Markoff grandfather: 'He's a wonderful boy'

It must be difficult to hear this about your Grandson. Soon the truth will sink in. Very sad.

Well Grandfather Markoff certainly has me convinced. Most grandparents talk disparagingly about their grand-kids but not this one. I've always wanted to meet a perfect human and Philip Markoff is one in our midst - I NEED to meet him.

Now the real question is - can Philip convince a jury?

Relatives are always the last to know about the killer in their midst.

We hear that his grandson had a massive gambling problem. More will come out. Does not look good for his grandson, who had an arsenal of guns.

I agree. It is shocking, but they have fingerprints, pictures and the IP address of the computer that he used.

Oh well, Ted Bundy's mom that little Teddy was a wonderful person too, that he could NEVER hurt anyone, he was such "a good boy". Then, there is Scott Peterson, he was such "a good boy" also in her parents' eyes. Perhaps that is part of the problem, these folks never delved into these guy's lives, they saw ONLY what was on the surface and never looked below the calm waters to see the roiling storms underneath. Criminals hide their ugliness until they are caught.....then it is a "shock" to their friends and relatives. Do these families and friends really know what these people do when they are not looking??

Oh well, Ted Bundy's mom saud little Teddy was a wonderful person too, that he could NEVER hurt anyone, he was such "a good boy". Then, there is Scott Peterson, he was such "a good boy" also in her parents' eyes. Perhaps that is part of the problem, these folks never delved into these guy's lives, they saw ONLY what was on the surface and never looked below the calm waters to see the roiling storms underneath. Criminals hide their ugliness until they are caught.....then it is a "shock" to their friends and relatives. Do these families and friends really know what these people do when they are not looking??

I suppose this case illustrates exactly why we can't identify killers in advance.
The truth is that all people are "wonderful" to begin with, and different influences cause changes in all of us. It's not a surprise that some go over the edge. I mean think about it: Even Hitler was once a cute little kid.

I have to agree with people. The perp left evidence, was very stupid. Of course his family is going to stand by him, right now they have no reason not to. However, since Ted Bundy has been mentioned numerous times in other posts as well, I read a book about him and it absolutely scared me what he did without having a conscious. This book was written by an author who knew him personally and had a hard time believing he was capable of those crimes. So folks, the truth will come out but sometimes it is stranger than fiction.

First off, last time I checked this is America and you are INNOCENT until proven guilty. While, the evidence may seem to point the finger at Markoff, it's amazing how many people are ready to hang this kid without a proper trial. Doesn't seem like we've advanced too far from the Salem Witch Trials.

Secondly, not that I have ever been in a situation remotely similar to this, but I'm sure it's very hard, if not impossible, to come to grips with the fact you're immediate relative, someone you've known your entire life, may be a vicious serial killer. How would you people react if you were in Grandfather Markoff's shoes? Plus from what I've read, this was one of those, you never saw it coming cases, so it's hard to really read the signs. I say give the guy (the grandfather and the rest of Markoff's family) a break.

Just saw the arraignment. it truly IS shocking. What happened??? Was there too much pressure? His poor family...his fiance....just awful. The evidence sounds over-whelming against him. Even more odd, that he didn't try harder to cover his tracks... .never hid from hotel camera's, opened email acct's. to the women and sent emails, left forensic evedience. ..used his cell when they know it can be tracked?? Its all very very odd. Very SAD. It makes no sense. He obviously wanted out of his life. What happened to cause this??

This has wrong arrest written all over it. Every BPD crime analyst was saying these crimes fit a "drug addict" looking for an easy score of money. Some kid working in a hospital surrounded by drugs isn't going to need to kill a hooker and rob another one.

The hair is parted differently (quite the disguise, huh?) and is a different texture (it's straight and looks like a blonde wig). Shape of the face is different.... it's not the same guy.

STRICT GUN CONTROL is the answer !

Ask any elementary school teacher -- we can "identify killers in advance!"

Siblings? Are there other kids in this family?

Sometimes boy's go wrong

It's hard for most to comprehend....but Philip Markoff was leading a dual life. And another sad truth is, Philip did not give second thoughts about the consequences of his actions. Perhaps indeed Philip was a good kid, but bear in mind that good apples can go bad too. Somebody knew about Philip's innermost pains and failed to reach out to him, simply because "he was a good kid." The exploration stage of a young man can become a "BEAST" of a situation and entrap him deep into the hardcore zone of NO RETURN.

WBZ is reporting they found the gun and restraints in Markoff's residence. That's fairly damning evidence.

YES!!!! Strict gun control is the answer! If he didn't have a gun then this young woman would be alive. Ooooops.......I guess he could have used a knife. Okay then.....
YES!!! Strict knife control is the answer! That's the ticket!

DENIAL! How sad is it that this kind of person could have been one of our doctor's. Who can we trust in this world?

Your grandson isnt the perfect american boy you thought he was. Glad we found this out before he became a doctor and starting putting patients at risk!!

Im so sorry for all families involved. A terrible terrible thing. Lets pray the truth comes out and everyone can begin healing. God Bless you all.

The more you make it easier for people to buy and possess all sorts of Guns, the more such gruesome killings will happen.

My logic, if I have a Ferrari, I want to drive it at 250mph jumping red lights and there is no reason why I would want to drive it around 'school zone's at 20mph.
I extend similar logic to having sophisticated weapons.

If one possesses a sophisticated firearm, there is every possibility he/she may want to harm people around by testing on them, thanks to the Hollywood movies and the Video games that promote 'taking down' people with on-screen weapons.........

We must be really FOOLISH and BLIND if we dont see a DIRECT CONNECTION between possessing GUNS and committing such heinous crimes.

To GP - you are right about innocent until proven guilty. The DA calling him "a predator" is certainly slander. BTW - I'd believe it if it was said about any of my immediate family members, unfortunately. It would not be shocking, and none of them have a criminal record.

He's lying. Did you see the way he was blinking, breathing, and swallowing during arraignmnt? Too bad, another doctor bites the dust.

Man - Let the guy get a trial before you lynch him.

Strict gun control IS NEVER THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!! These are criminals - duh! They will get their hands on guns any way possible - just like druggies get their hands on illicit substances ... there is no logic in gun control - taking freedoms away from everyone robs the law-abiding citizen from owning a gun. That is not logical. This guy would have come out clean on back ground checks anyway. And if he wanted to kill, he would've used a baseball bat, a knife, a fork, an icepick, strangulation with rope, suffocation with a pillow, etc - should we outlaw all those items also if people start using those if guns are outlawed? Your logic is FLAWED! Again - GUN CONTROL is NOT the
answer!

For some reason a killer who isn't even trying to cover his tracks is more scary than one who is cautious.

There seems to be an awful rush to condemm people here as guilty, some of you might do well to remember that it's innocent until proven guilty, not vice versa.

Gambling is as devastating an addiction as Alcohol or any drug. This does not offer an excuse for his horrific behaviour, but it begins to shape an explanation. Just as drug addicts will commit crimes to feed their habit, addictive gamblers will go to great lengths to continue to gamble and chase that "High" of the win. Hopefully his arrest and the certainty that he will spend all the rest of his days behind bars will give the family and friends of his victims some small measure of comfort. Hopefully the public at large will have their eyes opened and educated to the dangers of addictive gambling.

The only criminal that has people that care about him. But for how long?

As a Grand Father myself, I can understand the Grand Father's response. But, it is pretty difficult to dispute the evidence presented for his arrest. I believe the investigation needs to go on to be absolutely sure. Our legal system does presume innocence until proven guilty. We need to allow this process to take place. Gun control is not the answer here. Gun control only harasses the law abiding gun owner. If a law were passed today forbidding anyone in the U.S. to own a gun, criminals would still be committing crimes, murder & mayhem 100 years from now with illegal guns.

Tragic situation. Very sad!

Many prayers for his family, his fiance, his victims and their families -- not to mention for him, whether guilty or not.

Gun control wouldn't have made any difference in this situation. Anyone with a sterling background like his, would not have any problem with a gun purchase. So what good would that do! Obviously, if he indeed is the killer, he has some deep-seated psychiatric problems that may have only surfaced recently probably due to stresses of impending wedding and medical school studies. He doesn't seem to fit the profile of a cold-blooded killer...we never know what lies below the surface of people we come into contact wtih.

This fat tub is guilty as charged.

This proves we need more bailout money. For prostitutes. They would have never put themselves in harms way if they had some $$$. Also this should be a wake up call the stop reforming health care. Seriously this kid was engaged? And grampa I doubt the BPD would arrest a med student if they weren't pretty certain about it. That would be very embarassing for them.

THe bottom line folks is DISCIPLINE. PURE UNADULTERATED DISCIPLINE. GIVING CHILDREN BOUNDRIES Teaches them Restrictions. It is basic comon sense. Sadly, this is lacking in todays world. We all live in a TOUCHY FEELY SOCIETY. IE POOR JOHNNY! Well I say get tough with KIDS and TEACH THEM RIGHT AND WRONG. IF not, this county will continue to have these Horrific things happen. I feel very badly for his family and his fiancee. Again, we need to make sure before we really pass judgement.

Do you remember how shocked we all were to learn Charles Stuart was the one who shot his pregnant wife in the head on their way home from a birthing class 20 or so years ago in Boston. He fabricated quite a story and even the police where fooled by this 'devil in disquise'. It will take some time for Markoff's family to believe he did this, and some of them never will. What an horrendous shock to learn your loved family member is a callous killer.

I find myself struggling not to comment but that emotion has passed. Is everyone who posts here unemployed and illiterate or am I in the twilight zone?

I must have missed the lecture - does using capital letters emphasize a point? I can barely read any of this stuff much less appreciate the underlying CONCERN or OUTRAGE!

The analogies alone are worth a chuckle. I personally like the roiling storm beneath the calm water analogy - that was truly spectacular......original too. Also - someone called this Markoff character a perp! Really? Have you been watching reruns of old cop shows?

Actually my favorite was the sneaky "convincing the jury" comment - I fell for your wonderful sarcasm and then you blew me away with this insightful tidbit about a jury! Bravo...Well played sir!

I apologize in advance - I don't intend to be rude but the writing here is lost somewhere in 'the hardcore zone of no return'.

Though I'll have to admit I'm laughing at some of the responses I'm anticipating. Somewhere between the mixed metaphors, excessive comma use and complete lack of grammatical attention to detail I was in tears laughing. I couldn't even remember who or what I was reading about at one point. Gun control is not the answer - proofreading is.

NARCISSTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER sufferers (actually, their victims are the real sufferers) hide their 'disorder' very well from those who know them 'well'. Most are 'shocked with disbelief' when they hear of any wrong-doings NPDs have done.

HERE are the real facts, p. markoff was trying to be something he just didnt really measure out well, A SERIAL KILLER or just a ROBBER.. however, he figured hey, im a clean medical student with the looks of your average good old boy ivory league looks! WHO'S GONNA THING ME? well mr. markoff and all you others writing about the sadness you have for him and his deer in the headlights fiance.... its clear to see the good in someone, but just remember one thing, no matter what this young lady did for a career. it doesnt make it fair to take her life for money or even hate... and lets also think about her mother & father.... she's gone and will never be apart of life in her family's eyes.. thats the real tragic of it all....

I knew when I heard about this kid last night there was something driving it drugs, gambling some addiction.

I know they have alot of evidence against him, but I think Philip Markoff looks much stockier than the guy in the camera pics. I am not convinced that they are the same guy.
But, most importantly, Philip Markoff, is totally innocent until proven guilty in a court of law !!!

He certainly had his family/fiancee fooled. Some people can never be convinced of their loved ones doing something like this, even with all of the evidence. Another "perfect boy" that ends up being a psychopathic killer.

This is my downstairs neighbor. Horrifying.

He can be the prison doctor at MCI Walpole.......

victoria...."massive" gambling problem? "arsenal" of guns? where do you see that? am i missing something in the number of articles online? i am sure he is guilty given the preponderance of evidence and obvious match to the pictures/video, but what disgusts me is how stupid some people are in america. the lion's share of individuals in this country are moronic and have no ability to comprehend/analyze....that saddens me more than anything. i can barely get through a couple posts/responses and i have to stop reading. apologies to all the people on here who actually post something intelligent.

What's the evidence here? An IP address, and the fact that he owns a gun, "restraints", and duct tape? When I was in college, plenty of people used my computer in the dorms, half the men in this country own handguns (hence the existence of the NRA), I own "restraints" (for other purposes =), and I own duct tape. Does that make me a suspect?

How in the world could he have gun(s) in the apt. he shared with his fiance and she not know that? I feel sorry for everyone and especially the lady murdered. I'm sure he only meant to rob her and not kill her. He had the gun or the robbery would not have worked.

Shows Shakespeare was right..."There is no art to tell the mind's construction in the face." Indeed!

The grandfather is barely defending him. He is merely saying it is a shock and that he has always been a good kid. I think he is perfectly reasonable. The fiancee is off her rocker.

The evidence is difficult to get around. Plastic handcuffs found in his apt, the same kind used in the robberies and the murder, weapons found, him in the hotel at the time of the last crime, the IP address, the blackberry tracked, etc. It is too much of a coincidence.

This just lets you know that you need to develop relationships with your children. Not superficial ones, but the type that allows them to tell you any and everything. Philip is damaged and was damaged somewhere along the way in his development. I don't blame anyone but him for his actions. However, what he is accused of doing does not surprise me. I read where a psychologist said people who behave in this manner can find a way to dehumanize their victim, that way the conscience doesn't come into play. It makes sense to me.
He may be otherwise a great guy, which explains why no one could have ever seen this coming. However the base part of his nature took over when seeking to release his demons...

Well, actually, in America, you are presumed innocent in a court of law. That doesn't mean the rest of us have to pretend we cannot connect the dots.

But his family is innocent, so people should lay off them.

Doug Vamp - spoken like a true armchair quarterback. On what basis do you make the statement that "This has wrong arrest written all over it"? Just because he's not obviously a drug addict doesn't mean he's innocent of these crimes, nor does the possibility that the BPD profilers weren't 100% accurate in their assessment. First off, if this guy has/had a dependency on cocaine, heroin, etc. he wouldn't be able to get those drugs from his hospital internship. Second off, it sounds like he may have had a gambling addiction and not a drug addiction, so the profile while not entirely accurate does sound like it may fit quite well. You might also want to consider people like Charles Stuart, Susan Smith, Scott Peterson, etc. who were believed to be typical loving family members before they committed murder. There have already been reports of a gun and wire ties like those used to bind the victims hands found at his apartment, and other reports that his e-mail has been traced to the murder victim, and even others that his Blackberry was used in the locations of the crimes at the times of the crimes. So the evidence is stacking up against this guy pretty quickly. Leave the police work to the police officers, and leave your entirely uninformed opinions to yourself.

The new standard of justice, I like it, totally reflects the Constitution,
Guilty until proven innocent. Wait until it's your turn.

Born Killers will hide what they are thinking, of course. It would not be acceptable for them to tell friends and family that they are killers.

For the wages of SIN is death

The posters who say that :"If we had more gun control, the same killers would just use knives, baseball bats, whatever" , are just wrong. It is much easier to kill with a gun, and it can be done from a safe distance. Therefore, there are more deaths because we have lax gun laws than there would be otherwise. It is simple logic.
Also, even though this guy had a sterling record, don't you think he might have hesitated, thought twice, and maybe not bought a gun, if there had been alot of forms to fill out and a waiting period to get the gun? Of course he would have.

Boston University Medical School has some explaining to do to the 95% of applicants it rejected in favor of Philip Markoff.

The more I hear from the relatives, the more likely it is that this psychopath is guilty. The email from the fiancee is the kiss of death. I think your dream wedding is on hold. Why don't you ask yourself why your perfect boyfriend had an arsenal of guns along with plastic ties and YOU didn't know about it? Why are the families always the last to know anything?

Boy, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? It's a shame we give SO much credibility to an arrest, like we've never had wrong arrrests or convictions.

I'm hardly saying he is innocent, but the overwhelming mindset of comments here sound like "he was arrested so he must be guilty" ... you know, that group follower mindset that dictatorships and middle eastern terrorist organizations thrive on..

THankfully I live in America where that mindset isn't prevalent, a country of independent thinkers...oh, wait....

First, he IS innocent until proven guilt. Second, his loved ones/neighbors who say he is a great person, always smiling are not helping his cause. No one is perfect and always in a good mood tells me there is more going on than meets the lay person's eyes. One often hear from neighbors of murderers, abusers, etc., how nice the criminal is, a quiet family, they stuck together, etc. Red flag. Investigators know this. When there is "never a problem" there is most likely a rage simmering under the facade. Third, I have lived in 6 countries. The USA presents as a pathological society, pathological individualism and its excessive competitiveness. Think of all the recent shootings. Disturbed USA.

Very sad situation, specially for family and relatives who know him well. We are hjust going to have to wait and see what happens, but it doesn't look good

In one of his school yearbooks in his small hometown in New York, he wrote about his talent in the game of "poker". Apparently gambling was important to him even back then. His involvement with gambling may be a longstanding addiction that just grew alongside an otherwise successful life, and ultimately destroyed him. Gambling can be as real and as powerful of an addiction as any drug.

I think they need to listen to the family in cases like this. Forensic evidence can be deceiving. Just like the so-called scientific evidence about global warming, even though anyone who reads their bibles knows it isn't true.

I'm waiting to hear whether he abused animals as a child. Perhaps the future doctor performed some "experiments", and his parents just smiled proudly.

I can only imagine if i was arrested what psycho analysis would be done from the mundane letters, notes, office memos that i have ever written in my life.
We as humans are not zombies/ robots. Maaan we have different sides to our personality and we react differently on different days depending on the circumstances. So if u meet me on a bad day i just might act creepy!
Sooo any theory can be applied to a set of "facts" depending on what theory you want to advance.

Innocent until proven guilty applies "in a court of law." It does not apply to people expressing an opinion outside a court of law. Nor does it apply to a district attorney or a policeman. Also, federal case law states that once someone is indicted for a felony it is permissible to draw a negative inference from that. In the instant case, the 'doctor' is obviously guilty since the police have (a) the murder weapon and (b) a trail of emails leading to his IP address. Recall that an IP address lead to the apprehension of the BTK serial murderer.

I am really sorry for the family to have to face this. Unfortunately this age group, particularly those under stress, is a time when mental disorders surface and the person you once knew disappears. I am not saying this is what happened, but just give this family a break. It is hard to watch someone you have known and loved all your life become someone you never imagined they could be or do things that they would never have done. Our family experienced similar problems while one was away at school. This person had to withdraw and go under medical leave for a year for treatment. The pressure mixed with durg and alcohol abuse can make them snap. At the college our relative attended, at least 1/4 were on some sort of "prescribed" medicine - witho or without their doctor's approval. It CAN happen to anyone - so all of you pointing the finger at this family - remember it may come back to someone you love. NOBODY is immuneto these problems. May God give you some peace.

The Butler did it!!!!!!

It's so sad. I guess we never know who we are sitting next to in class, work or wherever - people can fool us - especially Sociopaths.....

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