Killer punished after his artwork sold online
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Associated
Press news wire:
Killer punished after his artwork sold online
Associated Press
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
ALBANY, N.Y. (September 14, 1999) - First it was human kidneys, then
unborn
babies. Now a serial killer's artwork has been showing up on the
Internet
auction site eBay.
Arthur Shawcross, 54, who is serving a life sentence for killing 11
Rochester-area women, has been mailing drawings, oil paintings,
portraits, and
autographs to dealers, authorities said.
His work then shows up on the Internet for public auction, the state
Department
of Correctional Services said Monday. In return, Shawcross occasionally
gets
gifts such as clothes and shoes instead of cash, officials said.
That would still make the operation a business, and it is illegal for
inmates
to run any kind of business in prison, state prisons Commissioner Glenn
Goord
said.
Prison officials temporarily revoked Shawcross' arts and craft
privileges
Monday in preparation for a disciplinary hearing, where he faces losing
his
paints and pencils permanently.
Shawcross was charged with soliciting goods or services and selling
personal
articles without approval, Goord said. "Since the taxpayers are footing
the
bill, they can't run a business," prison system spokesman James Flateau
said.
eBay contacted the corrections department about the case after reading
reports
of Shawcross' sales, Flateau said. "They don't want their site to be
misused
either," he said.
On Monday, the only Shawcross items still posted on eBay were a signed
poem
called "Ostracized" and signed index cards advertising: "Lot of 6 typed,
handwritten, and signed 3"x5" cards, all signed for the same person, a
female
serial killer groupie."
eBay has been in the news lately after hoax items like human kidneys and
babies
were posted for auction. The company has suspended all of the kidney and
baby
dealers from their site, and referred them to law enforcement.
If convicted, Shawcross could be fined, lose his non-legal mail
privileges, be
transferred out of Fallsburg's Sullivan Correctional Facility in the
Catskills
or be placed in "keeplock" time, where he would get minimum privileges
and be
allowed to keep minimum property.
A hearing was scheduled for Thursday. Shawcross will get an inmate
assistant to
help him prepare his case and can appeal any ruling to Goord. However,
whatever
punishment is decided at the hearing will go into effect immediately.
Flateau said Shawcross has not violated the state's "Son of Sam" law
because he
is not accused of benefiting from the actual crimes that led to his
arrest. He
was convicted of 11 murders in 1991.
Republican Sen. Michael Nozzolio of Seneca County wants the "Son of Sam"
law
broadened to prevent killers or their proxies outside the prison walls
from
profiting even indirectly by selling such items.
And Nozzolio said Shawcross should fall under the current "Son of Sam"
law
because no one would know his name if not for his crime. "He's there
because of
his crime," the senator said.
Nozzolio wants legislation turning over any profit from a prisoner's
unsanctioned art, craft or product to the state's Crime Victim
Assistance Fund.
"Serial killers should not be able to profit from their crime directly
or
indirectly," said Nozzolio, chairman of the Crime Victims, Crime and
Corrections Committee.
The state's annual show of inmate artwork called "Corrections on Canvas"
falls
outside the rules because it is "approved" artwork. The show donates 50
percent
of the profits for all the work sold to the state Crime Victims' Board.
Artists
collect the remaining 50 percent.
Kraig Sanders of Crime & Criminals, an Illinois-based business that
sells
criminal autographs, said his group will never pay or offer Shawcross
anything
for his items, which include pictures of Marilyn Monroe and stock-car
driver
Dale Earnhardt.
"He doesn't deserve to profit from this," Sanders said.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Killer loses privileges after allegedly profiting from eBay-sold
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The days of serial killer Arthur Shawcross' artwork
being
sold on the Internet auction site eBay may be numbered.
The state Department of Correctional Services temporarily revoked
Shawcross'
arts and craft privileges on Monday in preparation for a disciplinary
hearing,
where he faces losing his paints and pencils permanently.
Shawcross, 54, is serving 250 years to life in prison for killing 11
Rochester-area women, nine of them prostitutes. He was convicted in
1991.
Officials say he has been mailing drawings, oil paintings and portraits
-
notably of Marilyn Monroe and stock-car driver Dale Earnhardt - as well
as
autographs to dealers. His work would then show up on the Internet for
public
auction.
In return, Shawcross would occasionally gets gifts such as clothes and
shoes
instead of cash, officials said.
It is illegal for inmates to run any kind of business in prison, state
prisons
Commissioner Glenn Goord said. Shawcross was charged with soliciting
goods or
services and selling personal articles without approval, Goord said.
"Since the taxpayers are footing the bill, they can't run a business,"
prison
system spokesman James Flateau said.
Shawcross, if convicted at the Thursday disciplinary hearing, can be
fined,
lose his non-legal mail privileges, transferred out of Fallsburg's
Sullivan
Correctional Facility in the Catskills or be placed in "keeplock" time,
where
he would get minimum privileges and be allowed to keep minimum property.
A prison system lieutenant will serve as judge at the hearing, Flateau
said.
Shawcross will get an inmate assistant to help him prepare his case and
can
appeal any ruling to Goord. However, whatever punishment is decided in
the
first hearing will go into effect immediately.
eBay contacted the corrections department about the case after reading
reports
of Shawcross' sales, Flateau said. "They don't want their site to be
misused
either," he said.
On Monday, the only Shawcross items still posted on eBay were a signed
poem
called "Ostracized" and signed index cards - "Shawcross, also known as
"The
Genesee River Killer" murdered 19 prostitutes, probably more. Lot of 6
typed,
handwritten, and signed 3"x5" cards, all signed for the same person, a
female
serial killer groupie," the advertisement read.
Kraig Sanders of Crime & Criminals, an Illinois-based business that
sells
criminal autographs, said they have never and will never pay or give
Shawcross
anything for his items, which they obtained from collectors.
"He killed little children," Sanders said. "He doesn't deserve to profit
from
this."
eBay has been in the news lately after hoax items like human kidneys and
babies
were posted for auction. The company has suspended all of the kidney and
baby
dealers from their site, and referred them to law enforcement.
Flateau said Shawcross has not violated the state's "Son of Sam" law
because he
is not accused of benefiting from the actual crimes that led to his
arrest.
However, Republican Sen. Michael Nozzolio of Seneca County wants the
"Son of
Sam" law broadened to prevent killers or their proxies outside the
prison walls
from profiting even indirectly by selling such items.
And Nozzolio said Shawcross should fall under the current "Son of Sam"
law
because no one would know his name if not for his crime. "He's there
because of
his crime," the senator said.
Nozzolio wants legislation turning over any profit from a prisoner's
unsanctioned art, craft or product to the state's Crime Victim
Assistance Fund.
"Serial killers should not be able to profit from their crime directly
or
indirectly," said Nozzolio, chairman of the Crime Victims, Crime and
Corrections Committee.
The annual show of inmate artwork called "Corrections on Canvas" falls
outside
the rules because it is "approved" artwork and half of the profit from
show
sales goes to the Crime Victims Assistance Fund, Flateau said.
AP-ES-09-14-99