Jessica Van Sack, O’Ryan Johnson and Edward Mason of The Boston Herald report that the so-called Craigslist killer who seemed to be preying on sex-workers, has been arrested.

A clean-cut Boston University medical student preparing to wed a blond beauty was charged last night as the notorious Craigslist killer, cops said, announcing a bombshell break in a case that has attracted national attention.

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The Craigslist killer is believed to have preyed on women advertising erotic services on the popular Web site. Boston police say Markoff is responsible for the violent robbery of a Las Vegas hooker at the Westin Copley April 10, the brutal April 14 murder of masseuse Julissa Brisman, 26, of New York City, and Thursday’s attack on a lap-dancer in her room at the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I.

They said it here.

So late this morning I was trapped in front of cable television and some talking heads on Fox were discussing the case. One said the motive appeared to be robbery. Another asked why target sex workers? Another answered that there are the following considerations:

1) “Remember, sex work is illegal so [the robber] would know they’d probably be carrying cash.”

2) The robber appeared to be timing his attacks for late in the evening when, at least on average, the sex workers would have already seen multiple clients.

3) They’d probably have the cash on them because… something like… they can’t just go around making bank drops with all this unreported income.

And finally

4) He knew they couldn’t go to the cops.

I would add that if you were going to go that route you’d look for independent, non-escort-service, non-pimped sex workers. Booking agencies evidently take credit cards so I’m assuming escorts typically carry only tips. Pimps are allegedly a lot more attentive both about the customers they send their workers to and about collecting the cash.

So! We all just love keeping sex work illegal because, you know, prostitutes are victimized. And yet… and yet… as the talking head said, the only thing stopping the victims from taking cards themselves, from making frequent bank drops, from doing better vetting, from having more open presence with hotels is that the non-booked, non-pimped work they arrange through venues like Craigslist are illegal.

As I usually say, charming little system opponents have worked out for themselves: they help create the system of exploitation and then they click their tongues and shake their heads and say “told you so” when their system works.

%#_(*@!