The Son of Sam

Really interesting article about the correspondence between local crime victims’ advocate Andy Kahan and notorious serial killer David Berkowitz over “muderabilia” and other topics.

In Kahan’s office, manila folders bulge with the stories of families ripped apart by murder. Files detail the sorrow of parents mourning slain children, the outrage of unrepentant killers set free.

Kahan says he is driven by the desire to wring some good from even the worst evil.

He’s a tireless crusader against serial killer memorabilia who has a drawer filled with items like a lock of Charles Manson’s hair and a Jeffrey Dahmer doll. So when Kahan wanted to ratchet up his campaign against the sellers of “murderabilia,” he decided to go straight to the killers themselves.

Kahan sent out four-paragraph form letters to 20 serial killers, including Manson and Berkowitz: Did they know that their autographs, drawings, letters and other personal belongings were being sold through online auction sites? Did they approve of the practice? Were they making money from the sales?

Twelve responded to the Oct. 12, 2000, letter. Manson sent Kahan’s letter to a murderabilia dealer who auctioned it off on eBay.

But only Berkowitz seemed to embrace the cause.

“Dear Mr. Kahan,” Berkowitz wrote in his Oct. 26 reply. “I am very bothered and troubled by what these auction sites are doing … I am willing to help in any way I can.”

Read the whole thing, it’s fascinating. I note that the so-called Son of Sam laws have been somewhat controversial, with the original New York statute being struck down by the Supreme Court for being overly broad. Its successor has stood up in court, but subsequent laws that attempt to deal with online auctions have not been tested yet.

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