Fiancee loves Craigslist suspect, but wedding off?

[April 28, 2009]  BOSTON (AP) -- The fiancee of a medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist said Monday she still loves him, but the band hired to perform at their scheduled August wedding said it's been told it won't be needed.

Megan McAllister said she still supports suspect Philip Markoff but will be cooperating with prosecutors, who say he killed one woman and robbed another.

"It is my intent to fully cooperate with my fiance's attorney as well as the Suffolk County District Attorney's office as they both continue their investigations," she said in a statement. "I can only tell them what I know and what is the truth."

McAllister issued the statement through Ocean Township, N.J., attorney Robert A. Honecker Jr., who said McAllister would not speak directly to the media.

McAllister, who described Markoff as a "loving and caring person," said she expected to talk to investigators within the next several days and asked that her fiance's fate not be determined by the media and public opinion. She did not make reference to the wedding, and it was unclear whether cancellation of the band means the wedding is delayed or off.

The Bstreetband, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, had been scheduled to play at the New Jersey oceanside wedding Aug 14. But now, the band is available for another gig on that date, according to its Web site.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, this date is now available to book," says a blurb on its performance schedule.

William Forte, the keyboardist and owner of the Bstreetband, said a relative of McAllister called him and said "that as of right now, there is no way they will be able to have the Aug. 14 wedding date."

Forte said he planned to return the couple's $500 deposit.

"Under the circumstances, I would never hold them to the contract," Forte said.

Markoff was a second-year medical student at Boston University when he was arrested last week during a traffic stop as he drove to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. He is charged with murdering Julissa Brisman, a New York City resident, on April 14 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel.

He also is charged in a robbery at a nearby hotel of another masseuse police say he met through the Craigslist classified ads Web site.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Attorney John Salsberg, appointed to represent Markoff last week, has said Markoff is innocent of the charges.

Authorities continue to investigate Markoff to determine whether there are other possible charges.

A law enforcement official said Friday that Markoff's fingerprint was found on a wall of the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I., where a stripper from Las Vegas has said she was tied up and held at gunpoint by a man she met through the site. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case.

The official also said Markoff sent text messages from the hotel but said he didn't have information about what he said or to whom he wrote. Markoff has not been charged in Rhode Island.

According to court papers, Markoff owes $130,000 in student loans, which is not unusual for a medical student.

He does not get money from his parents and has been unemployed for a while making him eligible for an appointed attorney paid through public funds, court documents showed.

"(Markoff) stated he did not receive financial support from his family," said an April 23 document signed by a probation officer. "(Markoff) further stated he was unemployed for a lengthy period of time and was essentially living off student loans in the amount of $130,000."

[Associated Press; By RUSSELL CONTRERAS]

Associated Press reporters Nancy Rabinowitz in Boston and Bill Newill in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this story.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.