Serial killer suspect's letters being sold

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CLEVELAND, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The ongoing sale of two letters written by suspected Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell appears to be legal under state law, authorities in Ohio say.

The Ohio state attorney general's office said while state law bans those convicted of committing crimes from profiting by selling their stories to filmmakers or book publishers, the sale of letters does not appear to be illegal, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Friday. Though jailed, Sowell, 50, has pleaded not guilty to charges he killed 11 women whose bodies were found at his Cleveland home in late 2009.

Under Ohio law, inmates are allowed to send items to companies that sell memorabilia items.

The two Sowell letters and their envelopes are being sold by Serialkillersink.net, a Web site specializing in serial killer memorabilia.

In one letter, Sowell offers to correspond with a woman in California.

"So if you need someone to talk to I am here for you," Sowell writes in the Christmas card up for sale for $200. "So tell me what do you want to know about me? I know what I want to know about you, what type of woman are you? Do you have a man in your life?"