The San Francisco-based Craigslist did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages Tuesday. Some of the encounters set up through Craigslist have ended in violence and even death, authorities have said. Last week, authorities said a former medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial.
Philip Markoff, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell Aug. Both crimes happened at Boston hotels within four days in April Rhode Island prosecutors also accused him of attacking a stripper that week.
Markoff had met the women through advertisements for erotic services posted on Craigslist. The website has put safeguards in place as it has evolved over the years. In November , after pressure from 40 state attorneys general, Craigslist required posters to provide a working phone number and pay a fee for placing an ad in the erotic services section. In May , the website renamed erotic services to adult services and said it would adopt a manual screening process, where postings would be reviewed before publishing.
But state officials believe Craigslist is still not doing enough to stop illegal ads from appearing. Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal subpoenaed Craigslist in May, asking the website to provide proof it was holding up its promise to help stop ads for prostitution. Craigslist should provided its evidence in a few weeks, said a spokeswoman for the Connecticut attorney general's office.
Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley released a separate letter Tuesday that was sent to Craigslist officials and also called for the removal of adult services. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. Politics State attorneys general: Craigslist should drop adult services Updated: Aug.
