Philip Markoff
Encyclopedia
Philip Haynes Markoff (February 12, 1986 – August 15, 2010) was an American medical student
who was charged with the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman in a Boston, Massachusetts hotel on April 14, 2009, and two other armed robberies. The media have referred to the Brisman murder as a "Craigslist Killing" because the killer was alleged to have met his victims through ads they placed on Craigslist
offering erotic services.
Markoff maintained his innocence of all charges and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. A grand jury indicted Markoff for first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other charges.
On August 15, 2010, Markoff committed suicide in Boston's Nashua Street Jail, where he was being held in custody awaiting trial. Markoff's death while in custody raised concerns about the safety of inmates in Massachusetts prisons, which currently have a death rate four times higher than the national average.
The events surrounding the killings were dramatized in a made-for TV movie on the Lifetime Network, entitled The Craigslist Killer, which aired January 3, 2011.
. He had an older brother, Jon Markoff.
He graduated in 2004 from Vernon-Verona-Sherill High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society
, history club and the Youth Court, as well as the school bowling and golf teams. His former English teacher and neighbor described him as "a good student and just a really nice kid. Smart, wanting to succeed, nothing strange, nothing out of the ordinary."
After high school, Markoff attended SUNY Albany
where he was a pre-med student and member of the Young Republicans. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007. He was a second year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine
at the time of the crimes, and was suspended from the school following the charges against him.
Markoff met Megan McAllister, a native of New Jersey
, in 2005 while they were both volunteers at the Albany Medical Center Hospital
emergency room. They were engaged to be married, with their wedding planned for August 14, 2009. McAllister was to have begun medical school in the fall of 2009.
and Rhode Island
. The robberies were against three women, closely spaced in time and exhibiting strong similarities to each other.
Law enforcement officials suspect that all three were committed by the same individual.
, cell phone activity, and email accounts as evidence
, police arrested Markoff, who was living in the High Point apartments in Quincy, Massachusetts
, and charged him with armed robbery and kidnapping
for the events of April 10, and murder in the death of Brisman on April 14. The arrest took place
on Interstate 95
in Walpole, Massachusetts
, while Markoff and McAllister were en route to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut
.
On April 21, Markoff was arraigned on murder and gun charges brought by the Suffolk County
DA
in Brisman's slaying. The DA stated that physical evidence, including a semi-automatic
handgun
, wrist restraints, duct tape
, and other materials were found in Markoff's apartment when the police executed a search warrant
. At his arraignment, where he was represented by Boston attorney John Salsberg, Markoff maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was held without bail on a murder charge, although separate bonds were set on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from the incident involving a second woman.
On May 4, 2009, a warrant was issued in Warwick, Rhode Island
, for Markoff's arrest, seeking to charge him with assault, attempted robbery, and weapon possession in the April 16 Holiday Inn Express
case. However, the Rhode Island Attorney General
said that their prosecution would not go forward until the Boston cases ended.
Originally, the trial against Markoff was expected to begin in July 2010. A judge subsequently delayed the start of the trial until March 2011. Markoff's lawyer had contended that Markoff had already been unfairly "convicted" in the media at the time of his arrest, thereby adversely prejudicing his right to a fair trial
.
The Suffolk County District Attorney is expected to file a motion to terminate prosecution as a result of his death.
McAllister at first issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence. She described Markoff as "beautiful inside and out" and stated that he "couldn't hurt a fly." On April 29, McAllister's attorney, Robert Honecker, accompanied her to visit Markoff in jail and said that the couple's August 14 wedding plans were "dismantled". She visited Markoff again on June 11, 2009, and Honecker said McAllister told Markoff she was going to medical school and said it would be "a long period of time, if ever, before she would see him again."
in the psychiatric unit of Nashua Street jail, where he was monitored around-the-clock.
In a second incident, on the night his fiancee broke up with him, Markoff attempted to slice his wrists with a spoon he sharpened to a point using concrete in his cell. He was taken off suicide watch a few days later. In a third incident, on August 14, 2009, the day his wedding had been scheduled to take place, Markoff was found to have stashed medication and was taken to a medical facility.
. Prior to taking his life, Markoff reportedly wrote "Megan", his former fiancee's name, and "Pocket", (their pet name for each other) in blood, on the wall of his cell, and placed her photographs around his cell.
Professionals disagree on the meaning of Markoff's final actions. Casey Jordan, a lawyer and criminologist, believes Markoff thought he was doing McAllister a favor by killing himself rather than putting her through an embarrassing trial at which she would have been required to testify: "He believed it was a kind thing he did. It makes sense that he wrote her name and put up her photographs because she was the last thing he was thinking of." However, Lynne Schwartz, a forensic psychologist practicing in New York State (who emphasized that she has had no direct contact with Markoff) said that the methods he employed show that he was thinking more about himself than Megan. "If you want to say goodbye to someone you write a note and leave it in your cell," she said. "It all felt very hostile to me...he feels like he's the one who's been betrayed. It's all about him. He didn't say, 'I'm sorry, you were the most important person in my life. I beg your forgiveness.' Think about it: who communicates in blood? Doing it this way is not about love to me."
The Chairman of the Boston City Council Public Safety Committee, Stephen Murphy, called for an independent investigation of Markoff's death and procedures at the Nashua Street Jail. Murphy asserted that jail officials had a duty of proper care and custody of all inmates and that Markoff should have been watched more closely given his prior suicide attempts.
Medical Student
Medical Student may refer to:*Someone studying at medical school*Medical Student Newspaper, a UK publication...
who was charged with the armed robbery and murder of Julissa Brisman in a Boston, Massachusetts hotel on April 14, 2009, and two other armed robberies. The media have referred to the Brisman murder as a "Craigslist Killing" because the killer was alleged to have met his victims through ads they placed on Craigslist
Craigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
offering erotic services.
Markoff maintained his innocence of all charges and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. A grand jury indicted Markoff for first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other charges.
On August 15, 2010, Markoff committed suicide in Boston's Nashua Street Jail, where he was being held in custody awaiting trial. Markoff's death while in custody raised concerns about the safety of inmates in Massachusetts prisons, which currently have a death rate four times higher than the national average.
The events surrounding the killings were dramatized in a made-for TV movie on the Lifetime Network, entitled The Craigslist Killer, which aired January 3, 2011.
Background
Markoff was the son of Susan Haynes and Richard Markoff, a dentist in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. He had an older brother, Jon Markoff.
He graduated in 2004 from Vernon-Verona-Sherill High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, history club and the Youth Court, as well as the school bowling and golf teams. His former English teacher and neighbor described him as "a good student and just a really nice kid. Smart, wanting to succeed, nothing strange, nothing out of the ordinary."
After high school, Markoff attended SUNY Albany
University at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
where he was a pre-med student and member of the Young Republicans. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007. He was a second year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...
at the time of the crimes, and was suspended from the school following the charges against him.
Markoff met Megan McAllister, a native of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, in 2005 while they were both volunteers at the Albany Medical Center Hospital
Albany Medical Center Hospital
300px|thumb|Albany Medical CenterAlbany Medical Center Hospital is a hospital located in Albany, New York. The 650-Bed, Level-I Trauma Center was founded in 1849, ten years after the College. It serves over 2 million residents.-External links:...
emergency room. They were engaged to be married, with their wedding planned for August 14, 2009. McAllister was to have begun medical school in the fall of 2009.
Robberies and murder
Markoff was suspected in three robberies – one of which resulted in the murder of Julissa Brisman – that had taken place in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. The robberies were against three women, closely spaced in time and exhibiting strong similarities to each other.
- Trisha Leffler (a paid escortCall girlA call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
) was bound, gagged, and robbedRobberyRobbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
at gunpoint on Friday, April 10, 2009 at the WestinWestin HotelsWestin Hotels & Resorts are an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As of 2011, Westin operated over 160 hotels in 37 countries.-History:...
Copley PlaceCopley PlaceCopley Place is an enclosed shopping mall, constructed in 1983, located in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. It is owned by Simon Property Group, which acquired it in the 2002 breakup of the then-Dutch owned Urban Shopping Centers, Inc...
Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. - Julissa Brisman (who had posted an advertisement online offering erotic servicesErotic massageErotic massage or sensuous massage is the use of massage techniques to achieve or enhance sexual arousal. Massages have been used for medical purposes for a very long time. Its use for erotic purposes also has a long history. Today it is used by some couples on occasions as part of lovemaking,...
) was found dead on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, at the Copley MarriottMarriott InternationalMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
, also in Boston. - Corinne Stout (an exotic dancerExotic dancerThe terms exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context. In the erotic sense, "exotic dance" is a often used to refer to practitioners of striptease...
offering lap danceLap danceA lap dance is a type of sex work performed in some strip clubs in which a naked or topless dancer performs an erotic dance either in immediate contact with a seated patron, or within a very short distance. With full-contact lap dances, the stripper may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact...
services) was the victim of attempted robbery on Thursday, April 16, 2009, at a Holiday Inn ExpressHoliday Inn ExpressHoliday Inn Express is a mid-priced hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands. As an "express" hotel, their focus is on offering limited services and a reasonable price. Standard amenities lean toward the convenient and practical which cater to business travelers and...
in Warwick, Rhode IslandWarwick, Rhode IslandWarwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
.
Law enforcement officials suspect that all three were committed by the same individual.
Arrest and legal proceedings
On April 20, 2009, citing security camera footageFootage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
, cell phone activity, and email accounts as evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
, police arrested Markoff, who was living in the High Point apartments in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, and charged him with armed robbery and kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
for the events of April 10, and murder in the death of Brisman on April 14. The arrest took place
Place
-Geography:* Place , an area with definite or indefinite boundaries or a portion of space in which has a name in a area* Place , defined as any concentration of population...
on Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
in Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located about south of Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 24,070 at the 2010 census. Walpole was first settled in 1659 and was considered a part of Dedham until officially incorporated in 1724...
, while Markoff and McAllister were en route to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
On April 21, Markoff was arraigned on murder and gun charges brought by the Suffolk County
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
DA
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
in Brisman's slaying. The DA stated that physical evidence, including a semi-automatic
Semi-automatic firearm
A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
, wrist restraints, duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...
, and other materials were found in Markoff's apartment when the police executed a search warrant
Search warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
. At his arraignment, where he was represented by Boston attorney John Salsberg, Markoff maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was held without bail on a murder charge, although separate bonds were set on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from the incident involving a second woman.
On May 4, 2009, a warrant was issued in Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
, for Markoff's arrest, seeking to charge him with assault, attempted robbery, and weapon possession in the April 16 Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express is a mid-priced hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands. As an "express" hotel, their focus is on offering limited services and a reasonable price. Standard amenities lean toward the convenient and practical which cater to business travelers and...
case. However, the Rhode Island Attorney General
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
said that their prosecution would not go forward until the Boston cases ended.
Originally, the trial against Markoff was expected to begin in July 2010. A judge subsequently delayed the start of the trial until March 2011. Markoff's lawyer had contended that Markoff had already been unfairly "convicted" in the media at the time of his arrest, thereby adversely prejudicing his right to a fair trial
Fair Trial
Fair Trial was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire. He was bred and raced by John Arthur Dewar who also bred and raced Tudor Minstrel....
.
The Suffolk County District Attorney is expected to file a motion to terminate prosecution as a result of his death.
Reaction of family and friends to allegations
Friends, neighbors, and former teachers expressed shock and disbelief at the charges. Some of his friends set up a Facebook group entitled "Philip Markoff Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty."McAllister at first issued statements affirming her belief in his innocence. She described Markoff as "beautiful inside and out" and stated that he "couldn't hurt a fly." On April 29, McAllister's attorney, Robert Honecker, accompanied her to visit Markoff in jail and said that the couple's August 14 wedding plans were "dismantled". She visited Markoff again on June 11, 2009, and Honecker said McAllister told Markoff she was going to medical school and said it would be "a long period of time, if ever, before she would see him again."
Unsuccessful suicide attempts
Markoff made several apparent suicide attempts while at the Nashua Street Jail. In the first incident, jail officials found "shoelace marks" around Markoff's neck on April 23, 2009, three days after his arrest, and they placed him under suicide watchSuicide watch
Suicide watch is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that an individual does not die by suicide. Usually the term is used in reference to inmates in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital, or military bases...
in the psychiatric unit of Nashua Street jail, where he was monitored around-the-clock.
In a second incident, on the night his fiancee broke up with him, Markoff attempted to slice his wrists with a spoon he sharpened to a point using concrete in his cell. He was taken off suicide watch a few days later. In a third incident, on August 14, 2009, the day his wedding had been scheduled to take place, Markoff was found to have stashed medication and was taken to a medical facility.
Death
On August 15, 2010, one year and one day after the date his wedding was to have taken place, Markoff was found dead in his cell at Boston's Nashua Street Jail. The cause of death was later confirmed as suicide by self-inflicted wounds and suffocationSuffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
. Prior to taking his life, Markoff reportedly wrote "Megan", his former fiancee's name, and "Pocket", (their pet name for each other) in blood, on the wall of his cell, and placed her photographs around his cell.
Professionals disagree on the meaning of Markoff's final actions. Casey Jordan, a lawyer and criminologist, believes Markoff thought he was doing McAllister a favor by killing himself rather than putting her through an embarrassing trial at which she would have been required to testify: "He believed it was a kind thing he did. It makes sense that he wrote her name and put up her photographs because she was the last thing he was thinking of." However, Lynne Schwartz, a forensic psychologist practicing in New York State (who emphasized that she has had no direct contact with Markoff) said that the methods he employed show that he was thinking more about himself than Megan. "If you want to say goodbye to someone you write a note and leave it in your cell," she said. "It all felt very hostile to me...he feels like he's the one who's been betrayed. It's all about him. He didn't say, 'I'm sorry, you were the most important person in my life. I beg your forgiveness.' Think about it: who communicates in blood? Doing it this way is not about love to me."
The Chairman of the Boston City Council Public Safety Committee, Stephen Murphy, called for an independent investigation of Markoff's death and procedures at the Nashua Street Jail. Murphy asserted that jail officials had a duty of proper care and custody of all inmates and that Markoff should have been watched more closely given his prior suicide attempts.
External links
- Boston Police Department Arrest Booking Form
- Criminal Complaint Commonwealth v. Markoff FindLawFindLawFindLaw is a business of Thomson Reuters that provides online legal information and online marketing services for law firms. FindLaw was created by Stacy Stern, Martin Roscheisen and Tim Stanley in 1995, and was acquired by Thomson West in 2001....