RI warrant out for Craigslist suspect

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - Weeks after a stripper was attacked in a Warwick hotel, Rhode Island prosecutors and police announced Monday afternoon they have issued an arrest warrant for Craigslist killing suspect Philip Markoff in the case.

Flanked by Warwick's police chief, Mayor Scott Avedisian and several other law enforcement officials,  Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch outlined the new developments in the case during a news conference.

Lynch said Kent County Superior Court Judge Stephen Nugent signed the warrant Monday morning for Markoff, a 23-year old med student, in the April 16 robbery attempt at the Holiday Inn Express on Jefferson Blvd.

"While time has lapsed since the crime occurred, law enforcement has never rested," Lynch said.

Markoff is facing four counts in Rhode Island, including assault with intent to rob, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a handgun without a license, and use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence. However Lynch said Markoff will not be officially charged until he faces a judge in Rhode Island. Lynch said that could take several months.

"Our work is not over," he said.

The hotel attacks

An exotic dancer, who had advertised her services on Craigslist, told police she was bound with cord and held at gunpoint during the attack. The man took off when the woman's husband came into the hotel room. Almost immediately after the crime, police connected the Warwick case with similar cases in Boston.

As the investigation unfolded, an unidentified police source said investigators found Markoff's fingerprint at the hotel, and that he sent text messages from the same location.

"We worked very meticulously through the evidence so we could develop our case," Warwick Police Chief, Col. Stephen M. McCartney, said during Monday's news conference.

Markoff is already facing charges in Boston in connection with two similar attacks there. In one of the assaults, prosecutors said Markoff murdered masseuse Julissa Brisman 26. Investigators said Markoff met all of the women through Craigslist.

Police arrested Markoff April 20 on Interstate 95, one day after McCartney said he was identified as the prime suspect. They said he and his fiancee were driving to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut at the time.

Markoff has pleaded not guilty to the charges he already faces in Boston. He is being held without bail in Boston.