Apr 22, 2009 7:41 pm US/Eastern
Warnings Signs Your Partner May Be Dangerous
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Accused craigslist killer Philip Markoff in a Boston court on April 21, 2009.
WBZ
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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
Are there warning signs that could tell you your loved-one may have a dark side?
Philip Markoff was set to walk down the aisle in four months and his fiancee whom he met four years ago is standing fast.
She sent an e-mail to a network show saying, "Phillip is a beautiful person inside and out. He could not hurt a fly."
Former classmates, however, describe Markoff in a different light.
"You wouldn't think of him being a card carrying member of the KKK, but he was someone who had issues with people of color, had issues with women," said Joe Coe.
Dr. N.G. Berrill is a forensic psychologist and criminal profiler. He said there are no tell tale signs that someone will become a killer.
"We'd like to predict the world and people and we'd like to do that by stereotyping or pigeon-holing people but the fact remains that you can't always do that and with these types of crimes it's virtually impossible," Berrill said. "What makes serial killers, serial criminals so frightening is that it's really hard to know who lives next door or who you're really friends with."
It is important to recognize red flags in a relationship that may be signs of a dark side in your partner. With the explosion of the internet, the playing field for criminals has grown immensely, and most people don't do the due diligence needed to safeguard themselves.
"Maybe they can't account for their time the way you think they ought to be, money is missing, perhaps there's a discovery in the house or in the car that there's a weapon or people's belongings that really ought not be there. By that I mean undergarments, jewelry, things like that," Berrill said.
Other signs of trouble include mood swings that turn aggressive, substance abuse and a pattern of deception.
Dr. Berrill said you need to trust your gut instinct. If things don't add up about your partner, you need to get answers. He said when you ignore those nagging details, that's when you run into trouble.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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