Pennsylvania 'Craigslist Killer' Sentenced to 40 to 80 Years

A Lycoming County man pleaded guilty Monday to the murder of a Norristown man he arranged to meet through an Internet classified ad last September, according to the Intelligencer.

Chad Marshall WIlcox, 29, has been sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison for third degree murder, robbery and burglary after he accepted a plea deal that dropped first and second degree murder charges, according to the report.

According to the Montgomery County District Attorney, Wilcox slashed the throat of Manuel Hakimian at the victim’s Norristown home on the 300 block of East Logan Street. The two had agreed to meet after Wilcox responded to Hakiman’s ad on Craigslist seeking a sexual encounter.

Following the murder, Wilcox stole Hakimian’s car and wallet, the District Attorney’s Office said, and fled the state. Detectives were able to track Wilcox as he fled south, and other police departments were advised to be on the lookout for Wilcox and Hakimian’s car.

Police in Bowling Green, Ky., spotted the car on Sept. 24, and a chase ensued. Wilcox crashed the car in a field and fled on foot, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Wilcox subsequently surrendered to police in Benson, N.C., on the bench warrant out of Lycoming County. Detectives were able to interview Wilcox on Sept. 29, and he told them that he had been communicating with Hakimian via Craigslist.