Man Tried to Use Craigslist to Lure, Kill Woman, Police Say

The ad appeared in the "casual encounters" section of the Seattle Craigslist personal ads with the title, "A strange desire."

According to police, Shawn Tyler Skelton, 24, posted the ad, saying he wanted to have sex with a woman and then kill her. "Serious inquires only," the ad said, according to the police affidavit.

Police say they set up a sting, exchanging e-mails with Skelton and arranging for him to meet a supposed victim at a local motel, after a Craigslist employee reported the ad.

Police claim that in their e-mails with Skelton, he negotiated the amount of money he would be paid and alluded to the way he would kill the victim. Police say they arranged to meet him at a motel, where he was arrested Monday on suspicion of attempted murder after he arrived at the motel with a knife, a length of heavy chain and two long shoelaces.