Artem Mortis

Murderabilia F.A.Q Page

 

Question:
What exactly is your definition of, “Murderabilia”?

Answer:
Serial killers have already made their mark in society by committing violent acts, getting caught and being punished either by imprisonment or capital punishment. The short answer is anything that they sign or documents that pertain to the individual serial killer such as court documents. Letters that the serial killers write while in prison, artwork that they sketch or anything else that falls into something like this.

Question:
Does any money from the sale of murderabilia go back to the pocket of the killer or any representative of the serial killer?

Answer:
No. These pieces are obtained from other people that have had direct communication with the serial killer in question. After the piece is received, they either hold on to it for a while or they try to sell it. We obtain our pieces through personal sale as well as through auctions. None of the money we pay for the murderabilia goes to the pocket of the killer.

Question:
Do you feel that you are immortalizing these people and the heinous acts that they have committed? 

Answer:
Unfortunately, the media has already done the job of immortalizing serial killers. Once something awful happens, the serial killer is profiled, eventually apprehended and then the media catches wind of it. The press pushes photos of the killer on the television, we get interviews with neighbors explaining how quiet they were, we get interviews sometimes with family members and there hasn’t even been a trial yet.

By the time we get to a trial, most people have already made up their minds, a jury of the serial killer’s peers has probably already done that as well and we get a play by play from the press during the trial and a post-show once the verdict is read. It’s a lot like a football game.

No, I don’t feel as though we are immortalizing the person. If anything, I feel that there is a real world application for this kind of product. While it may seem uncomfortable to a victim or victim’s family, the piece of murderabilia may be of historical use. Murderabilia, a letter written to someone by a serial killer for example, may include mention of undisclosed events the serial killer participated in, even perhaps some small detail that could shed light into the mind of a serial killer for use by forensic psychologists and profilers that could help find other serial killers in the future.

Question:
Don’t people find the type of art you sell disturbing?

Answer:
Of course some people are extremely curious, some are disgusted, others are genuinely interested and fascinated by the idea of murderabilia. That’s the trick with art. If everyone looks at a piece of art and says the same thing, that’s not art, it’s science. If 100 people look at another piece of art and have 100 different opinions, then that is a truly magnificent piece of art. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. What is true for one person regarding murderabilia is not necessarily true for another. I respect people’s opinion about this particular type of art.

Additionally, there are numerous books available at your local bookstore or online in a genre titled, “True Crime”. These books dive into the minds of killers, thieves and all manner of criminal. They mention names, victims, describe in great detail how the criminals did what they did. A book is just another type of artwork and if they can do it with such success, I don’t have a problem working within the same field.

Question:
How do you know that the pieces you buy at auction or through private sale are authentic pieces of murderabilia?

Answer:
The answer is in experience and checking with an authentication service.

Experience has shown me what the real signatures look like, where certain individuals are serving out their sentence and what kind of handwriting these people have. Checking envelopes to compare where the letter came from and the address of the jail that those people are currently at is one way to fact check. Comparing it to other pieces is another way. I also use a triple authentication method from True Crime Authentication.com that utilizes a handwriting analyst professional and commercial printer that receive the murderabilia and examine it for any clues that would de-authenticate it as being genuine.

Once I have my own trust in the piece and the piece has been triple authenticated, I feel comfortable selling the murderabilia as genuine and I believe my customers should feel comfortable that they are receiving the real thing as well.

Question:
What do you think people do with the murderabilia once they receive it?

Answer:
Hang it up on their walls, I assume. Some folks probably put it in a display or on a book shelf. Many times a great conversation starter is a piece of murderabilia in plain sight, displayed in a room you might entertain guests.

Others might simply keep in to themselves as a way to make them realize what kind of monsters are out there. They see it in the morning and it just reminds them to be vigilant, be more watchful of their kids or pay attention to their surroundings more or this guy will get you.