Man sought in killing possibly linked to CL

(CNN) -- Police in Boston, Massachusetts, are searching for a man suspected in the murder of one woman and the armed robbery of two others, all of whom, they say, he may have met through their [cl] ads for personal services.

(I tried to link the article, but unfortunately, it has the name of a banned site in it, so it doesn't work. Search on CNN or your RSS feeder -- good luck!)

Sad. One can take that as a reminder to be diligent when dealing with classifieds.

Actually, SPs need to be diligent PERIOD. Especially in a downturn like this. Robbers tend to target us because they believe we won't put up a fight, have wads of cash lying around, and won't report a crime to the police. Sadly, many robberies of SPs result in physical/sexual assaults as well. Robbers aren't the sharpest tools in the drawer. They often use logic like, "hmmm... she charges $250/hour, 40 hours a week, that's uh.... hey! she's holding out on me only giving me a few hundred bucks!!"

It seems to me that robberies and muggings have picked up in recent months in Ottawa. Ladies (and gentlemen!), be careful out there!

I also blame the women who are spoiling these jerks. His fiance is "standing by him."

 

How desperate can you get to stand by a murderer?

 

I don't care how much I love him, I don't care if I have five kids with him, if he kills someone he is history. :(

The evidence against him looks pretty damning, BUT he hasn't actually been convicted yet. In the US, technically, you're innocent until you're proven guilty in a court of law -- not the media.

If she was serious enough to want to marry him, you can't blame her for being the last to give up on him, and not the first.

It's these chicks who write to and even marry convicted criminals in prison that flip me out! (... I guess you'd know where he is at night though!)

I am just thinking I would recognize the love of my life on a security camera picture :)

Yeah, no doubt she has some questions for him! ;)

But still, it's odd that the police are releasing so much info publicly. It seems like they only do that when they're trying to get ahead of the ball. I think this whole thing with trying people in the media has gotten way out of control. And sometimes, it backfires.

Thanks, I read it and saw it on TV. This is the spoiled little brat medicine student who killed a masseuse in a hotel for her money.

 

I think they have enough evidence, like the pictures and the stuff he had in his apartment from other women he visited. And the gambling debt. And another woman recognized him as someone who attacked and robbed her four days ago.....

 

I would bet my last dollar on it that he did it.

I have no idea what I did wrong to cause my original message to repost -- sorry!

Yes, I think he did it too -- but again, based on the evidence released to the public. If they have such a good case against him, why are they taking a chance on possibly screwing up the outcome of a trial by engaging in all this media circus? Next thing you know, the defense will be arguing that he won't be able to receive a fair trial, grounds for appeal, yada, we've heard it all before.

I appreciate that they're probably very excited to have solved the case, but it's not done yet. They still have to secure the conviction in court, and I hope they don't do anything to bollocks that up.

I think part of the reason for the media circus is that they want CL to stop taking escort ads.

 

And yes, I think he will get a very light sentence - if any - because he is a rich kid (judging by their wedding plans and the place the girl bought her wedding dress) and she was a prostitute.

 

Sad to know that reporting his previous robberies could have saved the life of this girl.

 

Here in BC, the previous victim could have reported him to the police without worrying about being arrested or harassed. They are very liberal here when it comes to non-street prostitution. I don't know about other parts of Canada. Alberta is supposed to be almost as conservative as the US.

There was something else that could have been done -- that WE as an industry could do (get back to doing because it used to be standard procedure in our circles) -- to have prevented this. VERIFICATION.

I know the hobbyists here will freak at the suggestion that SPs should require some verifiable contact info on customers before accepting them, but that really is the most effective way of preventing crime against SPs.

This guy was pretty smart -- but let's never ever forget that it was verifiable evidence that led to his arrest. If it weren't for things like surveillance cameras and IP addresses, he'd probably still be out there robbing and threatening other SPs. Who would have ever suspected a fine young white boy with a promising future? I'm guessing he never considered that he was leaving this trail of evidence. But if the SPs had insisted on a phone number that was listed that they could look up against the name he gave, or a name they could call a hotel desk and ask for him by, or a company switchboard that they could ask for him by first and last name through, then they probably wouldn't have been robbed or murdered in the first place.

But you and I both know why these SPs didn't ask for this -- because they are competing with other SPs who now see customers on a "no questions asked" basis. I'm sorry to say that I finally gave up and started doing it myself. I felt pressured into it. And I definitely feel less safe because of it. I feel that my chances of being robbed, assaulted or murdered by a predator I open my door to, "no questions asked", is at least as great or greater than my chances of getting an STD/pregnant from unprotected sex.

I know I'll get flamed up one side and down the other for this -- too many customers are worried we're going to call their wives. But that's just sophistry. Here in Ottawa, you couldn't get a pizza delivered without providing verification information -- so why in the world would an SP take a customer on a no questions asked basis?? Again, I know why because I'm doing it myself: because it's become necessary to do that to compete. Just like on the price thing, we're so busy competing with one another that we never stop to think that cooperating a little might be best for us all.

I wish CL would discontinue carrying adult ads too -- they halfass it and undercut legit adult advertising sites. And in retrospect, I've been puzzled as to why the police would release so much information about how they caught the guy -- perhaps, in light of our failure to take care of ourselves by insisting that customers give us something we can trace back to them, the police have decided to let the predators know what tracks they're leaving. Because it's a known fact that predators try to avoid leaving tracks. Faced with a requirement to verify, this character would have moved on to the next, "easier" target. But sadly, these days, legit customers would have done the same thing. That's why I don't view any customer who objects to verification as being sincere in any sadness expressed when an SP is robbed, raped, assaulted or murdered.

..c..

That's a good suggestion. I know escorts who selected incall locations with security cameras in the lobbies just for that reason, and insist on seeing the customer as they ring them in (some guys will go out of their way to avoid or confuse security cams).

For me, though, I always preferred just to ask for verification and leave it up to the customer whether to give it to me of his own free will. And for many years, there was no problem. It's only been in recent years that it seems that many customers feel we should bear 100% of the risks, while they bear none at all.

(I never liked call display either -- I always figured, if someone wants me to have his number, he can give it to me. I really dislike blocked calls because it's like the guy is announcing that he thinks either he isn't or I'm not trustworthy. What's the point of going forward with that!? Call display and call blocking seem to generate more suspicion and distrust than they allay.)

Anita, you're a lady with a good head on your shoulders! Nice to get to know you. :)

..c..

When I arranged to meet an SP I gave my name, land line number (what ever she asked for) without hesitation and also offered a discription of me (color of jacket and truck I drove). I wanted her to have no doubt about who was going to knock on her door.

 

Yes, I am single, so no SO concerns.

An SP risks physical danger, compared to that, clients risk what ?

 

If I was an SP I could predict a call something like this:

Client - can I see you now

Me - can you give me a name

Cl - Long Wang

Me - ooo...dont know any long wangs, can you give a me a phone number

Cl - ahhh...no...my wife might answer

Me - OK...describe yourself and your auto plate number

Cl - ahh...whadya want that for

Me - click

 

In other words , if they wont give up "something", avoid them.

Yep, that's the way it used to be. I wouldn't mind seeing us move back towards that. Are there risks? Yes. On both sides. SPs are worried about their physical security, hobbyists about their privacy. I know I always get annoyed when someone cites the reason that I might call his wife as to why he doesn't want to give me verification info -- why would I want to do that?? But on the other hand, I'm afraid he'll be a robber or a predator. He's probably wondering why on earth I'd suspect him of that. The truth is that most SPs view customer privacy as essential, and most hobbyists would never do anything to threaten or rip-off an SP.

It's those few who colour outside the lines that worry us all. It's why I have to go through security at the airport and I can't carry my trusty Swiss Army knife with me, the one I've had for 30 years and that never attacked anything more serious than a wine cork or a switch for toasting marshmallows over a bonfire.

On one level, I do understand the concern that hobbyists have for their privacy, but on another level, I do believe our concerns for security are greater. The hobbyists have so many more tools at their disposal to check us out, assure themselves of who they're dealing with, than we do. They can check our reviews, go with someone who's been advertising a long time under the same name, someone known to members of our community. And if they have a problem, they can report it. But most of the time, we really have no reciprocity. We're opening ourselves to you, sight unseen you might say.

But that said, I guess it hasn't resulted in as many murders, assaults and robberies on SPs as I predicted it would ten years ago or more. That makes it hard to argue that verification is necessary.

And these girls can be pretty vicious, considering that they hum by their phones all day and play with their belly fat. :-D

Meow! ;)

But really, as long as you're accountable and open about other names you've used, I think it will be okay. Perhaps you could have a blurb about various names you've used on your site so customers can check you out against them. That might dispel any concerns they might have. It's probably better for you to be proactive about this than to have someone somewhere make a connection and have it blow up to some big thing, with speculation running rampant as to why you changed your name. (As you might have noticed, that's a major league sport on the internet.)

Good luck!

..c..