Philip Markoff, known as the “Craigslist Killer” will be facing additional charges for an incident that occurred in Rhode Island.  Markoff, a medical student in Boston University was charged yesterday for pulling a gun on a stripper at a hotel in Rhode Island.  Markoff is being accused of assault and weapons violations.  Earlier it was beleived to be a robbert attempt at the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, Rhode Island.

A stripper from Las Vegas said that she was bound with a cord and held at gunpoint from a man that she had been talking through on Craigslist.  The stripper said that the man fled when her husband came to the hotel room.  Attorney General Patrick Lynch strongly believes it was Markoff.

“It was Philip Markoff,” stated Lynch. “He will be brought to justice.”  Markoff’s fingerprints were found at the hotel room.  But Markoff was denying the charges filed against him.

Police arrested Markoff on April 20 when he driving with his fiancee to Fowoods Resort Casino in COnnecticut.  Markoff is being charged with the murder of Julissa Brisman and a robbery at a Boston hotel of a masseuse.

[via Huffpo]

Craigslist.org has been at the center of attention over a recent killing spree allegedly by medical student Philip Markoff.  Two years ago, 24 year old Katherine Ann Olson responded to a phony baby-sitting ad on Craigslist and was murdered. Craig Newmark took the podium at Olson’s memorial concert recently.

“Despite the billions of times well-meaning people have helped each other through Craigslist, it’s been devastating to see that it can also be used by bad people to take cruel advantage of others and bring a senseless end to a beautiful young life,” stated Newmark at the podium. “The most recent crime in Boston has been a grim reminder of that.”

In October 2007, Olson graduated from St. Olaf College with a dual degree in theater and Hispanic studies. She was working several part-time jobs at the time of her murder. On Craigslist, there was an ad listed by the name of Amy who agreed to hire her from 10:30AM-5PM. Amy sent her address in Savage, Minnesota. When Olson showed up, it turned ot to be Michael Anderson instead of Amy. He was carrying a Ruger .357 Magnum Blackhawk revolver gun at the time. Anderson became known as “The Craigslist Killer.”

In March 2009, the sheriff of Cook County in Chicago decided to sue Craigslist in response to the arrest of 76 prostitutes made through the use of the classifieds website.

Below is a full video of Newmark’s speech at the concert.

Philip Markoff, now known as the “Craigslist killer” by a lot of media companies has decided to fight the charges filed against him. The charges are related to the targeting of several women that were offering erotic services through the classifieds website Craigslist.org. Markoff is a 23 year old, second year medical student at Boston University.

Markoff has also been accused of the murder of Julissa Brisman (pictured above). Brisman was found dead on April 14 in a Boston hotel. She was bashed in the head three times and shot three times.

“This was a brutal, vicious crime – savage – and it shows Philip Markoff is a man who is willing to take advantage of women, to hurt them, to beat them, to rob them,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley. “He probably thought he was going to get away with it. He thought he was too smart for us.”

Authorities were able to find Markoff by fingerprints found on the scene. Another form of evidence worth nothing is the electronic fingerprint. The e-mail account Markoff opened one day before the murder led straight to his apartment.

“There’s an absolute certainty with electronic evidence that is quite powerful and not subject to the kind of interpretation you often get with other kinds of forensic evidence,” added Conley.

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster wrote on the company’s blog that they plan to continue collaborating with the Attorneys General and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment.

[via The Australian/Boston Herald/Mahalo]