Facebook Group Opens in Support of Craigslist Killer

Police have said it was the Internet that got him in trouble, but now supporters of the man who has been accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist are going online to rally around him.

A new Facebook group called "Phil Markoff is Innocent Until Proven Guilty" describes itself as a forum to rally against the media and a culture "that has forgotten that people like Phil are suspects, not killers."

Markoff, a Boston University medical student, is charged in the April 14 killing of Julissa Brisman, a 25-year-old masseuse he met through Craigslist. He is also charged in a robbery of another masseuse he allegedly met through Craigslist. Police have said there could be more victims.

Markoff has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, armed robbery and kidnapping.

Markoff was arrested Monday in Walpole, less than 20 miles southwest of Boston, as he drove with his fiancee, Megan McAllister, to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

McAllister, who this week told ABC News in an e-mail that Markoff could not hurt a fly, is still standing behind him, her father, James McAllister, told reporters Thursday.

"She's still confident in Phil. Other than that, we're saying a lot of prayers," he said outside his home in Little Silver, N.J.

Defense attorney John Salsberg has said Markoff isn't guilty of the charges.

Another report surfaced Thursday that Markoff is on suicide watch. Officers apparently found scratches on his neck, sources told ABC News.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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