'The Craigslist Killer' on Lifetime TV Based on True Crime Story

"The Craigslist Killer" is a Lifetime television movie based on the real life crime spree attributed to Boston University medical student Phillip Markoff in April, 2009. Markoff's crime spree was relatively brief, but made an impression because of the unique circumstances and surprising characters involved.

The movie on Lifetime television is about accused Craigslist Killer Phillip Markoff, who allegedly went on a crime spree in Boston in April, 2009. Lifetime's dramatized version of the story stars Jake McDorman as Phillip Markoff, Agnes Bruckner as his fiance Megan McAllister, William Baldwin as Detective Bennett, Leela Savasta as murder victim Julissa Brisman and Triesta Kelly Dunn as armed robbery victim Trisha Leiffler.

The Craigslist Killer used the online search service to find his victims. Markoff was accused of armed robbery, kidnapping and murder. Markoff was in jail awaiting trial when he ended his own life by committing suicide. His final act robbed his victims from a sense of justice.

The televised movie was more than a mystery, it was cautionary tale for people who trust strangers and who let themselves be vulnerable to harm. Crime can happen anywhere, but some circumstances are more dangerous than others. Going into a hotel room with a strange man would count as risky behavior.

The accused killer, Phillip Markoff, was not a sleazy looking derelict hanging out on a dark street corner. Women would instinctively recoil and be extra cautious with a man who looks and acts dangerous. In contrast, Markoff was a clean cut man with a good education. He was the type of person that women were likely to trust.

There have always been predators that prey on the vulnerable. Predators might lurk in dark alleys or behind bushes. Markoff used the Internet to find his victims, with the online search service Craigslist.

Phillip Markoff was smart, handsome and appeared to have a bright future with a beautiful fiance. Beneath the all too perfect surface was a dark, sinister interior.

Markoff targeted women who listed in Craiglist under erotic services. He knew that he could get them alone in a hotel room, where he could take them by surprise and attack them. His clean-cut good looks made him seem trustworthy, so women let their guard down when they should not have trusted him.

Most women have been told to stay out of dangerous places, including dark alleys and deserted woods. Women who go into hotel rooms with strange men must be aware that they are taking a risk, but they probably think they can trust their instincts about safe and unsafe people. Unfortunately, not all dangerous men look dangerous, as was the case with the Craigslist Killer.

Markoff had a fiance who had no idea that the man she was going to marry was leading a double life. The movie showed in shock and disbelief. A woman who has been betrayed so deeply is likely to question her judgment in future relationships and have trouble trusting another man.

"The Craigslist Killer" was a real life tragedy brought to television. Phillip Markoff destroyed himself and his murder victim. He also damaged his other victims. He also hurt his fiance, the woman he claimed to love. The story is left with a final question mark. Why did a man with such a bright future turn to violent crime?

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