Chris Watts' handwritten letters are being sold online
Killer Chris Watts' handwritten letters are being sold online to true crime enthusiasts as part of the so-called 'murderabilia' industry.
Watts, now 37, is currently behind bars after killing his pregnant wife and children. While in prison, Watts detailed the crimes that he initially tried to coverup in handwritten letters that have now been put up for sale.
These included horrific details about his crimes that saw him take the life of his wife, Shanann, two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, and unborn son, Nico, in August 2018.
Advert
Andy Kahan, a Victim Advocate with Crime Stoppers, is now on a mission to put a stop to the sale of such items to stop people from profiting from real life atrocities.
"Like it or not, there are groups of people out here who idolise high-profile killers," he admitted.
An investigation has now been launched into the sale by the state of Colorado, where many of the items are from, and it goes much further than just the letters written by Watts, who is serving three consecutive life sentences.
A lock of Charles Manson's hair has also been put up for sale by true crime enthusiasts.
While Kahan said that in most instances the killers probably have no idea that it is happening, he believes some are profiting off the sale of so-called murderabilia.
"There is absolutely nothing more nauseating and disgusting when you find out the person who murdered one of your loved ones now has items being hawked by third parties for pure profit," Kahan said.
"I'm fairly confident that Colorado prison officials have no idea that this stuff is going on."
However, some true crime enthusiasts have argued that there is nothing wrong with the market for the items and that it wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the media.
William Harder, who runs Murderauction.com, said: "This is America. And there's an old saying: Don't like it, don't buy it.
"The public interest is created by the media in the news, and then I capitalise on that by people wanting to go a step further."
Despite making a living from real crimes, Harder said that he has nothing to apologise for and described himself as an entrepreneur.
"I don't feel I have any need to apologise. Apologise? Apologise for what?" he said. "For collecting items that I want to have. And when we start banning things, where do we draw the line?"
Victims of some of the killers have now spoken out against the practice, including the father of Alex Sulivan who was killed in the Aurora theatre shooting in 2012.
Like Watts, a letters was put up for sale for $650 (£561), and was described as 'highly sought after'.
The bereaved dad said: "I'm kind of mystified. It's like, really? Okay, so who's making the money and where's it going? And, you know, is there a way to stop this?"
This comes after people have been warned against glorifying Jeffrey Dahmer by dressing up as the killer this Halloween.
Topics: News
Emma Guinness