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Murderabilia, also known as murderbilia, is a term identifying
Murderabilia, also known as murderbilia, is a term identifying collectibles
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
related to murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
s, homicide
Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
s, the perpetrators or other violent crime
A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful Force (law), force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, vio ...
s. The term, a portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of ''murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
'' and ''memorabilia
A souvenir (French language, French for 'a remembrance or memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memory, memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collecte ...
,'' was coined by Andy Kahan, director of the Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
Police Department's Crime Victims Office.
Collectibles
Buyers typically seekcollectibles
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
that are either artifacts used or owned by murderers or items (often artwork) created by them.
Virtually anything once owned or created by mass murderers or serial killers can be marketed, such as vehicles, artwork and weapons used in crimes. Clothing is also in high demand, particularly clothes worn during crimes themselves.
Sale and display of murderabilia items
In 2007, Wayne Lo, the convicted perpetrator of the1992 Bard College at Simon's Rock shooting
On December 14, 1992, a mass shooting occurred at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States. A student and a professor were killed, and four others were injured, before the gunman, 18-year-old Wayne Lo, surren ...
, caused controversy after it was found that he was selling his artwork on a website.
In June 2011, the United States Government auctioned off personal items which belonged to Ted Kaczynski
Theodore John Kaczynski ( ; May 22, 1942 – June 10, 2023), also known as the Unabomber ( ), was an American mathematician and domestic terrorist. He was a mathematics prodigy, but abandoned his academic career in 1969 to pursue a reclusi ...
which were found in his Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
cabin upon his capture in 1996. The auction took place entirely online. The proceeds went to victims and victims' families of Kaczynski's crimes.
Attempts to restrict sale of murderabilia items
In 2005, serial killer Alfred Gaynor's artwork was soldonline
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. State lawmakers proposed to block the activity, setting off a debate on free speech rights of prisoners.
Andy Kahan, director of the Houston-based Mayor's Crime Victims Office, has lobbied strongly against the sale of murderabilia material. In May 2001, eBay
eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
banned the sale of murderabilia items. The sale of such items was banned in five states: Texas, California, New Jersey, Michigan and Utah. In 2010, Senators John Cornyn
John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...
of Texas and Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member o ...
of Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
teamed up to introduce a bill in Congress that would have outlawed the sale of murderabilia on the federal level. The bill was called the "Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act of 2010," and came after several individual fights over the issue. The bill died in committee.
See also
* Lynching postcards * Son of Sam law *Nazi memorabilia
Nazi memorabilia are items produced during the height of Nazism in Germany, particularly the years between 1933 and 1945. Nazi memorabilia includes a variety of objects from the material culture of Nazi Germany, especially those featuring swastik ...
References
{{reflist, 2 Collecting Murder Memorabilia