A medical student turned robber and murderer. What went wrong? Read the story of the Boston murderer Philip Markoff, who found his victims through Craiglist and which ended in the death of Julissa Brisman.
Who was Philip Markoff?
Phillip Markoff was a 22-year-old medical student with a great career prospect. He finished high school as a member of the National Honour Society and headed to pre-med school straight after. Here he met his future fiance Megan McAllister and they planned on getting married in August 2019, but things have gone horribly wrong before that and Megan broke their engagement while Philip was in prison.
The Victims
Markoff has committed 3 robberies and kidnappings where he targetted women who were placing ads on Craiglist.
The first victim was Trisha Leffler who worked as an escort. April 10, 2009, Philip showed up to the date, he robbed her at gunpoint and left her tied and gagged in the hotel room.
Less than a week later, on April 14, Julissa Brisman who was on a visit from New York, has met with Markoff after she placed an ad on Craiglist for massage services. It is suspected that Julissa resisted when Markoff tried to rob her, so he shot her twice and walked off, leaving her on the hotel corridor.
Just two days later, Cynthia Melton, an exotic dancer who also offered her services on Craiglist got attacked by Markoff in her hotel room. Luckily her husband came to the rescue and Markoff got away without hurting Cynthia.
Catching the suspect
Security camera footage, cell phone activity, and email evidence led the police to arrest Markoff only 4 days later. They found a handgun, wrist restraints, duck tape and women’s underwear in Markoff and his fiance’s flat. Markoff didn’t live to see the trial and his guilty verdict. His fiance broke up the engagement then also up with him in June. Following this Markoff attempted suicide on a number of occasions and a year after their would have been wedding he sliced arteries in his ankles, legs and neck, stuffed paper down his throat, covered his head with a plastic bag and wrapped himself in a blanket.
He wrote his fiance’s name on the wall in blood as a final note alongside the word “pocket” which was their pet name for each other.
Books about Philip Markoff: The Craiglist Killer
Seven Days of Rage: The Deadly Crime Spree of the Craigslist Killer
“A compelling, suspenseful“ (Publishers Weekly) day-by-day account from a producer for 48 Hours Mystery and a Boston Globe reporter reveals how the charming Markoff hid his deadly obsessions from the world-up close and personal.
A Date with Death : The Secret Life of the Accused Craigslist Killer
Markoff’s home was searched following a digital trail that led investigators to evidence connecting him to Brisman, including a gun, prepaid cell phones, plastic handcuffs, and other clothing and objects. A stash of women’s undergarments was also found, raising even more questions about the suspect: How many other women did Markoff meet before Brisman? And what happened to them? This is the true story of one woman’s DATE WITH DEATH.