Why You Shouldn't Prostitute Yourself-- On Craigslist

Usually when the media is obsessing over some scandal or crime I like to run the other way. After all, how many times can I read and re-read articles about the shootings in the liquor warehouse in Hartford, CT? Tragic, horrific, awful, sad, disgusting? Yes, yes, yes, yes and YES. The Dow and S&P down for the fifth day in a row-- slightly disturbing? Sure. But does it really help us to keep hearing about this over and over again? Obviously not.

On rare occasion, though, one of these sensational stories catches my attention-- or the attention of countless people, really-- and we can’t get enough. We crave more juicy details, become excited at the prospect of hearing yet another personal account of the story.

Take the Chandra Levy case of a handful of years back-- truly sick and twisted but, at the same time, exceptionally captivating and thrilling. Or, one of my favorite pieces of news coverage of all time: the mass-murder of The Heaven’s Gate cult out in California. This one was beyond upsetting and horrible, yet its succession of exceptionally bizarre and demented events kept us all on our toes seeking as much information as we could get. Same went for the Jaycee Duggard kidnapping case, Natalee Hollaway’s murder and Laci Peterson’s abduction. All sick and saddening, yet all enthralling.

Now another sadistic killer has struck and-- BIG SURPRISE-- the media has jumped on the story faster than yo momma pounced your best friend. DUM DUM DUM... THE CRAIGSLIST KILLER.



This sicko crafted an interesting story for us. He really did. Venturing into supposed uncharted territory, he arranged to meet Craiglists prostitutes in Boston hotels and allegedly killed them during their hotel meetings. Funny how this works, but he ultimately found himself in jail, and I’m sure that the accommodations differ slightly than those at the Westin Copley in Boston where he started off this little adventure.

Well over a year after this entire ordeal, guards found him dead with a plastic bag over his head and a major artery sliced open in his jail cell. (Ahh, the benefits of a med school education...) The day he died happened to be the day that would have been his one-year wedding anniversary, had his fiance not broken off the engagement. Sad. So sad I forgot to cry.

The media has certainly hyped up this story-- so much so, in fact, that if you search Google News for his name, Philip Markoff, you get 367 results. Nothing like a nobody becoming a somebody overnight. Or during the day. I think he met some of his victims for sex and killing during the day.

So why, I must wonder, is a story this absolutely morbid, one that we all choose to focus on? Why is it one that the media really can get so much attention from? I’m not sure about you, but I personally don’t sit and think about serial killers all day, and I certainly don’t contemplate the ways that other people kill themselves. But that’s just me.

I think that, underneath it all, with a story like this we all realize deep down that we can learn something. On the most obvious of levels, we can realize that we shouldn’t meet strangers for sex in private hotel rooms. But I think (or hope) that most of us know that already.

I also think that we can learn that we should trust our instincts. Initially we heard accounts of his fiance saying she didn’t think he’d “hurt a fly,” but now all these other testimonies are coming out from other people who knew him personally. Like the girl who was his friend from college who said he once walked her home at night (like any of her guy friends would) and he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her so hard she couldn’t escape. Ding ding ding-- warning sign of a bigger problem! But, please let me make it clear that in no way would I expect this innocent girl to have predicted his future behaviors. But really, were his actions on that night acceptable? And who’s to say he wouldn’t take that behavior further? Because, well, he did. It might not have been with this college friend, but it was with other women like her, just years later. (Well, maybe not exactly like her because I don’t think she was a prostitute, but still, other girls!)

Most importantly, I think we have to be aware of our surroundings. Like I’ve explained over and over again in the past, it takes a long time for someone’s true colors to shine through. Now, I’m not hinting that the guy who oh-so-badly wants to kiss you is a serial killer. Most likely he just likes you a lot and wants a smooch! I’m also not suggesting that you take time to evaluate if your boyfriend is a murderer. Most likely he’s not. I promise.

If a situation ever feels too intense (in the dating world or otherwise) it’s not only OK but also a good idea to stop, take a step back and evaluate the situation. As much as the Craigslist Killer story has taken up my attention when I’m bored and have nothing to read about, I’d much rather be twiddling my thumbs than to be reading about a naive girl and how her foolish mistakes led her to danger-- or worse.




For more on the Craigslist Killer, visit http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/08/accused_craigsl_2.html