Craigslist Victim's Goal Was Staying Sober
Woman shops for meat in refrigerator case, Heinen's Fine Foods, Brecksville, Ohio / AP
The victim of the alleged "Craigslist killer" recently got sober and was looking to get her life on track, according to personal diary entries reviewed by the Village Voice.
Julissa Brisman was beaten and shot to death in a Boston hotel room April 14 after police say suspect Philip Markoff responded to an ad on Craigslist, the popular online classified site. Markoff pleaded not guilty to charges related to Brisman's murder and the robbery of another woman. Authorities also suspect Markoff in a second robbery attempt.
According to Brisman's journal, the 25-year-old struggled with alcohol before resolving to get sober and start repairing damaged relationships in her life. (Read 48 Hours' profile detailing her training as a drug counselor.)
"I had a taste of the sober life, and I liked it," she wrote in her last entry. "So why do this to myself; All the pain, humiliation and suffering [punctuation hers]. That was September 19, 2008 and I haven't touched a drink since."
After quitting her job as a bartender, Brisman supported herself through a series of odd jobs ranging from work at tanning salons, freelance modeling, acting and advertising herself as an erotic masseuse on Craigslist.
Brisman never wrote about her work as a masseuse in the diary, instead focusing on her sobriety.
"I asked ma what she wanted for Mother's Day and she said 'I already got the best Mother's Day you could ever give me, your sobriety,'" she wrote. "Put a smile on my face. I know cheesy, but being sober makes me smile."
Markoff is currently being held under suicide watch, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Gielan. Court papers show that he is broke - saddled with $130,000 in student loan debt and unable to afford a lawyer. Police suspect gambling debts were the motive for Mardoff's alleged crimes.
Markoff still has the support of his fianc?e, Megan McAllister, who issued a statement through her attorney Monday.
"To me and my family, he is a loving caring person."
But despite the words of support, the Bruce Springsteen tribute band scheduled to perform at their August wedding has been told they are no longer needed on that date.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. Julissa Brisman was beaten and shot to death in a Boston hotel room April 14 after police say suspect Philip Markoff responded to an ad on Craigslist, the popular online classified site. Markoff pleaded not guilty to charges related to Brisman's murder and the robbery of another woman. Authorities also suspect Markoff in a second robbery attempt.
According to Brisman's journal, the 25-year-old struggled with alcohol before resolving to get sober and start repairing damaged relationships in her life. (Read 48 Hours' profile detailing her training as a drug counselor.)
"I had a taste of the sober life, and I liked it," she wrote in her last entry. "So why do this to myself; All the pain, humiliation and suffering [punctuation hers]. That was September 19, 2008 and I haven't touched a drink since."
After quitting her job as a bartender, Brisman supported herself through a series of odd jobs ranging from work at tanning salons, freelance modeling, acting and advertising herself as an erotic masseuse on Craigslist.
Brisman never wrote about her work as a masseuse in the diary, instead focusing on her sobriety.
"I asked ma what she wanted for Mother's Day and she said 'I already got the best Mother's Day you could ever give me, your sobriety,'" she wrote. "Put a smile on my face. I know cheesy, but being sober makes me smile."
Markoff is currently being held under suicide watch, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Gielan. Court papers show that he is broke - saddled with $130,000 in student loan debt and unable to afford a lawyer. Police suspect gambling debts were the motive for Mardoff's alleged crimes.
Markoff still has the support of his fianc?e, Megan McAllister, who issued a statement through her attorney Monday.
"To me and my family, he is a loving caring person."
But despite the words of support, the Bruce Springsteen tribute band scheduled to perform at their August wedding has been told they are no longer needed on that date.
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I consider myself very lucky to have a comfortable home, enough to eat, healthy children and a happy marriage. My cup is full. For this young lady whose life was taken from her, she didn't deserve that.
Except it wasn't sudden. It was pre-meditated and deliberate. This POS decided to rob an hurt and kill because his greedy, evil behavior got his tail in a crack and it was easier (and more fun) to rob and kill his way out of it.
Someone HELP this poor man!
Yeah. I'll help him.
Sheesh.
This excessive blinking is usually a sign of some kind of drug reaction, usually withdrawal. It is quite common in those on or withdrawing from SSRI antidepressants.
The Physicians Desk Reference states that SSRIs and all antidepressants can cause mania, psychosis, abnormal thinking, paranoia, hostility, etc.
Go to www.SSRIstories.com where there are over 3,000 cases, with the full media article available, involving bizarre murders, suicides, school shootings [48 of these] and murder-suicides - all of which involve SSRI antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc, . The media article usually tells which SSRI antidepressant the perpetrator was taking
Philip Markoff?s crime spree appears to have happened suddenly, unless, of course, there are other crimes we don?t know about yet. This sudden change in personality, especially involving criminal activity, is another sign of SSRI adverse reactions.
--- SadMomTX
You're joking, right?
This sub-creep is an evil, narcissistic, sociopathic killer.
He was made, not born. Made to think he was smarter and more special than anyone else -- and more deserving of wealth, privilege -- and life -- than anyone, including his victims.
Find me the genetic marker for EVIL.
Sure, I'll represent the guy pro-bono. How quickly can I request the DEATH PENALTY?
Sheesh.
The way he handled severe stress is in his genetic make-up. That saddens me for him. I hope his defense will truly defend him in his better interests, even though he will likely have a public defender. Can't someone take this case bro bono? In mental health, there is much to be learned from this young man whose life was also lost in this terrible misfortune. He breaks my heart.