Philip Markoff
David L. Ryan/Boston Globe/Landov
Markoff, 23, "was at Foxwoods numerous times in March," the source said. "He was always buying in with cash because he couldn't get credit at the casino because [as a Boston University medical student] he didn't have a job. He was there several times in April. He had a reservation to stay at Foxwoods Monday night" – the night of his arrest.
Authorities say Markoff and his fiancée, Megan McAllister, 25, were on their way to Foxwoods Monday when police stopped them on I-95 in Walpole, Mass., around 4 p.m. He was later charged with the murder of aspiring model Julissa Brisman, 26, and the robbery of another woman in Boston on April 10 – both of whom advertised their services on Craigslist. He is being looked at for the attempted robbery of a third woman in Warwick, R.I., on April 16.
Examining Possible Motives
The source says Markoff was "not winning," but authorities are not saying gambling was the primary motive for the crime spree.On Wednesday, Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, told PEOPLE, "While we're interested in Mr. Markoff's history and potential financial difficulties, we're also looking at a wide variety of possible motives. We're not ready to chalk these crimes up to gambling debts – or any other factor – just yet."
Representatives of the Foxwoods, which is located in Ledyard, Conn., have declined comment on the Markoff case, other than to furnish a written statement saying, "We do not release information publicly concerning individual patrons; however, we are aware of this situation and are cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement authorities."
• With additional reporting by MARK DAGOSTINO
For more on the Craigslist murder, including the possibly incriminating evidence found in the suspect's apartment, pick up the next issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
