Terry Nichols Items Appear For Sale On Internet

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Drawings and letters by convicted murderer Terry Nichols have appeared for sale on the Internet. <br/><br/>Nichols, 51, is serving life in prison at the Supermax prison in Colorado

Monday, September 4th 2006, 3:50 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Drawings and letters by convicted murderer Terry Nichols have appeared for sale on the Internet.

Nichols, 51, is serving life in prison at the Supermax prison in Colorado for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

He regularly wrote his family, his attorneys, some victims and others, according to evidence at his 2004 state trial. Sometimes, he sent cards he drew himself.

Such souvenirs have been nicknamed ``murderabilia.''

A card described as handmade by Nichols in prison was offered for sale at least twice last month at murderauction.com. On the front, the card has ``Thanksgiving Blessing'' and a drawing of a dove with an olive branch.

A murderabilia dealer from New Mexico set the starting bid for Nichols' card at $65. The dealer wrote: ``Nichols' artwork is uncommon. Add this piece to your collection now!'' Both times, no one bid. Letters supposedly written by Nichols are for sale at a different Web site, supernaught.com.

The most popular online auctioneer, eBay, banned the sale of murderabilia years ago.

Nichols' attorney, Brian Hermanson, said Nichols wrote hundreds of notes in custody but never intended the recipients to sell them.

``He was doing it for a different purpose, trying to make people feel better,'' the attorney said.

Hermanson described them as thank-you notes or notes of sympathy to ``people who have lost a loved one.''

Nichols even stopped writing as much while in custody in Oklahoma County after jail officials expressed a concern someone might sell the cards or letters, the attorney said.

``I'm not aware of him ever talking about selling his stuff,'' said Hermanson, of Ponca City. ``I don't know who's doing it.''

Also for sale on these Web sites are items purported to be a $799 drawing by the BTK killer, a $1,200 letter by cannibal killer Jeffrey Dahmer, a $1,200 Christmas card signed by serial killer Ted Bundy and a $575 crayon drawing by Charles Manson.

``There's an obvious market out there,'' said Kahan, director of the Houston mayor's crime victims office. ``It's a macabre industry. People are making money.''