Time was, a sensational murder case like that of the "Craigslist killer" would have spawned at least two competing TV movie projects. But since the broadcast networks have pretty much given up that business, Lifetime has become the go-to place for sordid true-crime tales.Monday night (Jan. 3), Lifetime obliges with a movie called "The Craigslist Killer." It's based on the case of Philip Markoff, a Boston med student who was charged in April 2009 with the murder of a masseuse he had reportedly contacted through Craigslist. He was also a suspect in two other cases in which women who advertised adult services were robbed.
Jake McDorman -- Evan Chambers on "Greek," which also premieres Monday night -- plays Markoff, and it's a safe bet that this character is a little darker than the frat-boy jerk he plays on ABC Family. The movie also stars Agnes Bruckner ("Private Practice") as Megan McAllister, Markoff's fiancee, and William Baldwin ("Parenthood") as the lead detective in the case.
(Markoff, by the way, committed suicide in his jail cell in August, before he went to trial in the murder case.)
Reviews of the movie haven't been especially kind, but chances are the movie will do pretty well.
Here's a preview for "The Craigslist Killer," which premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
