Craigslist killing suspect was a model student

According to this report on CNN.com, Philip Markoff was a "model student" and his fiancee maintained his innocence in an e-mail to ABC News and wrote that Philip Markoff "is the wrong man" and "was set up." It's so hard to know what goes through the minds of people who commit murder. Markoff was a second year student at Boston University where his peers and colleagues thought that he was a fairly normal guy. Is it possible that the stress of medical school caused him to snap? Is it possible that he succumbed to some strange mental illness during medical school? After all, he's in that age group where psychosis and schizophrenia begin to manifest symptoms.

Tragic Story: Philip Markoff, the Craigslist Killer?

As someone who spent 4 years in Boston at MIT, this sad story hits home for me. A Boston University medical student named Philip Markoff has been charged with the murder of Julissa Brisman, a 26-year-old masseuse who advertised on craigslist. I've used craigslist for many things: to buy and sell merchandise, to find job candidates, and much more. It's a great service and there are some people who offer (or sell) their services online.

I'm sure this isn't the last time we're going to hear about Philip Markoff. He was charged today and he plead "not guilty" so we'll have to see where this goes. He's currently being held without bail for the fatal shooting of Brisman. This story makes me think about television shows like CSI. I don't usually watch TV unless I'm at the gym. I admit that I'll watch CSI if I'm running on the treadmill or using the eliptical. Without a doubt, medical technology has improved our ability to solve crimes by analyzing biological evidence. Let's hope that the evidence leads to the correct diagnosis of this criminal case.