globe posted her name ummmmm she sent an email to abc or nbc whatever so her privacy obviously isn't a factor to her.. i hope he gets what he deserves!!

Sociopath. Entitled, enabled, sociopathic brat.

What happend to innocent until proven guilty? Let the jury of our peers decide...however I do feel terribly sorry for the two women and their families and the blinded McAllister

#51's statement that there is something in a white person's "genes that brings out all this criminality and corruption" is racist, bigoted, and offensive. Any posting that attributed crime rates amongst minorities to their genetic makeup would have been immediately removed as racist. The same should be done with #51's sad and ignorant remark.

It's frightening to read the comments by Massachusetts citizens who have no qualms about convicting someone in the press and not in the court of law. Would any of us want a jury of our "peers" to declare us guilty merely because someone accused us of guilt? If this guy is guilty, let all the evidence be shown that he is guilty and then judge him. But this Globe frenzy of "Guilty as accused" is unsettling in a free democratic society where we have the Constitutional guard of trial by jury.

I'll hold off my judgement as I do believe that one should be innocent until proven guilty. That is most often not the case and the media makes it almost impossible for one to receive a fair trial.
I have a feeling the police have evidence they are not sharing. With all the technology they can probably trace the craigslist adds back to the guilty man. I'll follow this case and will be interested to see what evidence led them to this man. I feel bad for his girlfriend if he is guilty and she should be considered another victim. So many people hiding behind their computer to spew unnecessary mean comments to her.

I hope that the police have strong physical evidence cause this guy does not really look exactly like the person of interest on the surveillance videos. When I first saw them I thought, oh my why would Tom Brady want to kill anyone.

Cmmr Davis had the best line when he said he wished that all homocides in the city were solved so quickly. It is troubling to think that many killers never get their day in court.

so they just found all the weapons in his home...I wonder if his fiance feels like she should have withheld comment on her "he wouldn't hurt a fly he's innocent" email? Ouch...honey, egg on face.

Why are some of you making references and comparisons to fictional works like American Psycho or characters like Norman Bates?

Kudos to the BPD for the good investigation and keeping him out of Connecticut. What kind of screening does BU Med School have?

Deosen't he remind you of the actor who played the young German soldier guarding the bank in the movie "Kelly's Heroes?"

I think he assumed the victims would not notify the police since they were engaged in "questionable" activities. Sadly, the second woman resisted and we now know the result.

This didn't happen when Bush was president. Hope you Obama voters are happy now!

Getting pooer - Uh, I dunno. It's a rainy day, and you know you'd be getting richer if you could write a dramatic treatment for this and send it to Hollywood. This will be big. I predicted the Nanny case would be, and I was right. This will probably be an episode of House and then who knows....At least, as conspiracy minded as you think I am, I totally am with the cops on this one, and I think they did a great job.

I'm not sure what's more disturbing. This killer and the acts he committed. Or the people that still think that someone who is a doctor(almost), from a good family, has a nice fiance, and a good education CAN'T POSSIBLY be a crazed lunatic. Talk about stereotyping. Psychos come all flavors, people. Some of the mostt infamous serial killers fit the very same description of this man.

kww, I'm guessing you've never used Craig's List or you wouldn't have asked such a stupid question.

Besides robbery there is a sexual motive here.

The kid screwed up - regardless of why - he apparently did what he did because he was backed into a corner. Time to pay the piper. The fact that he prayed on people less likely to come forward was pretty smart – but as in the case with most criminals, they eventually screw up and get caught.

Good luck in prison dude.

News about robberies or murders are bread and butter for news organizations. But, the Philip Markoff case takes the cake and the icing as being one of the most interesting sensational stories and it may change on how we view what a criminal looks like. Everyone covering or following this story is asking why such a man who had a great future would go into robbing and eventually kill an innocent woman. Mr. Markoff, a second year student, looks like a normal person, but if you scratch underneath the surface there were tell-tale signs of a sociopath. We are getting bits and pieces of his past like when the Morning Show interviewed a SUNY Albany student who knew of him as being jkljklmisogynistic, racist, and somewhat too sure of himself. These are just little morsels that show a darker side to his character. There's no doubt that the journalists will find other unfavorable traits like perhaps cheating or the use of antipsychotics or antidepressants considering that he's allegedly a major gambler with tons of debt. Whatever his defense team outlines in case they pull the insanity plea, it will fail since his actions were chronic and even though they were chronic, he was still able to function normally in life. Obviously, he's the new poster boy sociopaths. It's ashame that he had a messed-up life with his history of his parents divorce. But, that's not a reason to kill people. Justice will be served.

His beloved fience should get in touch with reality....SOON!! She sounds like some delirious woman trying to save a marriage, but wait...they're not married yet! That's a sign for you to run honey -- fast & in the other direction!!! Even if he is not convicted, to be indicted for such a crime would be enough for ma to cancel the wedding, no matter if you think he " wouldn't hurt a fly"....lets get real!

Re: #9

Just because he was suspended doesn't mean BU decided he is guilty. If they did, they would have expelled him instead of just suspending him.

And Patrick wants to bring gambling to Boston - to attract more people and behavior like this?????

Why does the justice system still cost so much when the police department tries a guy in the media? This guy could be guilty as hell, or he could be like the Olympic bomber, meaning the evidence looked good at the moment, but they got the wrong guy. Are we in such a hurry as a society to convict that we can't give the guy a trial by a jury of his peers? And why is it the Boston Police Department can't restrain themselves from peeing in the jury pool? Perhaps the mayor wants us to know that it is safe to go trolling on Craigslist again.

Here is what may have happened in the investigation. Police had tracked Markoff (suspect) through his contacts via email with Brisman (murdered woman). Police track his Internet Protocol address. They get a name and address from the Internet provider (phone company, cable company, etc.). They get his photo from the Department of Motor Vehicles. They get a second photo from the Med School. A detective uses a camera with a telephoto lens to take a current photo of the suspect. Two other women were robbed. One of the women has her husband nearby. The photos (three) of the suspect are shown to the three witnesses (two robbed women and one husband). They now have ten positive ID's. One IP address and three photos times three witnesses. One plus three time three is ten. A credit check is done on the suspect. He is shown to make ATM withdrawals at casinos. They get a search warrant based on the IP address and the photo lineups. He hops in his car and heads toward a casino. The police execute the search warrant. They find a gun that matches the caliber used to kill the woman. They find wrist restraints. They radio other police units. An arrest is made. Could he be innocent? If he has a evil twin brother who uses the same IP address, plants the gun in the innocent brothers apartment and attends the same casino, maybe. The evil brother must also have access to the same ATM card.

"I do think BU is dumb to suspend him from school. Not that he'll be there for a whle, but 'what if...'. Another lawsuit I guess."

Wake up - he's a MED STUDENT with access to other students, likely drugs, and patients.
B.U. would be negligent if they did not suspend him until he was cleared or convicted of MURDER via a hand gun (Virginia Tech atrocities were not so long ago that institutions should err on the side of caution.

He was robbing people to finance his gambling problem? If you're already $100k in debt to med school, how much do you have to lose gambling for it to push you over the edge? Seems like it's gotta be at least 5 figures. And in the age of ATMs and credit cards, it seems like you'd have to rob a lot of people to make any kind of dent in a debt that size.

How hideous a man is he??? This is why the country needs to legalize prostitution! Reason being, NOT because it is a path a girl should choose, but because without the protection of the law on their side, these women are at great risk of suffering violent crimes, as they do not have rights, nor legal protection. Prostitutes who are attacked or killed did not ask for their fate, nor are they less than human. Simply they have chosen to work (in the world's OLDEST profession) to earn a living!!!!

I hope he admits and confesses his crimes in court (to chock his friends and family once more) while he cries like a baby...drools and begs the jury for some leniency.

For those who are defending him. You never know the crazy things people are capable of. The law works in mysterious ways and the truth will prevail. If he is really innocent then I am sorry I judged him.

Wow!!! he must have been really bored

#111.. they found a semi-automatic weapon in his place.. if you don't know how to use it, im sure you could shoot 3 times by accident.

So you're a tall, good looking med student with the world by the tail and you're suddenly arrested and accused of a vicious murder. Yeah, you would just sit there in court without a hint of fear or any sign whatsoever of possibly being human.

It looks pretty good that a textbook sociopath is now off the streets.

Everyone seems to forget they he was using his blackberry before, after, and during the crimes. Evidently he's not that bright when it comes to technology....as I'm sure the police have his cell locations as well as all his email/txt communications with his victims on record. This will mostl likely be an open and shut case...just watch.

Are you kidding me? Any one of you bleeding heart liberals or attorneys (because those are the only two groups of humans - and I use that word lightly think this guy is innocent) should go have your head examined. He was a bu medical student on his way to foxwoods on a Monday night at 4:00 p.m. caught with guns and plastic ties that match the ones used on prior victims, along with the fact that the craiglist posting tied back to his IP address..... First of all, how many med students have guns in their apartments? How many gamble at foxwoods on a Monday at 4:00? How many have an IP address that ties back to the craigslist posting by julissa?
As far as I'm concerned, that's enough to arrest him, convicting him should be a delightful BREEZE. One for the good guys.

The ones who are obviously creeps are not the ones to worry about. It's people like this guy where it seems so out of character. Look at all the politicians and religious leaders who shock everyone with their secrets. The "good guys (and gals)" are the ones with the most to lose.

It's called a double life and someone very close to me lived one too, until their worlds collided. I guarantee you there are always subtle clues people overlooked. I am not surprised by anything people do anymore no matter how much of a "good person" they are.

If the case bears out what the police are saying, I hope his family and fiancee wake up and smell the coffee.

Well, his finacee will be available to date....but please, don't post a single's add on craigslist.

Interesting, lots of comments of support "hope they have the right guy..." for this clean cut, blond, attractive caucasian male.

I wonder if the suspect was a dark haired Arab, how much reader support and "presumption of innocence" would be granted.

But hey, we are in a post racial America, right?

The fact that Mankoff was studying to become a doctor is beyond astounding. At no point in time did he give any consideration to life when robbing the second victim and she was murdered for fighting back. One would think on some level a conscience would kick in and a life would have been spared. If Mankoff is the guilty party he has no conscience and no remorse, he is a true sociopath.

Guilty as sin. IMHO. I can express my opinion right? This is america last I checked. Seems like the DA's got a lot of evidence on this guy.

Let's cut the defendant some slack. The DA is overcharging. It was not premeditated. A charge of manslaughter would suffice, which is probably what he will plea bargain to.

addiction to sex, gambling, drugs, alcohol, shopping, video games, food can and does lead to violent crime and being a victim of crime. seldom is anyone forced into addiction - it's a willful choice to make that intial engagement. being an addict does not exempt anyone from the consequences of their actions because of occupation, socio-economic status, gender, etc. Nor does it entitle them to sympathy or leniency. Remember Neil Entwistle? It's sad that Brisman fought for her life too late. If only she had put that much energy into legitimate employment she'd be alive today - tragic.

If this guy is guilty -- and I suspect that he is -- the death penalty is too good for him. He'll be dead, and not have to confront what he did. I'd much rather have him live out his life in prison. He can't gamble there, the way that he does now. He can't have a beer, go out to dinner, love a woman in a way that matters. He can't live in anice condo or house, the way that many doctors can. Instead of practicing medicine, he's be sweeping floors. In short, he can't live a normal life. He'll have to know that his fiancée eventually woke up to what he is, moved on with her life, and loved and married someone else. He will have to live his life under the control of others, and be unable to make meaningful choices for himself. He will have to tortured, every day, by the memory of what he threw away by committing his crimes. He will have to live a meaningless, emotionally tortured life. I look forward to seeing Day 1 of the rest of his living death, as he settles into his new home at Cedar Junction.

He probably owed his bookie a good amount of money, figured he would steal it from these girls. Then thought, I will head to Foxwoods and try to win back some of the money to pay off his bookie. If he owed his bookie too much, they might have been threatening him or his GF. Plus, this kid probably owed BU some money and had to pay for some of his wedding. Plus he probably did not want to get married anyways. This whole paragraph =s a lot of stress. He should have asked Obama for a Bailout????

@RCluett: "He's going to get a fair trial."

I understand your attempt here, but it's not foregone that this will be true. Because of the media circus that just ensued, it will be extremely difficult to find a jury that has not already formed a strong opinion of this guy. My guess is they won't get a full jury that is completely impartial from day one.

Only time will tell here when the full evidence comes out. We know that psychopaths are often considered great people by many. If he is linked to women who were robbed and/or murdered in different locations that is very powerful evidence. If he is not linked, then another possibility (without other evidence) is that he was visiting this prostitute to buy her services and was recorded on tape doing that. That has to be ruled out by the police. Who by the way, generally are very good at what they do. We will see.

The police have lots more evidence on this guy than we've been told and are damn sure of it or they wouldn't have come out with this guy's name and face. He will get his trial, and we will be reading lots more in the months ahead.
The fiancee must be freaked about this. How naive of her to ask in her email that they both be left alone.

BUSM Wrote: "His poor deluded fiancee. I knew him very well in med school. Though I am shocked to discover that I know the suspect, I must say that I am not at all surprised. He was a very nice man, but it was clear to me and others I knew that he was disturbed and a bit "off.""
Then why didn't you report him to the police, you wingnut. You're in medical school, you have the ability to diagnose psychiatric abnormalities and psychoses. Hell, you're almost an MD (i.e. Million Dollars, Mother's Dream, Minor Deity). By failing to report your diagnosis, you've aided and abetted this mad-dog killer. You could have been a hero, now you may be charged as an accessory.

People really think if using anonymous email then you would not be found. All they need to do is to see which ip source the requests are coming from. Once they get that, they can trace to the internet provider and find you. I was surprise how long it took them to find him.

I dislike being the one to say this, folks, but: How about a PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE?

The man is INNOCENT until he is found guilty by a JURY.

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Why do you "dislike" saying this? It's a main pillar of what this country is founded on, and it's the mantra/law of any good, morale country today. If this guy is found guilty by a jury (looks like evidence points to that), then lock him away forevUntillthen

Just another reason to have casinos in the Bay State. Just think of all the money the state would have if this kid didn't have to drive to CT to gamble. DiMasi's gone. Let's get it done.

while this guy may be a gambler, it's doubtful that gambling debt was the sole reason for his crimes. he could have easily come up with money to pay down his debts in other ways. for example, the people i know who went to medical school were always doing things like adding on to their loans for "living expenses." they were able to pay for vacations, weddings, tv's, etc that way. it's not just tuition that puts them into debt!! he also could have gotten cash advances on his credit cards or borrowed money from his parents. there are plenty of ways out from under debt than armed robbery. what is probably a more likely reason for his crimes is that as a gambler he probably has a risk-seeking personality and got a rush from robbing hookers.

Let's keep in mind that law enforcement is not perfect and they have accused the wrong people before: Think Charles Stuart. The police arrested the wrong man in Mission Hill and come to find out it was Mr.Stuart who killed his own wife and unborn child. If this man did indeed commit the crimes he has been charged with, then he should be found guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison. However, you are innocent until proven guilty. There is a lot of hearsay floating around the internet and the cities of Boston and Warwick, RI. All I am suggesting is that the evidence better be rock solid before this case goes to trial. If this young man is innocent, then the DA's office and the Commonweath owe him a HUGE PUBLIC APOLOGY.

It seems odd that someone in medical school wouldn't have the common sense to cover up their trail and then continue to wreak havoc while the entire region is on alert. And I honestly wonder how tech-savvy the Boston police are when they consider a matching IP address to be solid evidence. Unless they have something physical linking him to the crime scene like a fingerprint, I'm not convinced.

Its nothing more then stupidity that all that 2 yrs of hard work gone down the drain pipe. This is imperfect world. This shows what appears outside may surprise you. In any case. Dont jump to conclusions until all the evidence are presented and proven. Bewarn What appear pecfect is never even close to perfect. His life is no acception. I went though med school myself. I can understand how enormous pressure he was in. First two years in med school is tough as either you get kicked out or stay alive... on top of that engaged to be married? He snaped . clear case of mental breakdown

Innocent?

We're only looking at the tip of the iceberg as far as evidence goes. And it is damning. "Cell to cell" contact. The murder weapon. IP address. E-mail correspondence. Three different surveillance cameras. Fingerprints. And no doubt eye witnesses from the 2 other robberies. To top it off, they baited him on craigslist in the same manner as the 3 other crimes.

Maybe OJ Simpson can be persuaded to track down the "real killer" while they try this innocent man.

Once again, people, innocent until proven guilty only applies -- and was only ever intended to apply -- to the courts. The courts must treat him that way, but everyone else is free to judge away, just as you are free to clamor for his innocence. It's amazing the number of constitutional scholars on here that missed the class on the 1st amendment right to free speech.

And FYI, evidence was released some time ago -- evidence of communication between suspect and victims, gun, and plastic ties have all been found. He's as guilty as guilty can be. this case was simply old fashioned police work. Nice work guys!

In the Globe published earlier about the killing, Markoff is listed as 22. Which is it guys, 22 or 23?

This guy is innocent until proven guilty. For all we know the BPD is railroading an innocent man to state pen for life (would that be a big surprise?). Let's suspend any judgment until he has received a fair trail.

Wow, that Maddoff is really a bad guy, first the Ponzi scheme and then this.

contempt: Your personal opinions of journalists aside, why not publish the finance's name???

From contempt:
Why publish is fiance's name?

This is why I absolutely, positively HATE all journalists of any kind. Your scum.

SHE WROTE AN EMAIL TO GOOD MORNING AMERICA, IDIOT. She's not exactly trying to avoid the limelight is she?

He was a smart, articulate kid? LOL

No, he was a dumbo who thankfully did not even remotely have a clue that his every action online could be tracked. Thankfully he was a moron.

Geekapoo

BU has no obligation to wait until he comes to trial to suspend or expell him.
Innocent until proven guilty is for the courts. A university can suspend a student for any improper behavior - or for being accused of improper behavior (ie being arrested).
Personally I'm glad he's been suspended. Do you want an alleged killer receiving a medical degree?
I'm sure if he's not guilty he can be re-instated after the trial.
And innocent until proven guilty doesn't mean people aren't allowed to speculate - it only means THE JUDGE AND JURY can't speculate until they've heard all the facts.

He was allegedly photographed at 3 different places where the killings took place? Oh, well, then he's definitely guilty because a crappy surveillance camera certainly means "murderer".

Man, there are some real brain trusts here.

As a retired hospital CEO I could tell you many tales of bizarre things involving people that you would never suspect. More people live double lives than you might think. There was one OB-GYN who was convicted of molesting teen girls. And there had been little things that were not related but sort of said that something might be wrong. It does happen, unfortunately.

He had more than a gambling problem. Lots of people with gambling problems don't bind, rob, and murder prostitutes for the little money they've got.

It's always the quiet ones.

innocent before being PROVED guilty, whatever happened to that...many people are jumping to conclusions without hearing the facts in this case. Yes, maybe he was living a secret life, but we can't tell if that is even him with the blurry surveillance pictures...i truly hope that if he is guilty, the evidence will prove his guilt but we can't accuse this guy of this horrific murder based on what we've heard so far. They haven't got any ballistic tests back to prove it was the gun used. And whats the big deal about the duct tape and zip ties, both of which are common household items, both items are in my house right now.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has its work cut out for it. I hope that they are prepared for the legal juggernaut that Phil's family will certain bequeath on Dr. Phil. Today's stuttering performance by Ms. Suffolk County DA was unimpressive. Citizens of the commonwealth, including those that opt to pursue careers that are illegal,, deserve a legal system that can keep fiscal pace with those of criminal leaning and of fiscal means. Certainly we pay for such a system, though the facts and strategies behind prosecuting Phil are far different from those employed to put a trigger happy gangster from Mattapan behind bars---something the DA's office does with efficiency and no fanfare.

It is unclear that this state has recently tried a suspect, who at the Globe's and Herald's boostering, has achieved such national attention. The Globe's sycophant-ism and sickening sexualization of a man suspected of murder has played into the hands of Phil's defense. This GQ villain, as the Globe would have you believe, leads a life from the pages of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. His crimes our entertainment. Could there possibly be a jury of his peers? Not a chance.

Furthermore, in law enforcements haste to apprehend Phil using any means possible are there areas of exploitation and error? In the words of Sarah Palin, you betcha. Phil's defense is on it and for every cyber sleuth paid for with our tax dollars, Phil's family will pay double. Simple economics and self preservation. Does the commonwealth really care about Phil's victims? Not one bit, and while officials will spew the needless rhetoric of "it could be your daughter/sister/wife...." they are not. These were marginal women, that by virtue of conducting business on the turf of the landed gentry, demanded our attention....but only for a moment.

Phil's defense and family have plenty to lose. Every opportunity to stall and present they will take. Over time, resulting from countless delays this case and Phil's victims will be forgotten.

at least the fiancee found out what kind of man he is before the wedding and not after....

Markoff, like Scott Peterson, is a nice-looking, articulate person who emobodies the essence of evil. As a well-groomed young man without a conscience, empathy or concern for others, he has had to feign the usual human emotions all his life. Any close family member or his fiance would be in denial. They have perceived him as he wanted to be perceived...a good guy, a smart guy, a guy headed for a wonderful career. I would venture to say there is an anger lurking just under this guy's skin. He is obviously not crazy or anti-social. He is just like those who kill because "I wanted to know what it felt like." They are not truly human and need to be treated as such.

seeing that the victim put up a fight for her life I would think they have some good DNA!

"On might think that the University which granted Martin Luther King, his doctorate would respect the Constitution and the bill of rights. Innocent until proven guilty. Well, scratch BU Law off the list."

Actually, that's a common misconception. Obviously, BU can't convict the guy of a crime, but they can certainly suspend him for suspected criminal activity. Do not mistake the concept of "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" with that of "out of school on your ass while criminal charges against you are pending." They're two totally different things.

Man, I love everyone who trashes BU for suspending a student who has been accused of multiple VIOLENT crimes. I bet you're the same people that would cry foul on BU if they chose not to suspend him and he then committed a violent act on campus.

It's not a chance worth their taking. Notice that they have suspended him as well, not expelled him from the program. It's a safety precaution, dorks.

Interesting to hear the people who don't believe this guy was the killer based on appearance, his upbringing and direction of his life. Seems scary to think that someone who looks so much like 'you' could be capable of such things. He is innocent until proven guilty, but don't be so naive to think that because he doesn't look like a thug, he's incapable of killing.

That said, if Markoof is the all around successful, smart, good looking guy he appears to be... if he did have a gambling problem or was in debt he would feel comfortable going to his family and ruining this image? Imagine the disappointment. Pressure works in some strange ways as does the ego.

Needed for a rock solid conviction:

a) Eyeball witness who can identify the suspect without being contradicted or having the credibility of his/her testimony challenged;
b) DNA evidence linking the murder victim to the suspect;
c) Electronic evidence linking the suspect to the time of meeting (e.g., emails from his account or stored in the cache suggesting a meetup time that coincides with the crime);
d) Ballistic matches on the weapon seized in the home to the crime scene; and
e) A convincing motive/story offered for the sake of the jury

A confession trumps everything else. This might be done for a plea deal if this is in fact the perp.

I believe Ms Brisman, and the other women were selected as targets because Mr. Markoff believed they would not report robberies to the police. It must have appeared to be a "safe" way to get the cash he needed (if the gambling theory holds).

When he lost control of the situation with Ms. Brisman, everything changed.

...would you want to believe that your relative, boyfriend or girlfriend was capable of this? I'm sure the fiance' is in total shock and jumped the gun by calling GMA and after careful thought will start to think about things--signs, etc.....what is the grandfather supposed to say?...ya, he's guilty (the family will be completely humiliated, but do you expect that they won't stand by him?--if he is guilty he betrayed them to.) I agree that the police probably have a lot more on him than they are telling...but only time and evidence will tell whether or not he is guilty....stupid stupid guy if he is thinking he would never get caught. There is major pressure in Medical School as well as other schools, and these days everyone is under pressure for everything....and don't go around killing people....Everyone is a victim here....god rest the soul of the victims....god help him....i hope for his sake he isn't guilty.

Here is a great example of why casinos are a bad idea. Get use to it folks it is the begining of the end for this state.

Naturally, the media blows this out of proportion. This jerk decided he would rob prostitutes and nobody would get hurt.... when one of them put up a fight, he panicked and shot her. His problem is that killing somebody during a robbery is murder... even if you did not intend it to happen that way. The media makes is sound like he was going around killing people and that money was not the motive. He has to be "touched" to go and do it again a few days later.

B.U. was going to make this guy a doctor! Think about it....

they found a semi-automatic weapon. If ballistics come back the same as the gun that killed the girl, it's game over. As it is, if they can place him at the scene of these crimes, plus have his emails, plus the physical camera photos and maybe the jacket worn in them, he's a goner. It's not about the individual pieces of evidence, it's about the body of evidence that would lead to the overwhelming conclusion that this is the guy.

A well-educated young, white male who kills women at random, yet remains highly functional in day-to-day life...that’s not abnormal or shocking, that’s the basic profile for 90% of captured serial killers. What bothers me is that so much of the coverage of this story features reporters and interviewees saying how "shocking" it is and how nobody would have thought such a clean-cut young man could have committed these crimes. If this guy’s clothing was just a little shabbier, or if his hair and skin were just a little darker, would these people be expressing such shock?!?!? I think we all know the answer to that one...

As for the girlfriend...her defense of him is sickening. I don’t think she’s delusional, I think she is very calculating and is playing the situation for her own benefit. I can’t help but wonder if she’s just as much of a prostitute as the victims – only she wasn’t exchanging services for cash, but for the status of being a doctor’s wife. His arrest probably wasn’t part of her plan, but I’m sure her coming forward was less about defending him and more about cashing in. If he is found guilty, I bet that within a month she will have a book deal, a reality show, and/or a Lifetime Movie based on her “ordeal.”

@ golf1945: I think this will simply be an episode of Law and Order. There's already a New York connection with the late Ms. Brisman (RIP). The preppie-turned-murderer has been overdone and by most speculative accounts, this was an accidental murder rather than a calculated execution. I only hope that more of the facts are made public in a timely manner. Then again, it took sometime for the "torture memos" to be made public and we still don't have the full story.

"I dslike being the one to say this, folks, but: How about a PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE?
The man is INNOCENT until he is found guilty by a JURY.
Just a reminder . . "

Well if it quacks, walks, smells, and leaves a stinking trail like a duck it's probably a duck......and the gun, cable-tie restraints, and a roll of duct tape make it safe enough to call it a caught duck!
Just a reminder - no one here is, or can, take away his right to a trial...it's just some whiskey talk about what is apparently more a Mr Hyde than a Dr Jekyll.

Busted!

I just hope that this tragic event highlights the power of a gambling addiction. it will not be helpful for Massachusetts, in the long run, to increase the opportunity for citizens who might be vulnerable to this addiction to be more easily exposed to it--as they will be if we bring casinos to the state. This is not to say that these events would have unfolded any differently had there been casinos nearby--but I can't help but feel that there are people who might become addicted to gambling who will avoid that fate if it is not readily available.

Interesting that we're talking about an intelligent, educated individual who doesn't realize that every email comes along with an IP address. I'm 30 years older than him, extremely low-tech, and even I know about IP addresses. Wow. Nothing like giving law enforcement a path to your door.

I can't wait for Scott Harshbarger and the League of Women Voters to turn this guy's trip to Foxwoods into a scare tactic that approving resort casinos will create thousands of more Philip Markoffs in Massachusetts! Of course, former attorney general, that'd be like saying every lawyer whom cheats on his spouse by sleeping with young impressionable staff members will someday turn into a state attorney general who acts like a common scold!

To BUSM student, #125:
I have noted Professor Kimberly's response; I would suggest that while the Professor's comment was pertinent and actually contributed to discussion, perhaps he/she should avoid contributing to the discussion -- that is, if he/she truly wants to avoid participating in this media circus he/she claims to deplore. Also, I'm curious to hear more about this "higher standard" physicians and medical students are held to, which the general public is not; is it simply, "do not murder and rob people," or is there more to it than that? I'm sure any institution affiliated with a murder suspect would balk in some manner, regardless of whether or not the individual was a medical student.

Additionally, I hate to bring race into it, but I find it too interesting not to note that there seems to be an unusual amount of defense on behalf of this suspect in the comments, at least moreso than if, perhaps, the suspect had been a little more "ethnically diverse." I'm not ready to roast the guy alive, but at the same time it seems that seeing pictures of a young, white, college-educated man hits a little too close to home for Bay State residents, possibly eliciting this suspension of guilt. I dunno, call me old-fashioned, but I think if the suspect were, for example, an African-American male, there'd be a lot more "burn him at the stake" comments instead of the "let's wait and see" variety.

Lastly, let's cut the fiancee some slack. Granted, she's invited criticism by issuing a public statement. But, come on -- I should think we'd all hope for/expect the kind of reaction she's having out of our own fiancees. What's the alternative? Guy gets arrested and the fiancee immediately condemns him?

@ABM -- there already is gambling in Boston. What do you think Keno, the lottery, horse racing, hold 'em tournaments, Bingo, et al are? Gambling doesn't create killers or crime.

Serial killer? No way!Guy only killed a single person, who was resisting a robbery. Guy robs 3 others and was capable of killing them but refrains from doing so. A ruthless killer yes but more of a robber not serial killer.

The only thing they need is his DNA........off the duct tape, under fingernails of the victim etc......

Connecticut just released someone who served 18 years for a rape he did not commit....don't be so quick in convicting this guy through the media...it seems like everyone needs instant gratification in one form or another....

"And Patrick wants to bring gambling to Boston - to attract more people and behavior like this?????"

People like this meaning med student capable of murderer?
Sheesh....

The guy's actually kinda hot.

Great police work !

I don't know about this one. I don't buy that the police are making a profit by running to the media with information as soon as it looks like the puzzle is coming together, but I would say that they run with info this quickly in an effort to cover their own butts and show the public that they are doing their jobs. It just looks better if they have a suspect in less than a week. Even better if the media can brand the guy and get him effectively convicted before the evidence sees a court room. It's an after thought to make sure it's the right guy. Why didn't they get the victims who saw the guys face to identify him in a lineup right off the bad? That would have set things straight right away.

The most interesting thing about this whole story is that the culprit robbed a woman one day, murdered another soon after, and then without any qualms, robbed a third at gunpoint only one state away, and only day(s) later. The person who could do all that is an incredible psychopath. Imagine the composure it must take to keep going on that path after you have just murdered someone. So, was this the first time he murdered? Whoever did that, whoever did those exact things, is truly a deep-down criminal. If it's this Markoff guy, he picked up his fiance and was trotting off to a casino after all THAT. Simply mind-boggling.

I feel sorry for the girlfriend, imagine going from thinking you are about to wed a doctor to oh by the way he's also a killer. Another thing about her, doesn't she read the paper or watch the news, his photo was all over, didn't she think for one second that hey, that guy looks like you honey.

To Poster #140, get real, will you. There is a difference between the court of law and the court of public opinion, OK. The killer will get his day in court, be entitled to a fair trial, where he will be found guilty because he so obviously is. As for the court of public opinion, we have the right to our opinions. And, mine is that he is guilty. And most reasonable people share the same opinion. As for poster #142, you're too blinded by your own leftist, liberal idealogy that I'm not going to waste much time opining on your's. I mean, c'mon, you're concerned that most killers don't get their day in court! Are you for real? Please...

read the story - I was responding to news reports about the stepfather, not the article-of-the-minute above the comments (the articles may be updated over time). Yes, I have read the previous stories, and was putting them together with the news report, which did not name which father figure they were talking about... as you probably know, some kids are adopted by their stepfathers, but the fact is that this is Markoff's kid, apparently. It seems however pretty much universal among his closest relationships that Philip Markoff was regarded as a pleasant and decent guy. But maybe that is because callous behavior is not noticed among some people, whether it is your father or your stepfather, just as long as you perform well competitively in the world.

i can't help but notice that there has been numerous posts stating not to try this guy in public despite the evidence against him. we never see these posts when there is a black man or immigrant suspect in a high profile case.

the fiance's name was released well BEFORE she ever e-mailed ABC, people. and whomever stated that she is not a victim...wth? everybody here is a victim. this is a tragic event for all who are involved. try to show some humanity.

oh yeah, and let's not forget he hasn't even been INDICTED yet! these are CHARGES!

I guess you could say that the BPD got a "happy ending" . get it?? Happy ending...like a massage?? Hello? Anyone out there?

Methatswho wrote:

"Are you people serious? Innocent until proven guilty? That is for the courts. As for me, a private citizen, I'm not idiot...he did it and anyone with any commonsense knows it."

One reason we really need the courts is to protect us from armchair vigilantes like Methatswho. Philip Markoff has been arrested and charged, and most of the evidence (for him, as well as against him) remains to be disclosed. Nothing more. Most of the posters here evidently watch waaay too much television and seem to believe that crimes are solved conclusively in an hour, and never with lingering doubt or conflicting evidence.

When I served as a juror, we had one juror with an attitude like Methatswho who managed to tie our jury in knots for a day and a half. This guy had made up his mind and we were a bunch of touch-feely pansies for wanting to review the evidence objectively. We ended with a hung jury and the accused perp was released to sexually abuse other children.

Let's all hope that if we're ever in the courtroom as a defendant, that clearer thinking prevails. Who would choose to be tried before a lynch mob posing as an impartial jury?

The presumption of innocence is a criminal trial issue - it has nothing to do with a Boston.com message board. People have the right to state any opinion they want about his guilt.

Evidence: 1) They traced messages to/from BOTH Boston hotel victims to his computer ,2) They got a hold of his cell phone records last week and traced numerous phone calls and texts from his cell phone to the victims.3)His cell phone was used in the vicinity of both hotels around the time of each crime,4) his car is on a video outside one of the hotels 5) he is on video going back to his apartment not long after the crimes 6) they found the murder weapon and more of the exact same ties used in the crimes in his apartment 7) he has been positively ID'd by at least 1 surviving victim and maybe by the couple in RI as well.8)there is some kind of unspecified DNA evidence and for all who don't think it looks like him on the hotel videos the cops really got on to him because numerous people(including 2 BU classmates) called last week because they said they immediately knew it was him when they saw the pictures on TV.On top of all of that,there is a rumor that they have records of him contacting another potential victim over the past weekend when they had him ,his car ,his phone 'his computer and his apartment under 24 hr surveillance because they were pretty sure it was him starting last Thursday.

Anyone who thinks this guy is innocent or doesn't look like the one in the hotel pictures belongs in the same moron club with the fiance.

where is that dummy Jimbo who said the media is allowed to form conclusions and report who is guilty and who is not? Now that the media is backpedaling from their previous headline that screamed "he killed them because he needed gambling money!" to this headline "he was heading to foxwoods, but we don't really have a strong link to gambling, we don't know if he was a casual gambler or not"... do you still think the Media should have the power to judge Mr. Jimbo???

How about we all (myself included) wait to post our SILLY comments until ALL of the facts are in!! This story is probably going to change even more over the next few days so let's WAIT to digest it all first. The internet is instantaneous, justice should not be!

"#111.. they found a semi-automatic weapon in his place.. if you don't know how to use it, im sure you could shoot 3 times by accident."

A semi automatic still requires you to squeeze the trigger for each shot. It would be pretty hard to make the claim "oh it just went off by accident" after firing three rounds. 80% of rounds fired in anger miss the intended target even at close range. Unless he was well trained and keeping his cool (doubtful) then he probably just reflexively shot at her until he finally saw her go down. The round to the heart probably dropped her like a sack of bricks.

Some people talk about innocent until proven guilty and ask where's the evidence, but this guy was ID'd because the police was able to locate his computer IP address through the email exchanges with the victim. I mean, what more solid evidence do you need. RIP to the victim. The fiancee is apparently in denial now but later she'll be glad he got caught before too late.

Jeffery Dahmer was clean-cut, attractive and all-American. Then they found body parts in his freezer. Looks can be deceiving.

This punk is a real sicko. He owes Trump Taj Mahal $37,000. He said he was a businessman.

I am so sick of everyone saying how smart this guy is. NOT SMART. IP's don't lie. First of all, when creating an email account for the purpose of robbing small desperate women on CL, go to the library or an internet cafe. Don't do it from your home, duh. Then, when you see all the media coverage and your image on the tele and realize you were stupid enough to do it on your own PC, run it over with your car to at least make it harder for them to bust you. During this lapse in the investigation, get rid of the weapon and the ties and duct tape and leave the country.

As for everyone concerned about him being innocent until proven guilty and complaining about BPD - there is clearly a concrete connection with both victims online. Not to mention witnesses and physical evidence that has not been released.

Everyone here has very strong opinions. For those of you who feel he is guilty and for those of you who feel he is innocent think about this: two of the people he allegedly attacked are still alive and would be capable of fingering him. If they do, I'd say he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.

Finally, in spite of the email she sent to ABC, the fiancee is clearly delusional. I mean, it was fine up until "if you could leave us both alone, we would greatly appreciate it." By all accounts, the woman is a very bright woman -- this, in my opinion, is nothing more than her begging for it to all go away because it is reality.

#184: Gambling certainly can be the sole reason for overwhelming debt. I once dated a degenerate gambler from a fine, educated, well-to-do family. Private schooling and all the toys, bells and whistles were at his feet. He bet on anything and everything and gambling is a disease and an addiction just as drugs and alcohol. A person can end up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and if they go through loan sharks it is worse. Crime is committed for many reasons but steady, ongoing crime is due to feeding addictions. We do not know the whole story but chances are his family was aware of his gambling and tired of giving him the money to pay off debts, cut him off not knowing it would cause him to take desperate measures and he turned to what he thought was an easy way to get quick money. The person I used to date eventually went through all his family’s money, his inheritance and ended up in jail for credit card schemes, etc. And the sad thing is that he was a great guy. It was the gambling that turned him into what he became but thank God he had a moral conscience. If this Mankoff person is in fact guilty, he appears to be a sociopath who killed a person and then was seen checking and or texting his Blackberry. He is a gambler and the worst kind of monster; those who blend in with society and you would never, ever suspect.

"We expect to marry in August and share a wonderful, meaningful life together."

Um... you might want to look into a refund on your deposit for the function hall.

Do any of you morons understand the judicial process? Markoff was ARRAIGNED today. This is where the government presents the evidence to a judge so he/she can decide if that evidence is sufficient to continue with the case. This is a public process so that the government can't just snatch people off the street. It's not the "police running to the press."

People.... don't forget that Boston University School of Medicine also produced ANOTHER murdering medical student around 2000-2001. I forgot his name, but he was a former Israeli soldier who was convicted in the execution-style shooting of a young person in Dorchester, I believe (may have been 2 people, actually).
BUSM has got to get their admissions act together!

How much did he rob from the prostitute? How much is one night at Marriott Copley? Doesn't make sense to meet there if he needs cash.

How much do you want to bet this guy has killed before?! He murdered the women at the hotel and then went trawling for victims a day later in RI! Anyone who accidently killed a robbery victim would be freaked out and would have left town. Only a seasoned killer would be so quick to commit the same crime a half hour away. I guarantee he is a serial killer. Robbery is his preference, but if the situation goes south he kills and doesn't think anything of it. How many coeds went missing at SUNY when he was a student? Boston police, Masssachusetts staties and New York state police need to look at unsolved homocides and robberies involving women prostitutes, drug addicts, and call girls.

He's the guy. These days, with all the trails one leaves with electronic communication there is NO way for the computer illiterate to hide. The picture completely matches. This is your guy. I feel sorry for the family because the more they are in denial the more they are gonna be hit when they finally have to concede that the facts are overwhelming.

After reading the comment section, I can't believe how many people think that this guy is innocent or the police found no real evidencethat Markoff is the actual killer.

The best evidence in these modern age that no one argue are DNA and IP address (which is 100% certainity of putting/connecting a person to a crime scene), both of them links Markoff to the crime. Police also found guns and plastics that he used to kill and rob.

There's no doubt the security "grabs" look extraordinarily like the accused. And it appears they have quite a lot of evidence against him. But I have a few nagging questions one of which is: if the victim put up quite a struggle, wouldn't there be marks/injuries on the accused?

When you spend your entire life in the Academia you lose street and common knowledge. Anyone can buy an education but only a few are intelligent.

Rush to judgment. That's it in a nutshell. DA granstanding. Allegations. No proof. New smedia telling everyone the whole case without any facts which are verified incontrovetible evidence allowed into evidence before a jury. I feel sorry for everyone involved except the news media nd the prosecutor who has no business trying this case into a teleprompter. Great day for the DA's office, whether or not they have the evidence to convict this poor soul. Maybe the defense ought to call DA Nifong up from the Duke case for his "expert" tesstimony.. Maybe everyone making comment ought to read the Constitution.

Actually I believe the crimes has 2 key motives: Markoff's chronic gambling debts and his thrill-seeking personality might have led him to commit these crimes. I also believe that he was, and still is having a chronic gambling addiction that totally smashed his finances to pieces and he's resorting to desperate measures to pay them off (by robbing innocent prosituites). He also might have previous instances where he was violent toward women, and it's a good thing he was arrested! His fiancee didn't have a idea what she was getting herself in, and I wouldn't be surprised if once the ugly truth comes out about her Prince Charming she would thank God for getting her out before she was murdered.

very judgemental people. pray!!!

Flashbacks to the Duke Lax cases anyone? Clean-cut, successful, white male victimized, demonized, and slandered by the media and public officials prior to receiving any type of hearing or trial. You think they would learn.

White boy's heading to Foxwoods.
OPPS!
SNAKE EYES!

If he had a past that included harming animals, it is very possible they have the right guy. Another clean cut serial killer was Bundy.

The pictures from RI look strange one with a guy with a light blue or tan hat, next with a man with no hat, the next with a guy with a dark blue hat that just came though a door that was not open a few seconds earlier. They all have the same clothes strange, whats up with that???

It is curious how Susan Boyle's appearance initially made people think she was some sort of freak and she turns out ot be a sweetheart.. Philip Markoff appeared like the all american boy and turns out to be a monster. The world is askew.

"These days, with all the trails one leaves with electronic communication there is NO way for the computer illiterate to hide. "
---------------------------
Well he wasn't really hiding...not much. Surely he knew hotels like that have surveillance cameras everywhere....surely he knew that cell phone locations are traceable yet he was seen on camera texting or dialing while near the scenes of the crimes.....surely he knew this HOME COMPUTER was traceable....surely he knew that leaving a hand gun, ammo, same cable ties as used on victims, and duct tape in his apartment was incriminating...surely he knew that repeating the crimes so close together is risky.....and surely he knew that his gambling debt would catch up with him.

Really think he was stupid & hiding or smart but sick and wanted to be caught? I vote the later.

And what's with his fiance headed with him to a casino on a Monday afternoon while both are med students with likely more study work to do than would ever allow for such a between holidays escape? Something ain't right about that finance either....

Another Ted Bundy. Psychopaths are hollow people, incapable of empathy, aware of their deficiency, but put on a good show of being normal. So we hear time and time again "this could not be true. He is such a nice person. He woudn't hurt a fly." But they have the psychological profile of Monitor Lizards and crocodiles. This one got caught because like many of these killer robots, he thought he was smarter than everyone else. A common delusion with psychopaths.

I seriously urge the police to go over his past through his teenage years with a fine tooth comb. In my experience, there is likely to be some history there. Stuff he got away with.

MO, or modus operandi, is Latin (not English).

I'm just saying.

The legal standard for proof in criminal court proceedings is "beyond a shadow of a doubt." I learned this in my criminal law class. There's no way they're ever going to amass that kind of evidence against this guy. There'll always be a little doubt. It's a wonder anyone ever gets convicted for anything, since even the most preposterous alibi is enough to create some doubt.

Forget the 9,000 posts previously to this one, this is the only one you need to read.
This guy was a gambler, his girl knew he liked to gamble but not to the extent that he does. So, to support his gambling addiction and because as all compulsive addicted gamblers do, he lost money that he either borrowed or wasnt suppose to gamble with (wedding/school money/credit card ?) and needed to put it back so he used this new brilliant crime activity to get the money to gamble more and try and win losses back.
Intelligent guy thinking up a brilliant scheme of attacking women that would not run to police when robbed because they were participating in illegal activities. His problem was that as a gambling addict, his focus was only on gambling & getting more money to gamble, he lost all sense of what the obvious missteps that were occurring like survelliance cameras, cell phone, computer id, etc etc .
Compulsive Gambling is a disease, period. He is sick.

Please always remember following fact: among 2nd year med. students,
nearly 26% of them drop out of medical school or never passed bar exam, Mr. markoff would certainly be one of them.

as a physician, i am saddened to hear this news. but i am not surprised. there were at least one or two strange guys in my med school class who could have led a seedy social life. for some reason, the public thinks all med students are upstanding citizens. doctors, lawyers, and other professionals have at least the same rate of mental illness as the average person, and may even have more breakdowns from the stress of the system. all you doctors out there would agree with me on this.
simply passing tests to get into med school does not guarantee that someone is mentally competent.

the real question is whether he was gambling in order to pay off student loans!!

This is troubling. It seems that when a "clean cut" blond college graduate gets caught committing a heinous crime it is big news, but if the person was black or Latino, but with the same educational and family background there would not be much such descriptions as "clean cut". This is a sad country we live in.

No correlation exists between external appearance/mannerism on the one hand and actual thought/behavior on the other. Rather than expressing shock, at the apparent incongruity in this case, better that readers look inside themselves for why they have grown up to judge people on their external, most superficial, characteristics - or make any judgment at all about people they do not "know".

ummm, lets see....if your fiance as a black jacket like the one on surveillance....hmmmm, i'd say it's him. run for the hills ms fiance.

Maybe he did it or maybe they got the wrong guy? How can anyone know for certain? Maybe somebody made it look like he did it to take the heat off them? Does seem weird to me how people act so certain about something they just heard about and just became public.

I look at this young man , read a little about who he is..and feel very sad. What on earth brought him to this passage in life?

He attended SUNY.... a note from The Times Union
note..his mother worked at a casino... and comments from lab classmate

By most accounts Markoff seemed to have a good life: The handsome, clean-cut young man who hailed from Madison County in upstate New York, was planning a lavish beachfront wedding this summer to a beautiful woman. He also had all the hallmarks of a solid middle-class existence. His father was a dentist, his mother worked in a casino and he played basketball with his brother in the driveway. High school acquaintances said he was a smart, if slightly nerdy, student who excelled in science, made the honor roll, and liked to bowl.
But a lab partner who worked closely with Markoff at Boston University School of Medicine in recent years said Markoff was troubled by profound mood swings. He came to class sometimes in seemingly intractable depressions, which worried Tiffany B. Montgomery to the point that she considered alerting school counselors that he might be suicidal.

"He just wasn't right in the head, and I knew it, and probably other people did, too," said Montgomery, 26, who spent hours with him each day in the lab.

"My friends from the lab group have confirmed that 'you weren't the only one feeling that way.' I got the impression he was really disturbed," she added
I JUST SAW THIS.... IM IN FL. FOR THE WINTER BUT I AM FROM THE ALBANY AREA OF NEW YORK. SORRY FOR CAPS IT IS EASIER FOR MY OLD EYES. Cant help but wonder if he went to the Indian Reservation right off the new york state thruway not far from albany and if there debt/gambling problems back there.... and also a thought about the possibility other woman were robbed or even worse killed in the state of new york.
I am saddened by this sory.... saddened by the story of caylee in orlando fl and her mother casey and horrified over the sunday school teacher and the murder of little sandra cantu. They will all get their day in court.

my prayers are with the families of all these victims.

#258 "Rush to judgment. That's it in a nutshell. DA granstanding. Allegations. No proof. New smedia telling everyone the whole case without any facts which are verified incontrovetible evidence allowed into evidence before a jury. I feel sorry for everyone involved except the news media nd the prosecutor who has no business trying this case into a teleprompter. Great day for the DA's office, "
DO YOU UNDERSTAND that the DA made his statements during the suspect's ARRAINGMENT HEARING, which is part of our RIGHT to due process?

TAlanDershowitzer - you must have done poorly in your criminal law class

the legal standard for proof in criminal court proceedings is "beyond a shadow of a doubt." I learned this in my criminal law class.

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In criminal trials, the burden of proof is beyond a REASONABLE doubt.
Why have a trial if proof exists beyond a shadow of a doubt? *rolleyes*

I blame George Bush!!!....oh wait,...he's not in office anymore...........

Do any of you morons understand the judicial process? Markoff was ARRAIGNED today. This is where the government presents the evidence to a judge so he/she can decide if that evidence is sufficient to continue with the case. This is a public process so that the government can't just snatch people off the street. It's not the "police running to the press."
Posted by CityPointKid April 21, 09 08:40 PM
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Thanks CPK. All these posts abt LE/DA running to press are driving me crazy. The bulk of Markoff info to date was made public during his ARRAINGMENT, as it is his right to DUE PROCESS.

Fiar trial cries already? LOL. If you all think the info is so lame the judge will toss the charges out and ther will be no hearing. Anyone following the Duke Lax Case could understand that the wheels of justice turn slowly. The case couldn't be challenged b/c Fong wouldn't turn over his faux evidence and fabricated case notes.

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"the real question is whether he was gambling in order to pay off student loans!!"

That's not "the real question" - it's a minor one compared to learning about his behavior of recent and possibly deeper suspicious past
The student loan debt payment Is not even a good motive - why would someone be going to extremes to "pay off" student loans at only their 2nd year of med school? They wouldn't. Paying off a big gambling debt before getting married might be a better one.....if there ever could be one for felony murder and kidnapping.

Everyone is so quick to say he's guilty.....He may be guilty of trying to get a rub an tug....but to convict him of murder before hearing the facts??? come on people....Stop being gullable Obamanites and let the justice system do what it's supposed to do. Innocent befor eporven guilty..>Remember???? Gotta love the media for trying to crucify the man before he has even had a trial.

have a little compassion people. is it that hard to understand the fiances reaction? shes not culpable here at all. shes just a woman who thought she was engaged to someone she cared about and planned on marrying. there's a presumption of innocence in this country and if anyone is going to presume innocence, doesn't it make sense for it to be the fiance? she's a victim here as well, obviously a much lesser degree than the women physically attacked, but a victim nonetheless.

He robbed people he KNEW would not report him because of their illegal activity. He is an egomaniac that never in a million years thought a white, BU med student would even be a suspect. He's not very bright. IP addresses are so easy to trace. He didn't even consider that because he never thought he would be reported. He kept the ties and gun at his apartment because he thinks he is above everyone else. His fiance is in for a rude awakening.

The spirit world enters into the equation when it comes to unspeakable acts of violence. This is how one becomes so dark and hidden, it is also through the spirit of God one can be healed and saved. Psychologists cannot tell you this, but it still is very real. So is life after death.

Yup blonde guy gets more press because they dont kill very often or hijack planes. 70% black males in their life time earns a criminal record. On their own turf aka Africa they garner the highest crime rates in the world. Go talk to a lucky White Zimbabwe farmer who lost every thing at the barrel of an AK 47. The not so lucky ones are dead.

I'm sick and tired of seeing people being tried and convicted in public forums such as this one. Why bother with due process? I vaguely remember a principal our court system is founded on...Innocent until proven guilty. Those of you on this site that have condmned this man all ready are just as bad as the stupid media machines out there that publish this garbage. It does nothing but hinder the process of selecting a untainted jury. I'm not suggesting this man is innocent of these crimes, only that he deserved a fail trial.

The guy was most likely at the hotels, has a gambling problem, e-mailed the victim(s), has incriminating evidence found at his home, has robbed, possible sexual fetish, and also has bad feed back from colleagues. The only thing I can see that would might possibly clear him, is if this latest victim was visited by someone else after Markoff's "time with her". How many people did she see in one day? What do her e-mails reveil? I'm not critisizing her - what happend to her was very tragic and disturbing! But if the BPD confirm his weapon and/or DNA, he's done.

I have the feeling that if he were black the people who say to hold off on judgment would be singing a different tune. Why do people have such a hard time believing the clean-cut, white boy next door can be a criminal? Many of the worst criminals in the U.S. were just that, and being clean-cut from a well-to-do family doesn't prevent sociopathic tendencies.

Classic Americana here. Whenever my life gets a challenging, it's great to read a story like this and quickly recall how incredibly freaking stupid the average human is. This is like the 4th classic Sociopath we've seen in just a few short years. Scott Peterson, Joran VanDerSloot, that dude that lied about being in Medical School but wasn't, the list goes on. And as soon as I heard about this story, I knew we were dealing with another one. There is so much traceability on the internet, that only a sociopath, believing he was too smart to get caught, would simultaneously have the means, know-how and arrogance to use the internet to arrange meetings with women at luxury hotels then kill them. No surprise to find out that he was a medical student either. Talk about the perfect fit for someone possessed of a psychopathic arrogance. But in any case do you think that the average idiot American, wrapped up in their self absorbed world can be expected to be in touch with reality? Megan McAllister sure can't be. She was going to marry a doctor, and have it made. And nothing, not even reality, is going to get in the way of that. I've never seen such denial. The cops took one trip to her dude's apartment and found an entire killers toolbox in plain view. How many times do you think she had been to that apartment? Yet she "saw" nothing?! And even if he didn't kill these women, how do you explain the very traceable conversations and arranged meetings with female "masseuses". That this much happened cannot be disputed. Yet according to her its all lies. Hilarious.

Oh America, where the guilty are the victims, the victims are the guilty and total and utter stupitidy is a virtue. So sad that two women, clearly trying to make the best of the crummy hand life dealt them, died while this oveindulged, overprivileged sociopath douche, and his too-dumb-to-possibly-be-real fiancee torture us all by continuing to live. This is why I hate everyone...

If the fiance STILL acts as though he is innocent -- I say this indicates she had some involvement.
WHAT was her role in all of this??

He is wondering if he can get a change of venue to use the original OJ jury, and so is his lawyer. Probably filing the paperwork to move the case to Caliphoney as we read.

It's great that they caught him so quickly. He seems to be a sociopath that escalated to psychopath in short order. New England could have had a Ted Bundy scenario. They say it was about money, not power or sex, but his MO speaks on all counts.

It's great that they caught him so quickly. He seems to be a sociopath that escalated to psychopath in short order. New England could have had a Ted Bundy scenario. They say it was about money, not power or sex, but his MO speaks on all counts.

To a previous poster, Bundy was not successful in law school. He dropped out.

Yeah...they probably got the wrong guy ---damn those police! Let's see now -- text messages to and from victim, multiple photos, gun hidden inside his Grey's Anatomy book, restraints, duct tape....hmmm, so circumstantial. Wow --do you think they just might DEFINITELY have the right guy??!!!

I love how everyone has convicted this guy before he even gets to trial. You Salem witches are the reason why our forefathers created the presumption of innocence. Thank God for them. Maybe this kid was framed by his jelous lab partner, Tiffany, who was booted from BU medical possibly after Markoff rejected her sexual advances. Yeah, maybe she had a key from their previous relationship, planted the gun, logged onto Craigslist from his home and invited him to the hotel at the same time she murdered poor Julissa. Anything's possible-it's called "a shadow of a doubt". If it were you being charged, wouldn't you want everyone to withold judgement until all the cards had fallen? Duh!

This whole thing is such a disgrace. Regardless of what any of those girls did for a living, they did not deserve this. If Craigslist took more measures to keep their users safe things like this wouldn't escalate. This kid got off robbing one possibly two girls before robbing and killing Julissa. Unfortunately, there is no where on craigslist that one of the first victims could have reported him or warned other's in the industry about him. All craigslist has to do is make people register to be users like IntheGlo.com . Match.com. and even eBay.com! Instead they want to "hip" and "indie". It's so ridiculous!

it doesn't make sense for him to go to foxwoods. he was a second year AND EXAMS ARE THIS WEEK. HIS FIANCEE IS A NUTS. Why would he be going to foxwoods with exams this week as a second year unless he was intending to throw in the towel.

"I love how everyone has convicted this guy before he even gets to trial. You Salem witches are the reason why our forefathers created the presumption of innocence. " (snip)

FYI the "Salem witches" were the prosecuted not the prosecutors....and this is just a forum for discussion - no different than any corner bar, BBQ, or water-cooler where people will talk about such an interesting case.
In the end only the body of evidence and a court room trial will convict this Mr Hyde.

It is heart brocken to see promissing young men and women find themselves ruined and destoryed in activities of no relevant.
For us parents, love ones, friends ect. out there, let 's remember that the heart and mind remained a missery that no one understands, not even of ourselves.
The bible speaks a great deal of the heart of man. So for those of us out troubles, let pray that the meditation of our hearts be exceptable in the sight of the lord God, so that it may be free from evil. Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:21, Samuel 16 :7 Isaiah 1:5. Few of the bible verses on matter of the heart.
Profiling? Read this: Samuel 16:7

of.man

Lets see....all that evidence, gathered by trained detectives in a high profile well financed city, and because it is some blond guy in med school (only second year, folks! yah but dr.s are gods, no? or wait... dont they legally cause 300,000 deaths per year??) the peanut gallery protests that this dude was caught, shackled and taken away. There were murders here!! Blundgeoning! Robbery!! The guy is on videotape!! Does any idiot really think he is innocent?

Teddy Bundy was an attractive, eloquent, well dressed LAWYER And a Serial Killer with a token girlfriend whom he was just absolutely sweet to all the time and a string of females he killed for the power of it all and then he tried to defend himself . Scott Peterson and the other bozo Peterson, the cop who killed what? 3 wives so far? ..they were both seemingly good citizens, quiet, loving husbands , law abiding, nice etc. This craigslist guy? he is just plain weird...he doesnt react ..if he wasnt guilty wouldnt he be a mess by now? Just like the Ramseys fake people with a ton of secrets ..

Had he expressed interest in Psychiatry as a Specialization? If it is him, it appears he wanted to get caught. Hopefully he will be in the Mental Health Care System, if convicted, and there might be more to learn about cold-blooded, killers.

Just goes to show you that you can NEVER be to careful!! You never really know what someone is really thinking---especially if they are a little abnormal!

u have to always becareful but its nice to have some good hot safe fun

that sad story

i think that every one should be safe from dd free to the idiots that harm other people but if you are looking for some clean fun that is were it should stay

I'm not a sicko! I'm for real and if you want to meet that fine. I understand that you are looking out fore your safety. So , if we meet fine. If not good luck!!

Thanks You!

I understand y some women are afraid to meet someone from online. the world is now more dangerous than ever and it will get more dangerous.

Not sure what to say , But the world is full of sick people. You never know whats gona happen so be careful, and whatch out for sickos.

never trust people by there looks or personalty .....nobody nos what inside their heart so always be carefull