Serial Killer Hair For Sale On The Web

Serial Killer Hair For Sale On The Web

Believe it or not there is a strong market for murderabilia on the Web.  A person who's interested can buy the hair of serial killer Charles Manson.  The starting bid for Manson's hair is currently listed at $2,500.

Or you can buy art from serial killer John Wayne Gacy.  An owl is currently listed at $1,300 at MurderAuction.com.

Would you buy hair from a serial killer?  Probably not, but for those who are, there are six websites in the United States currently selling "murderabilia," or murder memorabilia, from almost any killer imaginable according to ABC World News.

Yes, you can buy items from infamous killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Richard Ramirez.

Andy Kahan, a victim advocate for the city of Houston has been a leader in the movement to ban these sales for many years.

Many people are appalled by the sales but there is money to be made and as a result the sellers of the gruesome objects aren't planning on getting out of the business anytime soon.

Kahan first discovered the murder memorabilia on EBay in 1999 he took action and got EBay to outlaw the items on the EBay site. 

The various dealers realized there was a market and opened their own websites.  And no, the dealers of the murder objects don't feel bad at all about selling the items.  They are in it to make a profit and that's what they're doing.

According to ABC World News, Kahan has twice attempted to file a federal law that would prohibit the selling of these goods, but has not been able to get a hearing

Unfortunately there are buyers out there that do want to own a lock of serial killer hair.  It's not exactly like owner Justin Bieber's hair which sold for many thousands of dollar but for some people it is highly prized.

Technically the vendors selling murder objects are not doing anything illegal.  There are no actual laws against it.

Yes there are the "Son of Sam" laws designed to keep criminals in many states from profiting from their crimes through books, movies or television shows.  However, in these murderabilia businesses, it's a third party selling the items, which is legal. And if the vendors choose to send money or gifts to the imprisoned criminals, that is their choice.

Eight states have notoriety for profit laws that prevent criminals from profiting from the sale of personalized items, but these laws are often difficult to enforce. Since buyers are often from different states, or even countries, the transactions turn into matters of interstate commerce.

Still, Kahan says he continues to fight because he so passionately believes these businesses should be illegal.   "From a victim's perspective, nothing is more nauseating and disgusting than finding out that the person who murdered your loved one is hocking items to make a buck," Kahan said. "It's like being gutted all over again by the criminal justice system."