Police release surveillance photos, seek public's help in solving hotel slaying
(Boston Police)
One of the four photos released by Boston police. To see all four, click here.
By Maria Cramer and Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
He looks like he just stepped from the pages of a catalog, with a stylish, dark jacket, tousled hair, and cool nonchalance as he glides down an escalator to a marbled landing, casually typing a message into a cellphone.
But the young man caught on surveillance tapes isn’t another tourist or businessman. He is, police believe, an unlikely killer near an equally unlikely murder scene, the 20th floor of an upscale Back Bay hotel.
And as authorities launched a hunt for the man -- also captured on surveillance cameras last week at the Westin Hotel, where a 29-year-old Las Vegas woman was bound and robbed at gunpoint -- the killing opened a window on the elusive underworld of prostitutes who advertise online and do business at high-end hotels.
"What we believe is that there are a series of independent operations that are occurring, and it’s very difficult for the hotels to police them because they don’t know who it is that’s coming in to use their rooms," said Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. "We've been monitoring it very closely, but it's very difficult to completely eliminate it."
Tuesday's victim, a slight 26-year-old whom one witness initially believed was a child, had advertised massage services on Craigslist, the online classified service. A massage table was found in her room at the Marriott Copley Place.
Police said the man was captured on the Marriott's security cameras around 10 p.m. Tuesday. About that time, Jane Greenberg, a New York woman staying with her teenage son three doors down from the crime scene, heard two loud shrieks. Rushing into the hallway, she saw a small woman collapsed on the floor, halfway out the room door.
"I asked several times 'Are you OK?'" Greenberg told WCVB-TV. "Are you OK? Are you OK? And no response whatsoever."
Greenberg said she heard loud bangs before the shrieking but did not think they were gunshots. Greenberg called hotel security guards, who arrived immediately. The victim, who was from New York, was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The victim's family traveled to Boston yesterday to identify her body, police said.
Police said the crime appears linked to the April 10 robbery of the Las Vegas woman at the Westin. That woman, who was bound and gagged and robbed of a debit card, $800 in cash, and $250 in American Express gift cards, had also advertised massage services on Craigslist.
"Everything about the crime leads us to believe they are connected," Davis said. "The similarities between the method of operation but also the photos that we've taken from the scenes of both crimes show a very similar suspect."
A witness of the Westin incident today described another harrowing scene. The 47-year-old physician from Tennessee, who asked that his name be withheld, said he was in his room working on his laptop when he heard a frantic banging on his door. He opened it to find a petite blond in a cocktail dress who told him she had just been robbed by a tall, blond muscular man who threatened her with a gun and a knife and left her bound and gagged.
"Her wrists had marks from zip ties," said the man. She said she had wriggled out of the restraints after he fled the room.
"She was remarkably calm for what had gone on," he said.
She called security from his room phone and later told police she had initially met her assailant outside the hotel and he had later come to her room.
Police said neither woman was sexually assaulted but declined to say whether there was consensual sexual activity.
Police released enhanced photographs taken from security tapes at the Marriott and the Westin in the hope that someone would identify the man, who is believed to live in the Boston area, describing him as a "a person of interest."
Calling today's developments a "critical point" in the investigation, Davis appealed for help in identifying the man in the footage, who wore jeans and a black jacket.
"We are really are looking for the public to help us," Davis said. "We believe that someone would be able to see this photo and call us and tell us who he is."
Davis, who said it was unclear whether Tuesday's victim was a prostitute, said department officials have been working with security guards at hotels to curtail prostitution, advising them to look for guests who have people coming and going from their rooms frequently or at odd hours.
Davis said many escorts may be too embarrassed to report crimes against them.
The online transactions are a "cash business" that draws prostitutes from across the country, he said.
In February, FBI agents arrested five women, ages 19 to 33, who allegedly showed up at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf after agreeing to provide sex for up to $300 an hour to undercover officers. The officers had responded to advertisements posted on Craigslist, according to Boston police reports.
At Choices Escorts & Dancers, an area escort agency, a woman said working independently through sites like Craigslist is highly dangerous.
"Agencies are more secure, these sites are not," she said, declining to provide her name. "The people who prey on these girls, they target independent escorts. They know that if you're on Craigslist, you are unprotected."
She said the Marriott Copley Place was a "nice, secure hotel" that will not typically let a woman visit a room after midnight unescorted. When told that in this case the man had apparently visited the woman, she said "Ahh, that's another thing we don't do."
"You can't screen guys that are coming to you," agreed a man who answered the phone at an escort service that he did not want to name. His service, he said, would not allow a client to approach one of its escorts in a hotel room unguarded, no matter how nice the room.
"We send these guys through a lot of screening before we let them near our girls," he said.
Hotels said they are coordinating with authorities to reduce the problem.
Lucy Slosser, a spokeswoman for the Marriott Copley Place, called the shooting an "isolated incident," but said the hotel works closely with police to deter the age-old practice. Michael Jorgensen, general manager at the Westin Copley, said the hotel "acts swiftly and diligently to investigate any reports of illicit activity on our premises."
Brian Ballou of the Globe staff and correspondent Stewart Bishop contributed to this report.
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Why does it matter she MAY have been a prostitute? This poor woman is a victim no matter what. Its just another way to say, "she probably had it coming anyways." Not right.
This kind of thing is exactly why prostitution should be legalized.
If women had the freedom to better screen the client base or report clients who were abusive then this sort of violence wouldn't happen.
The journalist is pointing out the fact that she MAY have been a prostitute because it could possibly be the reason why she was murdered and not because "she had it coming to her".
I hear you Corsekitty. If it's legal in Nevada, why can't it be legal elsewhere?
She "may have been involved" in on on-line prostitution. Do you think that you may want to verify before you print such a sentence???? This sentence is SO tabloid.....and well below your standards (or at least what your standards used to be)!!! Even if you'd said something like "possible illegal activity being investigated". Your phrasing and healine hunting was smarmy.....
if prostitution were legalized how would that stop murder how dumb what register as a sex adidict SEX NUTS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE HE MAY HAVE TRIED TO GET HIS MONEY BACK HER ROOM NO BODY KNOWS HIM SAD STORY ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT
Thats an interesting take Elaine. My take was that they were warning prostitutes in the area that someone has been targeting prostitutes. Not that she had it coming to here. Especially since a prostitute from a different hotel was robbed last week.
. . . . .Oh and prostitution will not and should not be legalized. You think this schmuck would have said; "Damn it's legal here I best not kill her?" Nit wits!
mojo52 your understanding of the issue is shallow. If prostitution was legal, it would be easier for workers to screen clients and protect themselves. When an activity is made illegal, it is forced underground into secrecy, where it's much easier for more serious crime to take place.
Funny how quickly people are complaining that the article alleges that she (the victim) was a prostitute. Every think that she might have been a known prostitute and maybe and the police feed that to the globe ? Another thing quick to say HE is the murder when he is a suspect. Such a double standard, its not ok to allege that she is a prostitute but is ok to assume that it was a male that committed the murder ? Funny how that works. Think it is possible that another woman could have committed the murder ? But I am sure you know better sitting behind the computer.
where in the article does it say anything about prostitution?
I'll try a productive posting instead of a morality forum.
Maria, are there more photos of the suspect that can be viewed somewhere to increase the chances of catching this guy?
thanks
Police are not "seeking the public's help in identifying the man who killed a 26-year-old womanat the Marriott Copley Place in Boston Tuesday night."
They are are seeking the public's help in identifying the man who they suspect killed a 26-year-old woman at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston Tuesday night.
As an unabashed Globe hater, I must say that this particualr story was written perfectly despite what the others on this board are saying. Why shouldn't the newspaper print everything it is able in regards to the slain woman? Isn't that what the paper is supposed to do, which is report all facts possible??
"updated Wednesday, 1:57 PM ". I guess they removed the pro reference for you.
Barby414 and Elaine.....the journalist is not judging or headline hunting....rather warning others in the same line of work to watch out. i know that the bashing of globe reporters is very "in" these days but come on.....
That looks like Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins!
Stop and think about this for a minute; the guy is targeting the women for the money, not for sex. He knows they can't complain to the cops because they got the money from prostitution. This woman put up a fight and now she's dead.
Should prostitution be legal? Maybe so.
"The images taken at both the Marriott and the Westin appeared to show an unassuming, clean-cut, younger man."
In other words, he's white.
prostitution is legal in Rhode Island. the only rule is the transaction must be behind closed doors.
Regardless of what she may or may not have been doing, she was 26 years old, and didn't deserve to be murdered. That 's somebodys daughter, somebodys sister, maybe someones mother. People are cold, until it happens to someone they know, then it's a different story.
Elaine - The fact that she may have been a prostitute is an important detail, not something that the writer is judging her upon. Leaving it out would have been irresponsible journalism as the story would be incomplete without it.
What are you people talking about? I found nothing in this article suggesting she "may have been" a prostitute. Even so, what happened to this poor woman is horrible (even if it happened to the lowest life form among us)! I wondered what the problem with the world is currently. No one can read. What a shame.....tsk tsk
corsetkitty- yeah, it helps screening and/or reporting your murderers.
Tomfoolery aside, prostitution should be legalized. It always has and always will happen; may as well make it safer with licenses handed out to the STD-free ones.
Also, Jane Greenberg needs new glasses!
Hey Mojo,
Next time invest in a keyboard with punctuation mark keys.....Geeesh!
Is this guy a Boondock Saint? I'm just sayin...
Check out the photos. He's keeping his hands together so he doesn't touch anything and leave fingerprints.
I'll bet drugs are involved in some way, they are behind 80 percent of all violent crimes and getting worse all the time.
The story mentions that she may be a prostitute because it's sort of an important detail. The guy is targeting prostitutes, it's a pattern. The Globe isn't trying to demean women. Let's stop being so sensitive.
I think he's wearing a wig - his hair looks wierd.
Elaine- possibly they pointed out that she was a prostitute to WARN those whose services are advertised on Craigslist that they, too, could be targeted?
Also, it's part of the story.
Where is the young man wearing a dark baseball cap?
The Globe reporters may be prostitutes also. Who is to say or know? Great investgating, NOT
Does anyone at the Globe or The BPD know about a little program called Photoshop -- where you can ENHANCE and ENLARGE a photo? This picture could be one of 1000 college kids walking down Huntington Ave on a Saturday night.
It's called enhancement because you zero in on the face and torso, get rid of the lobby background ,and maybe .. just MAYBE, someone will actually be able to recognize him.
Let's try this. Where is this article does it say that "she may have been involved in prostitution"? I'm just curious. I've read the article twice.
This is a tragedy!
Interesting, he looks like he is typing on a blackberry or something.
These girls were not prostitutes, he was just robbing them, like a bank robber robs a bank. He found a way for quick cash without working for it.
What he does not realize is that he will be caught. Computer forensics will be help to catch him.
Craigslist has now been responsible for how many murders? Ok, they are not responsible but they make it easy for creeps like him to hurt others.
Do "masseuses" bring actual massage tables with them?? Seems like a hassle if no actual massage is going to happen. Perhaps she wasn't a prostitute? Either way, she didn't have it coming.
Come on folks. She was advertising as a masseuse on craigslist and met with the guy in a hotel room. If she wasn't offering sex for money, the guy surely thought she was. We can admit someone was engaged in prostitution and yet still understand that the poor woman didn't deserve to die! Apparently more and more misguided young women are doing this without understanding the danger. I'm glad they're reporting that she was advertising on craigslist, because it might help other young women avoid making similar mistakes.
if he answered an ad on craigslist,he had to contact her before hand either by phone or email,so i think it shouldnt be that hard to apprehend
I agree with Barby414.......mojo52, i'm sure there is a valid point somewhere between the lines of that crazy language you were just speaking.....
Where in the report and article does it mention she was a prostitute? Also, since when do hookers register under their own name and carry with them a massage table around town? It's not a laptop......this guy that shot her looks like a real, cool as a cucumber, psycho...boston women beware! this is a real serial killer. Boston strangler to "The Boston Shooter"
The article and the police who are doing their job did not intend to victimize the victim any more by alleging she may have been a prostitute. One of the most effective ways of finding a killer is victimology. Profiling the victim to determine why she was there, who she was planning to meet, etc. could lead to the motive for her murder and ultimately the profile of a killer. It is not meant to be judgmental.
HAVE ALL OF YOU LOST YOUR MINDS ? THIS WAS A WOMAN THAT LOST HER LIFE. WHY CAN'T YOU ALL BE SYMPATHETIC TO THAT ? SHE AS A H-U-M-A-N.THIS WAS A HUMAN LIFE TAKEN WHAT DIFFERENCE DID IT MAKE WHAT HER LIVELY HOOD WAS BUT OH OF COURSE IT IS NOT ONE OF YOUR MOTHERS,SISTERS AUNTS OR DAUGHTER SO YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE.YOUALL SHOULD GET A LIFE AND TRY TO BE COMPASSIONATE TO SOMEONE ELSE FOR A CHANGE BECAUSE NEXT TIME IT COULD HIT YOUR HOME
This story does not seem to have an agenda other than - A woman is dead, and the Globe are helping the police get the picture of a person of significant interest out into the public domain.
First the Globe Headline was "Seeking Suspect..." then later changed and re-posted to "Person of Interest..". These are significant facts. C'mon Globe, get your act together! That distinction is one of the most basic pieces of information about a crime story.
Where in the article does it mention PROSTITUTION?......
Also, since when do hookers carry around massage tables like laptops?
since when do hookers sign in under their real names in hotel rooms?
To register in a hotel room these days, you need a legit state ID and a major credit card to match!.......If you look at the pic, this is one real, cool as a cucumber, pyshco! Boston meet your new serial killer, "The Boston Shooter"....this guy looks like a 30 something financial analysis from the financial district!
It looks like he was texting. Maybe the police could pull records from the towers in the vicinity. And what does it matter to a MURDER investigation why she was there? Oh yeah, circulation is down.
Hey Mojo, what the hell are you writing about? Have you ever heard of punctuation?
I see that the suspect was looking at a blackberry of some sort. Why not check with all of the service providers and you will find that person in the photo
I worked at this hotel for two years in the mid 90's. During my time there we had one robbery with shot fired, 3 suicides, two rapes, one kidnapping and numerous thefts. Prostitutes always came to the hotel...that's nothing new This Marriott has always been a high crime hotel. It's just not publicized.
"The images taken at both the Marriott and the Westin appeared to show an unassuming, clean-cut, younger man."
Globe speak for "white male" -- where's all the labels "SAVAGE" "ANIMAL" this list loves to employ when non-white people are accused of murder? Too close to home, huh?
I agree with Elizabeth, the key word was MAY. If the police said "The woman was a prostitute and definitely had it coming to her." If so, then you can get on your liberal high horse.
Hope he's caught IMMEDIATELY.
Just color in a few of the pixels on the image of this guys face from white to black, and you can change the description from "an unassuming, clean-cut, younger man" to "crazy, wild negro who should have caused suspicion from the minute he walked in." Just sayin...
Does not matter if she was a prostitute. She has the same right everyone else
to live... its very easy to say she was a prostitute so she deserve it!
She was a human being trying to pay her bills!!!
TK & Joe you are so right. They need to pull all the information for all the towers in the area of those two hotels for those dates & time frames. Who cares how the Globe wrote the article. He is a person of interest because he was at both hotels on both nights these incidences happened. Person of interest and suspect are basically the same thing.
Sad to say, but he does look like a 30 something financial analysis like Texttom said. I think this mans picture needs to be posted on every board, including the amber alert boards.
A few asked if the girls bring their own tables, yes because they fold up. I have a friend who took classes and bought her own fold up table.
Now, if he is the one who did this, then I say what a cold B*stard! He looks too calm and that is scary.
that's a shame! women are so scared to talk about such abuse there affraid they may be exploided!! not right this "age-old" practice should have been legalized in the 70's so many women would have been saved!!! i wonder if it's some kind of personal attack on prostitutes or if the idiot just can't meet a women at a bar!! easy enough for this horrible devil... to meet a young helpless girl just waiting for him!!!!!
y don't they check her phone and look at the last incoming call accepted
Lets hope the Boston police get this guy.
Why won't The Globe post my comment that women like her put themselves in positions where they are likely to find danger.
it's great that the crack BPD is on the case, we can count on this appearing on America's Most Wanted next year after Mumbles gets re-elected and it's business as usual.
Arm all of us legal US law abiding citizens, we'll take care of business
stop acting like it is 24 people...in the real world you can't do all of these things that you are saying and catch people, its not that easy, stop watching TV and let the cops do their job
they did not catch him the first time after robbing and tie up a woman??
do we need murders to get it done? this man is a repeat offender...and must be stopped asap!
How about a decent blown-up pic of the "Person of Interest".
Zeke, playing the race card is not only a huge copout move, but it's pathetic. I find it sad that you need to go to such great lengths to find something to be angry about. You were just trolling around looking for this kind of thing just so you could bash whitey, weren't you? And you call OTHERS racist...
...I never lashed ANYONE across their back and refuse to be lumped in with those who did. That doesn't make you any better of a person.
I believe that's none other than one Mr. James Bond in that photo. Look at his pose and his sensible choice of attire, as well as his use of electronics. This was either a hired job or this man is a vigilante of sorts.
He probably knows very well all the hotels was using his PDA to avoid the camera.
Legalize it, tax it and control it to reduce risk of AIDS/STD's. Its never going away
No one cares about a morality debate here. This man will be caught. Few killers are that smart. And if he doesn't get apprehended right away he will get cocky and slip and make the mistake that nails him.
You can bet he is out there reading these comments and closely monitoring media coverage. They all do. It's about their egos and need to control.
This guy better not get a body count racked up like Gary Ridgway ('Green River Killer') that preyed primarily on young prostitutes. I hope these poor women don't have their names dragged through the mud for the sake of a story.
These
I found it interesting that my commentary was 'overlooked yesterday'. It was a provider viewpoint. If the victim had an unwieldy, clumsy, indiscreet, massage table with her, chances are that was her erotic specialty.
Men that visit me often tend to have good careers or be self-employed. Whether single or married all have a lot to lose. Many of my clients try to be more selective. They are afraid of being 'dimed out', arrested, encountering a pimp and/or lunatic, theft or being black-mailed.
Legalization would definitely increase supply and decrease prices, yet would allow clients and providers to be more selective in gathering info about one another. In fact, some providers (but not all) do ask for references, business phone numbers or even website links. Men often are not willing to agree to the above mentioned conditions and are sometimes screened out.
Of course, we need to think of the victim as someone's daughter, friend etc.., but most importantly, DO JUSTICE TO HER MEMORY BY FINDING HER KILLER AND PREVENTING FURTHER ATTACKS OR MURDERS. Police will be enlarging photos, no doubt, and should be able to piece together a better, more recognizable composite for the public/investigators.
Cameras in high profile hotels are everywhere, I have always viewed this as a plus. LASTLY CON-ARTISTS OR RIP-OFFS TEND TO DRESS NICELY AND CONVEY A PERSONA OF GENUINENESS, THAT IS HOW THEY LET DOWN YOUR GUARD. It is totally different from outdoor street-walking.
Most likely this man had a cohort, who was picking him up or meeting him, thus the blackberry, (the black, ponytailed cohort in the Westin theft, possibly. Why else would the blonde man be so distracted w/ the blackberry, plus anyone with a brain would pick lower profile hotels w/o so many security cameras. This was not well-thought out, and I think he didn't expect her to try to escape.
My thoughts to this young woman's family and friends and to other providers such as myself, please STAY SAFE.
Don't forget that another man is detained waiting for trial for the same thing that happened in January, and those girls didn't even identify him! It must be this creep who did it. They should get those girls to look at his photos!
prositution is legal in Rhode Island for those who didnt know. Only other state besides Ri where its legal is Vegas... go figure. Prostituion is legal is a house but not in a hote or business (doesnt make any sense but ok). What happened to this girl is terrible & I blame it on the poor ecomony. If there were more jobs available women wouldnt have to resort to such a low standard for themselves.
who do we contact if we think we know the guy in the picture?
I am a certified massage therapist, and I am sick and tired of feeling uncomfortable telling people what I do for living!!! I work for a chiropractor's office, and some people still react inappropriate to my job tile. And the reason is ONLY the prostitutes that advertise their services as "massage". Prostitution must be legalized. Every one of us has right to sell ourselves. We do it anyways while we work for our employers, they use our bodies, our mind. And we pay taxes. Legalized prostitution will minimize all the illegal activities around it and will bring more money from "independent taxpayers".
if prostitution were legal it woould make the whole country as nasty as las vegas, NO thank you, keep it illegal, and if women AND menwant to risk their lives doing it, especially women, they know exactly what they are getting into...
Phillip looks like Mr.Boston. But seriously just because, she MAY have been a prostitute does not give someone a good reason to kill her! If he knew she was a prostitute he would have done something sexual 2 her ! But wat if he is GAY!
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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