The controversial trade of murderabilia continues to stir ethical and legal debates, as lawmakers and true crime collectors find themselves at odds over its legitimacy.
Andy Kahan, the Director of Victim Services and Advocacy at Houston Crime Stoppers, coined the term “murderabilia” to describe the buying and selling of items produced by individuals convicted of violent crimes.
This trade primarily unfolds on online auction platforms and within collector communities, but occasionally these items also appear at flea markets and crime conventions.
Kahan explained to CrimeOnline, “Typically, ‘dealers’ engage with notorious serial killers and others to arrange exchanges for physical goods such as artwork, correspondence, autographed photos, hand tracings, apparel, and even hair.”
“While some dealers share a percentage of the profits with the criminals, others negotiate trades for tangible goods,” he added.
Recently, artwork by Joseph Nissensohn, a convicted child serial killer from California, has started appearing on social media groups and auction sites that specialize in murderabilia.
In 2013, Nissensohn was sentenced to death for the murders of three children, but dealers and crime enthusiasts continue to profit from his creations.
“Neisehohm’s items are particularly disturbing since his so-called ‘artwork’ is extremely sexually provocative and denigrating to women,” Kahan said.
Even vehicles are auctioned off, in some instances.
In July, an eBay seller listed accused killer Rex Heuermann‘s 1972 Vietnam-era jeep for sale, in a bidding war that had accumulated over $40,000 before the site pulled the auction for rules violations.
In 2001, eBay banned the sales of murderabilia on its site. The company later updated its policies to prohibit the sales associated with violent crimes spanning back the past 100 years.
Selling murderabilia is not a new business. According to Harold Schechter, the author of “Murderabilia,” it dates back to the 1800s when an English Hangman sold one-inch sections of a noose he had cut up for profit.
“Son of Sam” laws exist to prevent certain types of profits from violent deaths, but some courts struck down the laws based on the First Amendment.
Another issue is that murderabilia sales are state-specific. Currently, there are only five states in the U.S. that have made it illegal for dealers to profit from murderabilia: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Utah and Texas.
Many of the sales, however, happen beyond the five states. Further, there are gaps in jurisdiction, and issues with prison mail-screening policies, and challenges regarding attorney/client privacy privileges.
“Like in most cases, prison officials are clueless about what is being shipped out and will only take action when they find out about it on various media reports,” Kahan added.
Even with current laws in place, there is a reported large underground industry that thrives from buying, selling, and trading murderabilia.
Some dealers go directly to the source and establish relationships with criminals to get their writings, artwork, and other items they make a profit from.
“From a victim’s perspective, there is nothing more nauseating and disgusting when you find out the person who murdered one of your loved ones now has personal items being hawked for profit,” Kahan said. “It’s like being gutted all over again by our justice system.”
Kahan has worked tirelessly to stop the sales of murderabilia, but with the “booming” true-crime genre on streaming apps and cable, the sales has resurged.
“From my perspective, no one should be able to rob, rape and murder and be allowed to profit from their criminal conduct.”
Meanwhile, the public is encouraged to fight the market of murderabilia. Several direct steps can be made, which include, in part:
- Reporting suspected listings to platforms, such as eBay, and to local authorities.
- Refusing to buy or share murderabilia.
- Supporting victims’ advocacy organizations and back laws that stop people from profiting off of violent crimes.
- Spreading awareness concerning the ethical issues of murderabilia sales.
- Contacting elected officials and reporting the sales and sites they occurred on.
- Reporting online criminal activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or the FBI online tip form.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
