Shadows of the Past: True Crime and Historical Enigmas

Philip Markoff - The Craigslist Killer - Part 2

With an abundance of evidence in hand, on April 21, 2009, Philip Markoff was officially charged with the murder of Julissa Brisman, as well as the robberies of Trisha and Cynthia.

Philip pleaded not guilty and was denied bail, resulting in his incarceration.

While in jail, Philip made the first of several suicide attempts by attempting to hang himself with his shoelaces. It became apparent to Megan, who staunchly believed in Philip's innocence, that the evidence against him was overwhelming. She eventually ended their relationship after seeing all the incriminating evidence presented by the police.

I think this is where the penny dropped for Megan, because there was just so much evidence. There was no denying that Philip had done this.

She did go and visit him in jail, and she allegedly told him, "This is going to be the last time you see me."

During her final visit to the jail, Philip appeared wearing a suicide jacket, and all he could say was "I'm sorry." Megan informed him that she would pursue her dream of attending medical school, signaling a fresh start in her life, and she did; she's a doctor now.

I'm so happy that she actually did almost make a fresh start.

The very next day after Megan's visit, Philip made another suicide attempt by using a sharp metal spoon to cut his wrists. Over the course of the following year, he made multiple suicide attempts, including one on what would have been his wedding day. 

On August 15, 2010, Philip was discovered dead in his cell. He had managed to fashion a knife out of a pen provided to him in jail and used it to inflict fatal wounds on his ankles, neck, and legs. In his final act, he stuffed toilet paper in his throat and placed a plastic bag over his head, ensuring he could not be revived. Adjacent to his body were photographs of him and Megan, while on the wall, the words 'Megan' and 'Pocket' were written in blood. 'Pocket' was their pet name for each other.

Due to Philip's death, the case never proceeded to trial, resulting in the charges against him being dropped. Speculation exists regarding his motive for committing suicide. Some believe he wanted to spare Megan the shame of being called as a witness, while others think he sought to avoid facing the shame himself.

As a result of public pressure following Philip's case, Craigslist changed the name of the Erotic Services section to Adult Services, and eventually removed the section altogether.

The most intriguing part of this case to me is the motive behind Philip's crimes. What was it? Despite his seemingly normal background and upbringing, it's hard to reconcile his actions with his character.

The motive is subject to much debate. One possible motive suggested is that he committed the crimes due to his substantial debt of $130,000, living off credit to cover his expenses. Some speculate that he robbed his victims to repay his debts.

I don't think it's true. I mean, it could be, but I don't think he committed these crimes just because he was in debt and needed money. If we think about it, he stole $800 from Trisha. What is $800 going to do with $130,000 worth of debt? Not much.

Another theory is that Philip's crimes were motivated by his gambling addiction, as he frequented casinos and even gambled the money he stole from Julissa.

I mean, that's got to mean something... Again, I don't know if it's the sole motive, but I definitely feel like it plays into it.

There is a possibility that the gambling and debt were connected in Philip's motives. He would steal small amounts from sex workers, go to the casino, try to multiply the money, and potentially use it to pay off his debt. So, the gambling and debt could be linked in his motive.

Another theory suggests that the crimes were sexually motivated. Considering Philip's alternative online sexual life, it is possible that his frustration in that realm spilled over into the real world, leading to the crimes out of anger and frustration. However, it is perplexing because if the crimes were sexually motivated, one would expect some form of sexual assault. This aspect adds complexity to the case.

I know that his target victims were sex workers, but I don't think that in itself makes this a sexually motivated crime.

There is a chance that Philip targeted sex workers because they were easy victims, without any sexual motivation behind it.

Why do I think that there is a sexual element to these crimes? It's because he stole their panties. So, what does that mean? I mean, obviously, that might not be sexually motivated, but... oh, I don't know. I give up. I just... there's just this nagging thing in my head that's saying that him stealing the underwear is sexually motivated. Like, was he getting off on that? Was this some kind of sexual fetish that he had? And also, was he taking the underwear as a trophy so he could relive the crimes? Maybe. Okay, so maybe it's not sexually motivated, and the reason why he stole the underwear is just because it was an easy, opportunistic trophy because sex workers had spare pairs of panties on them... and maybe it's just a combination of everything that I've just said. I don't fucking know.

It is possible that these crimes were driven by Philip's sexual fantasies, while also fueling his gambling addiction. His gambling skills allowed him to win significant sums of money, which may have helped resolve his debt issue.

WAIT! A new theory just came to mind. Remember when he was signing up for adult websites? Maybe it wasn't for sexual purposes at all. What if he was searching for potential victims on those sites? Obviously, nothing came of those online chats that he was having, and since he wasn't able to arrange any meetings, he turned to Craigslist. Mic drop. I'm convinced that's right. I think. I don't know. I mean, it still doesn't explain why he did what he did and why he wanted to kill and rob these women. I just thought that was really interesting. Anyways, it's not like we can ask the guy; he's dead.

The end.

That concludes the case of Philip Markoff, the Craigslist Killer.

The biggest question I have about this case is: why did he kill Julissa? I just can't wrap my head around it. I mean, it's obvious that cases like Philip's often involve an escalation of crimes. So maybe Julissa's murder was planned, and it was just Philip's crimes getting worse and worse. I'm so grateful that Cynthia's husband showed up and interrupted because maybe Philip was planning to kill Cynthia too if things were escalating. Or maybe it was just a robbery gone wrong with Julissa? But I don't buy that either because, like I said, he didn't need to kill her. He had already knocked her out with the gun. It just doesn't make sense to me. There are so many unanswered questions in this case. 

Recommendations:

The Craigslist Killer - (2011 and 2013)

On this final note, I hope you have a great day today, make smart choices, be safe, take care and I'll talk to you soon! Ciao xx