Did Craigslist Killer Store Victims' Panties Under His Bed?

BOSTON, April 28, 2009 — -- As the case against accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff mounts, police sources have released new details about the investigation, including how Markoff allegedly kept the underwear of his victims under the bed where he and his fiancee slept.

Police sources told ABC News that they also found the gun used to kill 26-year-old Julissa Brisman under Markoff's bed during a search of his Quincy, Mass., apartment.

ABC News has previously reported that weapon and the purloined panties had been hidden in a hollowed-out medical textbook, "Gray's Anatomy." Sources confirmed to ABC News that the book was simply slipped under couple's bed.

But one thing they have not been able to find, they said, is Markoff's laptop.

Markoff is next due in court May 21. He's accused of killing Brisman in an upscale Boston hotel and of binding and robbing another woman in a nearby hotel days earlier. Police sources also told ABC News that it appears Brisman may have slipped free of the plastic ties used to restrain her before she was shot three times at close range.

On Monday, Markoff's fiancee, Megan McAllister, broke her silence to say she would continue to stand by her man.

Through her new attorney, Robert Honecker Jr., McAllister released a statement in which she thanked friends and family for their support andexpressed sympathy for "all of those afflicted by these events."

"I also love my fiance, and I will continue to support him throughout this legal process," she said.

McAllister added that she did not recognize the man she had seen in the media reports about Brisman's murder and the alleged attacks and robberies of two others, one in Boston and one in Warwick, R.I.

"What has been portrayed and leaked to the media is not the Philip Markoff that I know," she said in the statement. "To me and my family, he is a loving and caring person, and in the eyes of the law and the Constitution, he is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

"I just can only hope that the criminal justice system will not be overwhelmed and persuaded by what is being put forth in the media. My fiance's fate should not rest in the court of public opinion, but rather in a court of law."

McAllister said she would cooperate with Markoff's attorney "as well as the Suffolk County district attorney's office as they both continue their investigation."

"I can only tell them what I know and what is the truth," she said in the statement. "I will expect that these discussions will occur within the next several days."

The statement Monday was McAllister's first comment on the case since she sent an e-mail to "Good Morning America" last week saying Markoff "could not hurt a fly" and that he is "a beautiful person, inside and out."

'Craigslist Killing' Suspect Taken Off Suicide Watch

Markoff has been taken off a jailhouse suicide watch, but he is described as "extremely withdrawn," law enforcement sources told ABC News earlier Monday.

Markoff was assigned to a suicide watch shortly after his arrest last week in connection with the murder of Julissa Brisman, a woman he contacted through an ad on the Internet site Craigslist where she offered erotic massages. He was also charged with the robbery of a second woman he met through Craigslist.

Correction officers put Markoff on a suicide watch after becoming alarmed when they found shoelace marks on his neck.

Markoff was removed from the around-the-clock surveillance, although a source told ABC News, "He is extremely withdrawn." Markoff is still wearing the paper clothing that he was given when put on a suicide watch.

The suspect broke down during a weekend visit with his family, telling his brother to "forget about [him]" and that "there's more coming out," ABC News has confirmed.

"It is unclear if he meant more victims or more evidence," a law enforcement official familiar with the visit told ABC News.

ABC News has also obtained court documents in which Markoff, a medical student, pleads poverty. The documents claim that he has not received any financial support from his family for several years and that he is living off student loans that total $130,000.

In response, the court ordered Markoff's lawyer, John Salsberg, to defend him at the public's expense, the court documents state.

The emotional family visit Friday, first reported by the Boston Herald, was the first time the 23-year-old's family had seen Markoff since his arrest in connection with the murder of Brisman, a 26-year-old massage therapist.

One of the alleged victims, Las Vegas masseuse Trisha Leffler told CBS "48 Hours" Saturday she survived an attack by Markoff and that after he tied her up and took her money, he stopped to take a memento.

"He picked up a pair of my underwear that were on the floor and put them in his pocket," Leffler said. Last week, investigators found panties belonging to two of the alleged victims in Markoff's apartment.

Though Markoff's attorney, John Salsberg, said Markoff's family remains "very supportive of him," McAllister has yet to visit him in jail, and a bandmember who was scheduled to play at the couple's August wedding said the gig was canceled.

"The McAllister family contacted me late Friday evening and basically told me the wedding was off," Will Forte of the B Street Band said.

McAllister was not the only one coming to the former medical student's defense.

Sunday, ABC News received a statement from a close friend who said Markoff has been unfairly labeled "a murderer and a menace to society" by the media. The friend declined to be identified, at the request of Markoff's family.

In the statement, the friend said Markoff had endured what amounts to "a public lynching of an individual who, in reality, has few character flaws," but Markoff's family and friends are "keeping hope of an unbiased trial."

Craigslist Killing Victim Sent E-Mail to Clients

ABC News has obtained an e-mail that was sent to Brisman's regular clients. The e-mail has been entered into evidence in the case against Markoff, who is accused of killing her after he responded to her ad on Craigslist.

Brisman, 26, of New York City, had booked a hotel room in Boston for Sunday through Wednesday night, April 12-15, according to one of those regular clients who booked frequently with Mary Beth Simons, the New York owner of a tanning salon who once shared an apartment with Brisman.

Simons is cooperating with police and helped provide the link that led Boston Police Department homicide investigators to Markoff's Quincy home after he used his real name and address to set up an e-mail account a day before Brisman was shot three times at point-blank range and had her head bashed in, several law enforcement sources said.

The e-mail obtained by ABC News reads:

"Hi! My girlfriend Morgan, the massage therapist will be visiting Boston Monday 4/13 (available from 1pm until 11pm); Tues 4/14 from 7am-11pm; and Wed 4/15 from 7am- 12noon checkout!) She visits only once every 1-2 months so dont miss her! Her pics are real, recent, and attached to this message. She is visiting just these couple of days and I highly recommend her! If you would like to schedule, PLEASE E-MAIL back SEVERAL TIME PREFERENCES that work for you during Morgan's window of availability and I will do my best to accommodate you. Be sure to INCLUDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER; I do not give out a contact number until you have provided yours! Kisses XOXO Morgan & Mary."

It went on to say: "PS -- The rate is $200/hr for sensual massage inclusive of hand stress relief. Other sensual extras available and discussed in person at the time of the massage (for reasons of discretion). Incall only, not full service. PPS -- we are not currently advertising or accepting new clients... so please e-mail and notify me personally before reffering [sic] a friend to e-mail!"

Bullet Casings, Restraining Ties Said to Link Markoff to Craigslist Attacks

The gun found inside Markoff's apartment is a forensic match to casings on bullets used to shoot and kill Brisman, ABC News has learned.

In addition, investigators said the plastic restraining ties used in an attack at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I. -- on a woman who had advertised "erotic services" -- exactly match plastic ties found in Markoff's apartment.

Warwick Police Chief Col. Steve McCartney told ABC News last week that the woman who was robbed in the Holiday Inn Express was reluctant to cooperate with the investigation.