Serial killers ink

serialkillersink.net
Web address serialkillersink.net
Type of site
 True Crime Collectibles
Registration Optional
Owner Eric Holler
Created by Eric Holler
Launched December 1, 2008
Alexa rank
 positive decrease 762,193 (April 2014)[1]
Current status Active

Serialkillersink.net is a website dedicated to selling murderabilia and serial killer art, interviewing convicted serial killers and also serves as a meeting place for those interested or involved in the "murderabilia" industry.

The website has been described by true crime author and Investigation Discovery personality David Lohr, who is currently a writer and journalist for AOL News, as "One of the top selling murderabilia outlets".[2]

History

Founder Eric Gein (whose name, according to a New York Times article, is "a nom de plume in 'an homage to Ed Gein'"[3]) came up with the concept of Serial Killers Ink in the mid-1990s after he began writing to infamous inmates and collecting their artwork and craft items. A friend of Gein's suggested he list items on ebay and offer them for sale. Ebay banned the sale of murderabilia in 2001 and Gein went into a dormant period from 2002 to 2006. In 2006 Gein began writing and corresponding with inmates once again in preparation of erecting a new version of Serial Killers Ink.

In December 2008 serialkillersink.net came to be the second incarnation of the company. In February 2009, the website's design was completely redone and the store area of the website was launched where art, letters, hair and clothing obtained from infamous and news-worthy inmates can be purchased.

News media appearances

In July 2009 the first attack upon the website came from a Jacksonville, Florida NBC television station due to the offering of items belonging to Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike, including panties, as well as signed bloody hand prints.[4]

In January 2010, a Cleveland, Ohio newspaper, The Plain Dealer, broke a story regarding Serial Killers Ink obtaining and selling letters from accused Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell.[5] The website made national news soon after ABC News and the Associated Press picked up the story.[6] The families of Sowell's victims soon became vocal and began protesting both the website and Sowell's ability to send out mail as reported on Fox 8 News in Cleveland.[7]

April 2010 brought news reports from Los Angeles regarding the website selling letters from serial killer Rodney Alcala.[8] who was sentenced to death in California in 2010 for five brutal murders committed between 1977 and 1979.[9]

In May 2010 ABC News in Eugene, Oregon attacked the website for offering items belonging to school shooter Kip Kinkel for sale.[10] Kinkel at the age of 15, murdered his parents and then perpetrated a school shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon on May 21, 1998, that left two students dead and 22 others wounded.[11]

There followed two other stories in May, reporter Jamel Lanee of WCJB ABC News in Gainesville, Florida filed a report on the website selling paintings from executed serial killer Danny Rolling.[12] Also, the French Canadian newspaper Le Soleil ran a front page story on the website and the owners ability to freely obtain items from convicted killers.[13]

In November 2010 CBS News in Jacksonville, Florida ran a story on the website offering letters from Josh Phillips[14] who was convicted of murdering an 8 year old neighbor. Phillips killed the young girl and hid her body under his waterbed for a week before she was discovered.[15]

In June 2011 The New York Times quoted the website in response to the United States government sanctioned online auction of personal items which belonged to the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.[16]

In August 2011 family members of victims of serial killer Anthony Sowell were outraged that the website was selling soil obtained from the yard of Sowell's home,[17][18][19] where many of his victims were found buried.[20] In November 2012 Sowell released a letter through the website.[21] The letter was to the people of Cleveland. Sowell ralied against former trial judge and newly elected Cuyahoga county prosecutor Tim McGinty and addressed the issue of controversial artwork which he had recently sent to the website.[22][23][24]

Serial Killers Ink has also offered opinions in many other news articles relating to serial killers and true crime.[25][26][27][28][29]

Screen appearances

Eric Gein and Serial Killers Ink were featured in the season 9 premier of the National Geographic Channel television series Taboo titled "Living with the Dead" which originally aired June 17, 2012.[30]

Controversy

The large amount of media coverage sparked outrage and in June 2010. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., teamed up to introduce a bill in the United States Congress that would outlaw the trade. The bill is called the "Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act of 2010," and comes after several individual fights over the issue.[31] Eric Gein is an outspoken opponent of the bill and has enlisted the help of the ACLU to help combat and expose the bill as an anti-civil liberties bill.[32]

The Texas Tribune first reported the proposed bill in early June 2010 included a statement in defense of the industry from Eric Gein.[33] Shortly thereafter, The Texas Tribune came to the defense of Serial Killers Ink in another article as they reported on both sides of the issue and seemed to favor the constitutional rights of Serial Killers Ink to sell items once belonging to infamous criminals.[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Serialkillersink.net Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. ↑ Lohr, David (February 13, 2010). "Murderabilia: Art or a New Form of Victimization?". Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ Vinciguerra, Thomas (June 4, 2011). "The Murderabilia Market". Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ Barnard, Jacklyn (July 9, 209). "Web site Offers Killer's Items For Sale From Death Row". Retrieved July 20, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ↑ Puente, mark (January 22, 2010). "Letters from accused killer Anthony Sowell for sale online; authorities say it's legal". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  6. ↑ ABC, News (January 22, 2010). "Web Site Posts Letters From Ohio Killings Suspect". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  7. ↑ Shea, Jack (February 3, 2010). "Imperial Families Protesting Sowell's Money-Seeking Letters". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  8. ↑ Romero, Dennis (April 2, 2010). "Creep-tastic: A Jail Letter By Serial Killer Alcala Put Up For Sale". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ Flaccus, Gillian (May 9, 2010). "Rodney Alcala Sentenced To Death". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  10. ↑ Skrzypek, Jeff (May 2010). "Website Sells Kip Kinkel Letters". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  11. ↑ Ramsland, Katherine (May 2010). "School Killers". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  12. ↑ Lanee, Jamel (May 18, 2010). "Serial killer items for sale". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  13. ↑ Bussières, Ian (May 15, 2010). "Des collectionneurs fascinés par les tueurs". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  14. ↑ Torp, Karl (November 11, 2010). "Website making money off murderers' mementos". Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  15. ↑ News, CNN (July 8, 1999). "Defense attorney Find teen guilty of manslaughter, not murder". Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  16. ↑ Vinciguerra, Thomas (June 4, 2011). "The ‘Murderabilia’ Market". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  17. ↑ Valdez, Emily (August 22, 2011). "Imperial Avenue Families Angry Over Sale of Sowell Soil". Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  18. ↑ News, Fox (August 23, 2011). "Man Sells Soil From U.S. Serial Killer's Home". Fox News. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  19. ↑ Downing, Garret (August 22, 2011). "Website selling soil from Anthony Sowell's Imperial Avenue yard". Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  20. ↑ Steer, Jen (August 4, 2011). "Sentencing day 4: Anthony Sowell trial". Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  21. ↑ Russ, Dick (November 12, 2010). "Anthony Sowell's 'artwork' for sale online". Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  22. ↑ Krouse, Peter (November 12, 2010). "Serial killer Anthony Sowell's artwork back on 'murderabilia' website". Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  23. ↑ Freeman, Kevin (November 12, 2010). "Death Row Drawings: Sowell’s Controversial Artwork is Selling". Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  24. ↑ Russ, Dick (November 12, 2010). "Anthony Sowell 'artwork' buyer defends purchase". Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  25. ↑ Lohr, David (May 12, 2010). "Drew Peterson's Harley Sale Draws Revved-Up Reactions". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  26. ↑ Lohr, David (May 26, 2010). "Would You Want to Live in a Serial Killer's House?". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  27. ↑ Lohr, David (November 2, 2010). "Exclusive: Notes Say Zahra's Dad Did 'Horrifying' Act". Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  28. ↑ Lohr, David (September 6, 2010). "Serial Killer Action Figure at Toys R Us Stirs Debate". Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  29. ↑ Lohr, David (September 15, 2010). "Unabomber's Victims Fear He Could Post Writings". Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  30. ↑ http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/taboo/galleries/taboo-living-with-the-dead/ "Taboo: Living With the Dead
  31. ↑ Schneider, James (June 18, 2010). "Senators Try to Halt Sale of Gruesome 'Murderabilia'". Fox News. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  32. ↑ Lohr, David (June 10, 2010). "Outraged Lawmakers Move to Block 'Murderabilia' Sales". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  33. ↑ Acosta, Sarah (June 18, 2010). "JCornyn Introduces Murderabilia Legislation'". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  34. ↑ Acosta, Sarah (June 26, 2010). "John Cornyn Seeks to Ban 'Murderabilia'". Retrieved July 30, 2010.

External links