Suspected Craigslist killer Philip Markoff pleaded not guilty yesterday to the charges brought against him by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has been accused of seven crimes, including kidnapping, armed robbery, weapons violations, and, of course, the murder of Julissa Brisman, a masseuse he met through Craigslist.
Markoff’s family was at the hearing, as was the victim’s family. The Markoffs had no comment for reporters, while Brisman’s mother said she missed her daughter a lot, and that the young woman was “the light of our lives”.
Whether he’s found guilty or not, Markoff’s life is pretty much ruined. The trial won’t be until June 2010, a whole year from now, and who knows how long the actual court proceedings will take. Then what’s he gonna do? If he’s guilty, he’ll spend the rest of his life in jail. If innocent, what then? It’s not like he can just slip back into medical school and pick up where he left off.
And what about ex-fiance Megan McAllister? She called off their August wedding because Markoff will still be in custody, but she said before that she believes he’s innocent and will stand by him. Is she going to stick to that for the 1 year+ that the trial will take? Or will she separate herself from him and try to move on with her life? I’m betting the latter.
I usually don’t get too caught up in these sensational trials, but this one is interesting to me. I want to know what his motives were!
(AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye, Pool)