Boston University School of Medicine second-year student and alleged ‘Craigslist killer’ Philip Markoff was indicted Tuesday in Rhode Island on charges that he assaulted a stripper at gunpoint in April, according to the Rhode Island attorney general’s office.
A Kent County grand jury formally charged Markoff, 23, with felony counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to commit robbery, according to the attorney general’s office. Markoff, who faces first-degree murder charges in Boston, allegedly attempted to rob the Las Vegas stripper April 16 at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I.
Markoff’s court-appointed attorney John Salsberg declined to comment because he does not represent Markoff in the Rhode Island case.
The woman, who advertised private dances on Craigslist, told authorities that a man matching Markoff’s description attempted to rob her at gunpoint in a hotel room, but was interrupted when her husband came into the room, officials said. Markoff allegedly then pointed the gun at the husband, causing him to flee, officials said. Markoff allegedly fled the room soon after.
The BU MED student could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, officials said.
Markoff pleaded not guilty last month in Suffolk Superior Court to the fatal shooting of New York masseuse Julissa Brisman at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel April 14 and the armed robbery of Trisha Leffler, 29, at the Westin Copley Place four days earlier. All three women allegedly advertised in the erotic services section on Craigslist.
Investigators found Markoff had purchased the 9 mm automatic handgun allegedly used in the crime spree in February using another man’s New York driver’s license, prosecutors said at Markoff’s June arraignment. Markoff allegedly arranged meetings with the women using three different disposable Tracfones, a prepaid cell phone that does not require the user to provide any identifying information.
A search of his Quincy apartment revealed the handgun hidden in a hollowed out copy of ‘Gray’s Anatomy,’ which ballistics later matched to the gun that killed Brisman. The search also revealed ammunition, plastic ties and Tracfones, as well as multiple laptops, prosecutors said. On one of the laptops, the hard drive still contained emails between Markoff and the alleged victims, according to prosecutors.’
Markoff, who is being held without bail at the Nashua Street Jail, is not expected to go to trial in Boston until June 2010.’ ‘
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