SALT LAKE CITY, June 13 (UPI) -- Signed "murderabilia" from Utah convicted killer Mark Hacking are being auctioned off on Web sites, prompting an investigation.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports the Web site murderauction.com has posted items signed by Hacking, who was convicted in 2004 for killing his wife, which the Utah attorney general's office is investigating to determine whether profits are being donated as required by law.
According to federal and Utah laws, criminals are not entitled to profit from their crimes, and any profits must be donated to the state's Crime Victim Reparations Fund, the Tribune reports.
The Salt Lake City Desert Morning News reports while the sale of such "murderabilia" has upset victims' families and political officials alike, such Web sites typically slip by such laws by professing their products are based on the individual's infamy and not on their crime.
"This Web site is providing a look into their (the inmates') lives and thoughts, whether in words or color to those who are interested," one such Web site, supernaught.com, said. "It is worth a few dollars to understand why some criminals do what they do and several states, including the so-called 'Son of Sam' states, do indeed allow inmates to work and earn income."
