A signed pencil tracing of a South Carolina serial killer’s hands has been removed from an auction site.
The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that a signed pencil tracing of the hands of Todd Kohlhepp was listed for sale online for $89.
Originally, the tracings were asking for $120.
Tracings of killer Todd Kohlhepp’s hands from prison appeared online for $89
State law prohibits South Carolina inmates from profiting from their crimes. Supernaught.com had listed the tracing of Kohlhepp’s hands for sale among hundreds of other items that include string artwork from Charles Manson and signed prison letters from Ted Bundy.
A representative of the South Carolina Department of Corrections said stopping inmates from profiting off crimes can sometimes be hard to stop.
‘If they can determine if it’s a ‘murderabilia’ situation, it’s absolutely flagged and stopped. Often times, that’s difficult to do based on the types of materials,’ said Jeffrey Taillon, a department spokesperson.
Kohlhepp was convicted on seven counts of murder and is serving a life sentence
The tracings, which are illegal to sell under South Carolina law, were originally listed for $120
The paper reports the item was removed Thursday after the Herald-Journal contacted the website. It wasn’t clear if the tracing had been sold or simply removed.
The law requires offenders to notify the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Victim’s Assistance of any contract they’ve entered into that would allow them to earn money from their crime. Those proceeds must then go to the Attorney General’s Office or Office of Victim’s Assistance. If a victim or another eligible person finds out an offender is profiting from their crime, they can bring a civil lawsuit against the offender. Offenders or the agents or representatives who fail to notify authorities of any contracts may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000, according to a report from GoUpstate.com,
Kohlhepp is serving life in prison after pleading guilty in May to seven counts of murder.
He also kidnapped victim Kala Brown, who was found alive and chained in a shipping container. Kohlepp’s crimes spanned the course of 13 years. The beginning of his killing spree dates to 2003 when four people were murdered in a motorcycle shop; the victims were Brian Lucas, Chris Sherbert, Scott Ponder, and Beverley Guy. The four were shot to death.
In August of 2016, Kala Brown was kidnapped and her boyfriend, Charles David Carver was killed after cleaning Kohlhepp’s house. After Kohlhepp’s arrest, two more bodies, belonging to Johnny Joe Coxie and Meagan Leigh McCraw-Coxie. The pair was shot to death after also being hired to work on the killer’s property.