Craigslist Slay Suspect "Seemed Strange"

(CBS/AP)  A woman who responded to an online request for a babysitter told her roommate that the person who placed the ad "seemed kind of strange."

Katherine Ann Olson went anyway, thinking she would be meeting a woman named Amy, or a couple. Instead, authorities say, she was lured to the home of her killer, who shot her in the back before stuffing her in the trunk of her car.

On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Michael John Anderson, 19, of Savage, with second-degree murder. Their evidence: blood spatters in the suburban home he shared with his parents, a gun in his bedroom and drag marks on the stairway.

Olson's body was found Friday in the trunk of her car, which was abandoned in a park about five blocks from Anderson's house. Her ankles were bound with red twine, according to the criminal complaint filed in Scott County. Her purse, her smashed cell phone, and bloody towels - one of which bore Anderson's name - were found in a garbage can nearby.

"The life of a bright, promising young woman has been taken for absolutely no reason," said Scott County Attorney Pat Ciliberto. "The evidence is that this woman was lured to the defendant's house and was shot."

Ciliberto said the evidence indicates Olson and Anderson did not know each other. He also said there was no evidence of sexual assault.

"At this point, we don't know a whole lot about our suspect," Savage police captain David Meulkin told CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "We have had some minor juvenile contacts with him, nothing serious, and certainly nothing violent and nothing that would indicate this."

Attorneys for Anderson had no comment on the charge.

"I think in a case like this, we'll just let the judicial process take its course," said Robert M. Speeter, a defense attorney.

According to the criminal complaint, Olson, 24, went to Anderson's home Thursday for a baby-sitting job she had seen advertised on Craigslist, a popular Internet bulletin board. Olson had taken nanny jobs at least twice before, including a job in Turkey, after answering online ads.

This ad was posted by someone claiming to be "Amy." Olson's roommate, Matt Thiede, told police that Olson had talked with "Amy" and commented that "the woman seemed kind of strange."

Olson and "Amy" exchanged e-mails, and in one message, "Amy" asked Olson to baby-sit a child between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday. The address and phone number provided to Olson matched Anderson's address and cell phone number, authorities said.

Ciliberto said it appears Olson thought she was responding to a woman or a couple in need of babysitting. The evidence, he said, shows that the e-mail account with the name Amy was "one and the same with Michael John Anderson."

Olson was last seen Thursday morning at her apartment, but she never returned.

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[michellem99-2009]

I don''t know any one who post here..I DON''T..

[kailumego1]

ItsNotAboutU, "struck a nerve", do you fit into the "sociopathic typology of criminal behavior", and in reality are you trying to defend your own neurotic behavior or pathological "disease"..

[itsnotaboutu]

Oh let''s face it, any killer can be a "good person" until they KILL SOMEONE. There are no garanteed ways of identifying 100% of the worlds nut jobs. I mean even Hitler hugged a baby or two...

[scarletphd]

MichelleM99 said, "ScarletPhd..Yer just showed us ye can think.."

Nah, Not think, search. Scarlet merely did a C&P (copy and paste) from a Wikipedia webpage.
But, as Pappy used to say, "Knowledge isn''''t whatcha know, but if''''n ya know where to go to get it."
Regards,
Posted by Nancy_Naive

You two must be so proud...your demonstration of how to state the obvious is simply amazing. Wow.

[scarletphd]

ScarletPhD, "first-degree, second-degree, and first-degree murder with special circumstances", doesn''''t the "charge" reside on the shoulders of the prosecuting attorney, and isn''''t it usually or generally customary to offer " a plea", in order to save the court and tax payers the expense of a possible lengthy trial..
Posted by kailumego1

yes

I read through your legal jargon, but why wouldn''''t first degree murder with special circumstances apply here.
Posted by kailumego1


I never said one way or the other what would or wouldn''t apply here.

[ruddy3333]

I can''t find the place where you answer the question on CSI/NY and it is only open till 6 am E time can anybody help me. I thank you.

[keithle1]

So long as you smile 24-7 in America & say "Good morning" to strangers then everyone thinks you''re a nice, friendly person.

Women were charmed by Ted Bundy. Look what happened to them.

[michellem99-2009]

ScarletPhd..Yer just showed us ye can think..

[bbrundj]

Unbelievable. Minor scrapes with the law, huh? Ignoring any so-called minor scrape in juvenile court is not very commendable, especially in this malevolent, freaky planet called Earth. A sweet child with an innocent smile, can be very misleading on this malevolent freaky, planet, called...

[kailumego1]

ScarletPhD, "first-degree, second-degree, and first-degree murder with special circumstances", doesn''t the "charge" reside on the shoulders of the prosecuting attorney, and isn''t it usually or generally customary to offer " a plea", in order to save the court and tax payers the expense of a possible lengthy trial..

And if the defendant has good legal representation, a productive member of society, and doesn''t have a lengthy criminal record that generally merits consideration for a plea to a lesser included offense.

I read through your legal jargon, but why wouldn''t first degree murder with special circumstances apply here.

The act was premeditated, and he did possess actus reus, mens rea, and malice aforethought, also if he committed a felony e.g. robbery doesn''t that preclude first-degree murder with special circumstances.

Or was this simply an act of discretion by the part of the prosecuting attorney offering a plea to a "lesser offense", because of his "standing" or his parents standing in the community...