Who would pay $9,000 for a book of paintings by serial killer John Wayne Gacy, or over $12,000 for the original death sentence of the "NYC Cannibal" Albert Fish? Murderbilia collectors -- people who see the hobby as a way to connect with famous killers. Victims' families, however, tend to view the practice as a twisted scheme to make a quick buck off of horrible, violent acts. Should a hobby that capitalizes on crime be legal? Legislators have tried to outlaw the practice, but would such a law also infringe on rights guaranteed by the Constitution?
We spoke with four people who have strong opinions about murderbilia: Tod Bohannon, operator of MurderAuction.com; Mark Lunsford, whose daughter was murdered; Joe Hiles, owner of SerialKillerCentral.com; and victims' advocate Andy Kahan.
Read what they have to say, vote in our poll at the bottom of the page and tell us what you think.









Mark Lunsford, father of a murdered daughter
Lunsford's suggestion for murderbilia collectors:
Joe Hiles: owner of SerialKillerCentral.com
Andy Kahan, victim's advocate for the city of Houston
If you haven't noticed, YouTube features much more troubling fare than old clips of "The Muppet Show" and comedy routines about the history of dance. Jihadi fighters regularly post deaths of U.S. soldiers, assassinations of civilians and other images intended to encourage violence against the West.
Shortly after 9/11, Glen Jenvey, an unemployed truck driver living near Stonehenge, began pretending to be a Pakistani man who believed in violent jihad. His counterterrorism, which took place in the second-floor study of his stone house, helped lead to the arrest of Abu Hamza al-Masri, one of Europe's most vitriolic clerics.
Everyone knows that you never really know who you are talking to on the Internet.
A Dallas housewife, who asks that she be identified only as Mrs. Galt, spends her days going online and chatting with, among others, lovelorn jihadis.
Amateur counterterrorists can't agree on whether it's wiser to keep jihad sites up in order to infiltrate them, or take them down to stop dissemination of propaganda.





