The Many Faces of the Craigslist Killer (2024)

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    Article Details:

    Richard Beasley, Philip Markoff and Others: The Many Faces of the Craigslist Killer

    • Author

      Adam Janos

    • Website Name

      aetv.com

    • Year Published

      2021

    • Title

      Richard Beasley, Philip Markoff and Others: The Many Faces of the Craigslist Killer

    • URL

      https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/craigslist-killer-richard-beasley-philip-markoff

    • Access Date

      August 02, 2024

    • Publisher

      A+E Networks

Craigslist is a website where you can find almost anything: a new apartment, some garden equipment, a ride from L.A. to New York. But throughout the years, an unlucky few have found themselves unexpectedly purchasing danger: robberies, sexual assault, sudden violent death.

“There is barely a day that goes by that I don’t see at least one report—sometimes two or three or five crimes linked to Craigslist,” says Peter Zollman, the founding principal of Advanced Interactive Media Group, which reports on online marketplace companies. Zollman’s organization runs a blog that catalogues Craigslist killings; according to their count, there have been at least 131 Craigslist murders since 2007.

“Craigslist has always created an ethos of anonymity,” Zollman says. “And a wild west atmosphere.”

A&E Real Crime looks at some of the most gruesome Craigslist killers.

Craigslist did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Michael John Anderson

The first man dubbed “Craigslist Killer” in media reports couldn’t figure out how to talk to women. According to his attorneys, before his 2007 murder, Michael John Anderson was just “a dumb kid”—a socially stunted 19-year-old who had never so much as held a girl’s hand before he made Craigslist his medium for approach.

There, on the online marketplace, Anderson posted numerous classified advertisements. Eventually, he found 24-year-old Katherine Ann Olson, who was looking for a babysitting gig. Anderson had placed an ad claiming to be a woman named Amy, looking for someone to care for her 5-year-old.

[Watch Beyond the Headlines: Catching the Craigslist Killer on A&E Crime Central.]

Shortly after Olson showed up at Anderson’s Savage, Minnesota home on October 25, 2007, Anderson shot her in the back with a .357 Magnum Blackhawk revolver. He stuffed her into the trunk of her car, where she bled to death.

On March 31, 2009, Anderson was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, among other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance for parole. He currently resides at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Oak Park Heights

Richard Beasley

The gig looked like a dream come true, for a certain kind of drifter:

We need someone to watch our farm down in southern Ohio. Live for free in a double-wide trailer, nothing in the way of duties except to take in the peacefulness of the countryside and…make sure no one steals any farm equipment or perpetrates any mischief.

Pay was $300 per week. But behind the offer lay a murderous plot: Beasley, 53 years old, was seeking victims. Already on the run from the law for operating a brothel out of a halfway house, Beasley turned to hunting male victims on Craigslist—first, to secure fake identity papers; then later, to secure income while on the lam. Because the gig involved a live-in work situation, victims were instructed to bring cash and possessions with them.

[Watch I Survived a Serial Killer in the A&E app.]

Over four months in 2011, this Craigslist Killer shot and killed three middle-aged men (David Pauley, Ralph Geiger and Timothy Kern) with the help of Brogan Rafferty, a 16-year-old accomplice from a broken home whom Beasley had befriended at church.

“He had a jolly laugh, a beard, a belly and even carried candy in his pocket,” Rafferty told The Atlantic. “There was a period when I was younger that I was convinced he was Santa Claus.”

The killing spree came to an end when a fourth victim, Scott Davis, escaped the attempted murder with a flesh wound and reported the assailants to the police.

Beasley was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted murder and numerous other charges, on March 13, 2013, for which he was sentenced to death. He is currently imprisoned at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio. Rafferty was given life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on similar charges.

Philip Markoff

Unlike Anderson and Beasley, things were going reasonably well for Philip Markoff when he turned to a life of violent crime. Only 23 years old, Markoff was already a medical student at Boston University. And he was engaged—to Megan McAllister, 25 years old. They were only months away from being married.

But Markoff had a double life. He was responding to sex worker classifieds on Craigslist and traveling to upscale hotels in the Boston area, where he held the women at gunpoint, tying them up and robbing them.

Ultimately, over the course of a few weeks in April 2009, this Craigslist Killer robbed three women in similar fashion, shooting and killing his second victim, 26-year-old Julissa Brisman, at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

Police quickly homed in on Markoff as a suspect. They were able to link emails to his apartment, one of the surviving victims identified him as the perpetrator by a photograph and Brisman’s blood was on his shoes at the time of his arrest.

McAllister broke off their engagement shortly after Markoff’s arrest.

But the case never made it to trial. On what would’ve been his 1-year wedding anniversary, on August 15, 2010, Markoff killed himself in his holding cell with a makeshift scalpel, scrawling his former fiancée’s name on the wall in blood as his final act.

For all the gruesome Craigslist murders, there are some signs of a slowdown. After 83 documented murders between 2007 and 2015, Zollman’s group has only tracked 49 in the six years since—a slight decline.

“I’m happy to say that the last few years, there have been far, far fewer killings reported as linked to Craigslist,” he says—crediting, in part, the elimination of the “casual encounters” and “dating” sections of the website.

Of course, part of it might just be diverted traffic.

“Usage of Craigslist has gone down,” Zollman says. “People are using different apps.”

Related Features:

Daniel Tate, Lewis Daynes and Other Killers Who Hunted for Victims Online

How Social Media Has Helped Solve Murders and Capture Criminals

‘Grindr Killer’ Stephen Port Hid in Plain Sight for Years

The Many Faces of the Craigslist Killer (2024)

FAQs

How many Craigslist killers are there? ›

Zollman's organization runs a blog that catalogues Craigslist killings; according to their count, there have been at least 131 Craigslist murders since 2007. “Craigslist has always created an ethos of anonymity,” Zollman says. “And a wild west atmosphere.”

Did Philip Markoff confess? ›

Markoff maintained his innocence of all charges and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

Who was the Craigslist killer's fiance? ›

When he was arrested in April 2009 he was engaged to marry fellow medical student Megan McAllister. In the days immediately after his arrest, McAllister staunchly defended Markoff's innocence, but a few days later went to the jail where he was held and broke off their engagement.

What mental illness did the Craigslist killer have? ›

The answer? He is a psychopath. Philip Markoff's interpersonal and affective personality traits contribute to his classification as a modern-day psychopath whose popularity in school, loving relationship, and his affluent lifestyle reveal that his psychopathic qualities are inherent.

Who are the victims of Craigslist Killer? ›

  • Trisha Leffler. 29-year-old Trisha was the first victim. ...
  • Julissa Brisman. Four days after robbing and terrorizing Ms. ...
  • Cynthia Melton. Two days after killing Ms. ...
  • Weapons Used and Evidence Collected. He used a variety of weapons to assault, torment, and eventually murder his victims. ...
  • What did he leave written in blood?
Apr 27, 2022

What evidence was found against Philip Markoff? ›

Police had the evidence - the trackfones Markoff allegedly used to schedule meetings with his victims, the cable ties he allegedly wrapped around his victims' wrists, the Gray's Anatomy book he carved out, the alleged murder weapon that had been hidden inside, and the shoes he was wearing the day he was arrested.

Is the Craigslist Killer based on a true story? ›

Yes. The movie is based on the true story of BU medical student Philip Haynes Markoff, dubbed 'the Craigslist Killer' because he chose his victims from 'erotic services' ads they had placed on Craigslist.

Where is Philip Markoff buried? ›

He died on 15 August 2010, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, at the age of 24, and was buried in Saint Helena's Cemetery, Oneida, Madison, New York, United States.

Who was the woman that dated a serial killer? ›

Sherry Hopson had no idea the man she was dating was a serial killer. But she did begin to notice startling behaviors from Lindahl during their time together. Hopson tells the story of her encounters with Lindahl on the newest episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer.

Did Megan McAllister ever get married? ›

The couple, both med students, were scheduled to get married in a lavish August wedding. But McAllister told him that the nuptials are canceled, sources said. Markoff, who had earlier been put on a suicide watch and was required to wear paper clothing for his safety, received his former fiancee in a new outfit.

How many killers are active right now? ›

In the US alone, the FBI estimates there are between 25 to 50 active serial killers at any given time, despite the authorities not being aware of them or connecting the killings together. On a worldwide scale, this estimate is certainly larger, but only a handful of serial killer cases are confirmed to be unsolved.

What happened to Brogan Rafferty? ›

"Craigslist Murder Case": Brogan Rafferty, Ohio teen, sentenced to life in prison. (AP) AKRON, Ohio - A teenager was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole Friday for his role in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers.

How was the Craigslist Killer case solved? ›

Physical Evidence Seals the Case

Acting on a search warrant of Markoff's apartment, investigators found a Springfield Armory XD9 semi-automatic handgun in a hollowed out copy of Gray's Anatomy, and, taped to the back of a dryer, bullets matching the ones used to kill Brisman.

When did Craigslist Killer start? ›

In the spring 2009, Boston was a city at peace. But then, on April 10, everything changed. The "Craigslist Killer" began his seven-day crime spree.

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