Apr 17, 2009 11:02 am US/Eastern
Cops Hunt 'Craigslist Killer' In Mass., NY, RI
WARWICK, R.I. (CBS) ―
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Julissa Brisman was killed at Marriott Copley in Boston on April 16, 2009, as seen here in this undated handout photo.
AP
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Police released this image of the man believed to be connected to the Marriott murder and a robbery at the Westin last week. He may also be linked to an attack in Rhode Island.
CBS
An attack at a hotel in Rhode Island may be linked to two recent incidents at luxury hotels in Boston.
Police in Warwick say a 26-year-old woman who also advertised services on Craigslist was bound with a cord and held at gunpoint at the Holiday Inn Express at about 11:15 on Thursday night.
The suspect ran off when the woman's husband returned to the room.
The husband briefly chased the man, but then returned to check on his wife, police said.
The woman told investigators she worked at The Cadillac Lounge, a Providence strip club.
No one was seriously hurt.
"She may have been involved in some sort of a sex-for-money transaction at the point in time when she had the confrontation with this alleged assailant," said Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney.
Investigators believe the suspect fits the description of the man who shot and killed 26-year-old Julissa Brisman in her room at the Marriott Copley Place Tuesday night.
They think the same man robbed a woman at gunpoint at the Westin Hotel on Huntington Ave. April 10.
Both women met the man on Craigslist, according to police.
Investigators have released surveillance photos from both Boston hotels showing a young, clean-cut man with blonde hair who they say is a "person of interest" in both attacks.
Police in Warwick describe their suspect as a clean-cut white man, about 6-feet tall, weighing 200-pounds, with blonde hair. He was wearing a black coat and blue jeans.
Warwick police said they are working with Boston police on the case.
Police commissioner Ed Davis said his department has sent detectives to Warwick to look into any connections.
Police in Boston have said that they believe the victim at the Westin was involved in prostitution but that they are uncertain about Brisman.
Brisman's friends said they didn't know she had advertised massage services online.
Brisman studied acting at the HB Studio in the West Village in 2004 and 2005 in New York. She landed acting and modeling jobs soon after. A high point was a role in a public service spot about cell phone safety for pedestrians.
Her mother and sister travelled from New York to Boston as the search for the man in the photos intensifies.
"It's sad that some nut took her life like that and I just hope the police find out who did it," actor Onye Coleman said.
Brisman's friends and fellow acting students say this is a wake-up call -- that fast money jobs may be a few clicks away but can deliver disastrous results including death.
"I have to be honest, I put ads on craigslist as well and this gives me a second thought. I should be more careful."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Boston homicide unit at 617-343-4470 or the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or texting 'TIP' to CRIME (27463).
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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