Cyberstupid Craigslist Killer Left Virtual Trail: Cops

Suspect's email to murder victim led detectives to his door
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2009 3:52 AM CDT
Cyberstupid Craigslist Killer Left Virtual Trail: Cops
Daniel F. Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney, talks about accused killer Philip Markoff during a press conference outside Boston Municipal Court.   (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye)

Alleged Craigslist killer Philip Markoff may have used the Internet to plan his crimes but his lack of tech savvy led detectives straight to him, the Boston Herald reports. A single email Markoff sent to murder victim Julissa Brisman was swiftly tracked to his home address, where detectives recognized Markoff as the suspect seen on surveillance video, authorities revealed.

A computer forensics expert said police managed to track Markoff with "incredible speed" from the email, sent from an account opened up the day before the killing—possibly because the suspected killer may have used personal information to set it up. "He was not very clever,” said the investigator.
(More Philip Markoff stories.)

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