Should Artwork Save Jodi Arias?

Artwork is one of the eight mitigating circumstances Jodi Arias and her attorneys are going to present to the jury on Monday when she pleads for her life, or perhaps in light of her recent interview, asks for death.

Although Jodi Arias has been financing her Mother's attendance at trial through artwork sales on e-Bay, that is now past tense. In March, a Jodi Arias Voodoo doll, produced by Cynthia Scanlon, was removed from the site, because it was" insensitive and inappropriate to victims of human tragedies."

At that time, eBay released a statement regarding Jodi's artwork which said, "The items themselves are not offensive as they meet the criteria for the types of art we allow on our site. However, if Arias is convicted, we will evaluate and remove items as appropriate."


Jodi Arias has been convicted in the first degree murder of Travis Alexander, and her artwork is no longer for sale on eBay because it falls "under items related to violent felons." However it is for sale on the internet on a site called Jodi Arias Art Auction.  I guess Jodi beat out everyone else to purchase the URL: www.jodiarias.com. After only three months,  Alexa has her site ranked as 47,054 in the US.


We know the internet is not policed. That said, don't Son of Sam laws apply? Some states prevent criminals from profiting from "murderabilia"" such as Jodi's artwork and New York requires victims to be notified when a criminal makes $10,000.  Andy Kahan, a Houston based crime victim advocate, helped 8 states pass "notoriety for profit laws." He also helped introduce stalled Senate Bill 1528 in 2007, because state laws do not trump interstate commerce.

If the commerce laws in cyberspace are far from being defined, certainly here on earth we still know right from wrong. Selling artwork on the internet based on the notoriety from your crime is morally incorrect. Jodi Arias may have some talent, but infamy is the driving force behind people's desire to buy her work. Her website is just another crime site.

There are much better  artists out there that would like to profit from internet sales, but it's hard for anyone to get as much notice as Jodi Arias. Before you look at her work,  buy art online from working artists that are not criminals.