Mass. DA to drop charges in Craigslist case after suspect’s death; victim honored at garden

Mass. dropping charges in Craigslist killing

BOSTON — On the same day prosecutors formally drop charges against a now-dead man accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist, the slain woman will be honored with a memorial stone in a Boston garden.

Philip Markoff, a former Boston University medical student, committed suicide in his jail cell last month. He was awaiting trial in the 2009 killing of Julissa Brisman of New York City.

Brisman was beaten with a gun and shot three times at a Boston hotel. She was one of three women Markoff was accused of robbing or attacking after meeting them through Craigslist.

On Thursday, Boston prosecutors will withdraw the charges against Markoff because of his death.

Later that day, Brisman will be honored at Boston’s “Garden of Peace.” The garden is a memorial for homicide victims.