Today we learn that the accused "Craigslist killer" (oh, and what great p.r. this has been for that Internet site!) is now on a suicide watch because jail guards found shoelace marks on his neck.
If the cops have this case right, what a secret double life Philip Markoff led. A seemingly smart medical student at Boston University, he was going to be married this summer. His fiancé, who's from New Jersey, still believes in him, despite the mounting evidence. She doesn't think he's capable of hooking up with women who advertise their services on Craigslist, and then take their money to feed his gambling habit.
And she doesn't believe for a second that he killed Julissa Brisman, a New York masseuse, whom police say Markoff killed in a hotel room outside Boston.
Also skeptical, a grassroots group of Facebook users who have started a page called "Phil Markoff is Innocent Until Proven Guilty." The site is run by a alumni of SUNY (where Markoff and his finance went to school) and is supposed to be a forum to rally against the media and a culture "that has forgotten that people like Phil are suspects, not killers."
No mention by the organizers that, in the SUSPECT's apartment police say they found two pairs of panties belonging to Brisman and another woman who was attacked.
This afternoon, the fiance's father talked to us about how he and his family still support Markoff. (Click here to watch the video)
As I said, more twists than a pretzel
We'll have the latest on the case, tonight at 11.
Also at 11, several interesting economic stories percolating today: LIPA is cutting rates because of a drop in natural gas prices. And GM's 9-weeks of plant closings in the U.S. will reduce its current 767,000 inventory of cars and trucks to about 525,000 by the end of July -- hopefully. And Microsoft reporting a drop in its quarterly revenue - the first time that's happened in its 23-year history as a public company.
And speaking of business, our investigative reporter Jim Hoffer has the story of one local businessman who is actually a FORMER local businessman, but who is still getting taxed by the state for a business he no longer has. This despite his appeals and a court order. Sheesh.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Lee Goldberg's AccuWeather forecast, and Scott Clark with the night's sports. I hope you can join Liz Cho and me, tonight at 11.
BILL RITTER
BILL RITTER
