By Samantha Murphy Court TV
No sooner had jurors convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his wife and unborn son than eBay sellers began reaping profits on the verdict. From copies of local newspapers to bumper stickers, magnets, T-shirts and even original courtroom sketches, vendors at the online auction site have wasted no time cashing in on their collectibles. One Modesto, Calif., resident, who would only give her name as MissyHeidi66, auctioned copies of the Saturday edition of the Modesto Bee newspaper, which featured an eight-page section on the trial. "It wasn't until I saw an already-posted Redwood City Daily News that I considered selling the paper," she said. "When I put my paper up for sale, I had three bids within 20 minutes. It sold for $20.50."
She purchased 20 more editions of the paper that day, and has since mailed them to buyers from Florida to Canada. MissyHeidi66 said it was a "moral and ethical" debate to sell anything related to a murder trial, but decided her eBay sales are not profiting from Laci Peterson's death. "This has become an issue of a celebrity guilty verdict," she said. "I'm not making anything like T-shirts with his face on it. I just had access to these papers and decided to just post them." Kelly Redding, who has twice lost bids for editions of the Modesto Bee and Redwood City Daily News, said buyers are not only interested in the trial's historical appeal, but also in the sentimental elements that go with the case. Redding, who has watched hours of trial coverage, said she has avoided newspapers from her South Carolina area and hopes to buy California editions containing photos from after the verdict. Although she hasn't won a newspaper auction yet, she has purchased a Laci and Conner Peterson T-shirt and pin, memorializing Scott Peterson's murdered wife and unborn son. "Edward Rocha, Laci's cousin, has been selling these items on eBay for an upcoming bike fundraiser in her memory," she said. Fabio Bandini, of Canoga Park, Calif., created silk-screened T-shirts saying, "Guilty: November 12" with the image of Scott Peterson behind bars. He is selling them on eBay for $9.99. "My coworker and I said we were going to make a few controversial items to see how they went over with the public," Bandini, an eBay veteran seller, said. "I suppose anything that people feel passionately about would be a hot-selling item." "The phrase 'one man's junk is another man's treasure' is no more prevalent anywhere else than on eBay," Bandini noted. Jacquelyne Marto, of Jersey City, N.J., who scavenged through her parent's 16-floor apartment building to find old copies of The New York Post and The Daily News, has been selling her papers for $10 each. "I have been making a big profit," Marto said. "I will probably hold on to some and save them to sell later. I wish I saved some O.J. Simpson papers from back then. They would probably be worth so much now." One of the most sought after and highest-priced items are authentic and original sketches drawn by California artist Norman Quebedeau, one of three sketch artists in the courtroom during the Peterson trial. Quebedeau, who averaged five sketches a day depending on who was on the witness stand, approached Auction Drop, a company that facilitates eBay sales, to help him unload his trove of Peterson artwork. After debating whether the company would help Quebedeau sell his sketches online, Auction Drop's Andrea Rosch said, "There was no reason not to." "This is an issue of a public trial that has been closely watched," Rosch said. "His paintings show many scenes that are a part of legal history. He owns them, he drew them, and there's no reason he shouldn't sell them." Quebedeau expects his sketches of key players, such as mistress Amber Frey, will be sold at higher prices, but has not collected huge payouts yet. "I am surprised my original pieces aren't selling for more," Quebedeau said. He said his last piece sold for more than $250. Two original courtroom sketches with Frey on the stand are starting at $1,199, but have yet to be bid on. "I have such an accumulation of drawings now that the trial is over," Quebedeau said. "I'm not a salesman or a gallery owner. These are historical documents and I just wanted to see what the market would be." Quebedeau said the other two sketch artists also plan to sell their work. Other products at the online auction site include a T-shirt saying "Guilty: Finally, an American Jury Gets It Right!"; a comic of Scott Peterson and O.J. Simpson on a golf course; and a large magnetic sticker saying, "I'm Judge Delucchi, and I approve this message: Guilty." "I don't know why people would want to buy things like this," Marto said. "But I know it's been making us sellers a nice profit." |