Serial killers ink
Encyclopedia
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".
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.
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.
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
. The website made national news soon after ABC News
and the Associated Press
picked up the story. 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.
April 2010 brought news reports from Los Angeles
regarding the website selling letters from serial killer Rodney Alcala
. who was sentenced to death in California
in 2010 for five brutal murders committed between 1977 and 1979.
In May 2010 ABC News in Eugene, Oregon
attacked the website for offering items belonging to school shooter Kip Kinkel
for sale. 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.
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
. 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.
In November 2010 CBS News in Jacksonville, Florida
ran a story on the website offering letters from Josh Phillips
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.
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.
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, where many of his victims were found buried.
Serial Killers Ink has also offered opinions in many other news articles relating to serial killer
s and true crime
.
, 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. 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.
The Texas Tribune
first reported the proposed bill in early June which included a statement in defense of the industry from Eric Gein. 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.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
dedicated to selling murderabilia
Murderabilia
Murderabilia, also known as murderbilia, is a term identifying collectibles related to murders, murderers or other violent crimes, coined by Andy Kahan, director of the Houston Police Department's Crime Victims Office.-Serial killer art:...
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
David Lohr
'David Lohr is an American writer.Lohr has written about and interviewed many of the world's most notorious criminals. Previously, he was senior investigative crime writer for the former CourtTV’s Crime Library...
, who is currently a writer and journalist for AOL News, as "One of the top selling murderabilia outlets".
History
Founder Eric Gein of Jacksonville Florida 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 ebayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
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.
Media appearances
In July 2009 the first attack upon the website came from a Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
NBC television station due to the offering of items belonging to Tennessee death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmate Christa Pike
Christa Pike
Christa Gail Pike , is the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the United States during the post-Furman period. She was 20 when convicted for a torture and murder she committed at age 18....
, including panties, as well as signed bloody hand prints.
In January 2010, a Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
newspaper, The Plain Dealer, broke a story regarding Serial Killers Ink obtaining and selling letters from accused Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell
Anthony Sowell
Anthony Edward Sowell is an American serial killer, identified in press reports as the "Cleveland Strangler". He was arrested in October 2009 as a suspect in the murders of eleven women whose bodies were discovered at his Cleveland, Ohio, duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue, located in the Mt...
. The website made national news soon after ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
picked up the story. 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.
April 2010 brought news reports from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
regarding the website selling letters from serial killer Rodney Alcala
Rodney Alcala
Rodney James Alcala is a convicted rapist and serial killer. He was sentenced to death in California in 2010 for five murders committed in that state between 1977 and 1979, and is currently under indictment for two additional homicides in New York. His true victim total remains unknown, and could...
. who was sentenced to death in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2010 for five brutal murders committed between 1977 and 1979.
In May 2010 ABC News in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
attacked the website for offering items belonging to school shooter Kip Kinkel
Kip Kinkel
Kipland Philip "Kip" Kinkel is an American spree killer. In May 1998, at the age of 15, he murdered his parents and engaged in a school shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon that left two students dead and 22 others wounded...
for sale. Kinkel at the age of 15, murdered his parents and then perpetrated a school shooting at Thurston High School
Thurston High School
Thurston High School is a public high school located in the Thurston area of Springfield, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 2008, 80% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma...
in Springfield, Oregon
Springfield, Oregon
Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area...
on May 21, 1998, that left two students dead and 22 others wounded.
There followed two other stories in May, reporter Jamel Lanee of WCJB ABC News in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
filed a report on the website selling paintings from executed serial killer Danny Rolling
Danny Rolling
Daniel Harold Rolling , also known as The Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial killer who murdered five students in Gainesville, Florida. Rolling later confessed to raping several of his victims, committing an additional 1989 triple homicide in Shreveport, Louisiana, and attempting to murder...
. Also, the French Canadian newspaper Le Soleil
Le Soleil
Le Soleil is a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec. It was founded on December 28, 1896 and is published in compact format since April 2006...
ran a front page story on the website and the owners ability to freely obtain items from convicted killers.
In November 2010 CBS News in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
ran a story on the website offering letters from Josh Phillips
Josh Phillips (murderer)
Joshua Earl Patrick Phillips from Jacksonville, Florida who , in July 1999 was convicted of the November 1998 murder of an 8-year-old neighbor, Maddie Clifton...
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.
In June 2011 The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
quoted the website in response to the United States government sanctioned online auction of personal items which belonged to the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In August 2011 family members of victims of serial killer Anthony Sowell
Anthony Sowell
Anthony Edward Sowell is an American serial killer, identified in press reports as the "Cleveland Strangler". He was arrested in October 2009 as a suspect in the murders of eleven women whose bodies were discovered at his Cleveland, Ohio, duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue, located in the Mt...
were outraged that the website was selling soil obtained from the yard of Sowell's home, where many of his victims were found buried.
Serial Killers Ink has also offered opinions in many other news articles relating to serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s and true crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
.
Controversy
The large amount of media coverage sparked outrage and in June 2010. Sen. John CornynJohn Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
, D-Minn., teamed up to introduce a bill in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
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. 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.
The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit news organization headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas, devoted to state government and public policy. It aims to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events...
first reported the proposed bill in early June which included a statement in defense of the industry from Eric Gein. 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.
See also
- Serial killers
- MurderabiliaMurderabiliaMurderabilia, also known as murderbilia, is a term identifying collectibles related to murders, murderers or other violent crimes, coined by Andy Kahan, director of the Houston Police Department's Crime Victims Office.-Serial killer art:...
- Investigation Discovery
- Serial crimeSerial crimeSerial crime is generally defined as crimes in a serial or repetitive nature. However, according to criminologists, a habitual offender or a career criminal is not a serial criminal...
- Spree killerSpree killerA spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...