A prisoner serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of her boyfriend has been quietly making thousands of dollars selling artwork.
Jodi Arias, 44, who was convicted in 2013 of the 2008 murder of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander, maintains a website where she sells a variety of paintings and prints, one of which is valued at up to $2,500.
She also recently noted on Instagram that she was recently commissioned to paint a cow for a fan, after “someone I really couldn’t turn down asked me to paint one for their office.”
Arias’ murder conviction became a media sensation over a decade ago as she narrowly avoided the death penalty; however, her artwork does not violate any “Son of Sam” laws as she does not directly profit from her crimes.
Jodi Arias, 44, who was convicted in 2013 of the 2008 murder of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander (pictured together), has been quietly making thousands of dollars selling artwork behind bars.
Arias’ works include this painting titled ‘Beyond the Horizon,’ which the convicted murderer is selling for $2,500.
The convicted murderer claims on her website that she always loved making art from a young age, but stopped for a while when it “completely derailed[her]life.”
After getting back into painting, he began selling them on eBay, before moving on to selling them through his website, where he says he uses the proceeds to buy more supplies.
Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to charity, while “a portion will go to Jodi’s campaigns,” the website states.
Most of Arias’ prints sell for between $28 and $39, and she also offers postcard sets for $34.95.
When he was recently commissioned to paint the cow, he said on Instagram that a prison guard inspired his unorthodox title.
“An officer interested in the progress of the painting kept asking me how ‘the old lady’ was doing,” he wrote.
“He said it several times and then he understood: that’s the title!”
The discovery of Arias’ prison artwork comes 11 years after his life sentence for the murder of Travis Alexander at his home in Mesa, Arizona.
Arias said he was recently commissioned to paint a cow for a fan, after “someone I really couldn’t turn down asked me to paint one for their office.”
Most of Arias’ prints sell for between $28 and $39, and she also offers postcard sets for $34.95.
Arias became one of America’s most notorious killers in 2013 when she was convicted of murdering her on-again, off-again boyfriend in a fit of jealousy.
Alexander suffered 27 stab wounds, a throat wound and a gunshot wound to the head.
The couple met in September 2006 at a work conference in Las Vegas, but their relationship was on and off for over a year as they often lived in different states.
Prosecutors said Arias was a jealous and manipulative girlfriend who became enraged at Alexander when she discovered he had been dating other women.
Arias is said to have discovered that Alexander was planning a trip to Mexico with another woman, leading her to plot to murder him.
Alexander was found dead in his shower on June 4, 2008, after suffering 27 stab wounds, a slashed throat and a gunshot wound to the head.
A digital camera found in Alexander’s washing machine also included several images of Arias and the victim in sexual poses, and another taken moments after Alexander was killed.
The image showed him “bleeding profusely” on the bathroom floor, where a bloody handprint containing Arias’ DNA was found.
Arias initially denied the murder but later admitted to it, claiming it was in self-defense after he attacked her.
Arias was said to have planned the murder after discovering that Alexander was planning a vacation to Mexico with another woman.
She was convicted in 2013, but jurors were undecided on the death penalty and Arias received life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Arias was one of America’s most notorious female killers, but her artwork does not violate “Son of Sam” laws, the website reports. The New York Post.
Also known as “notoriety-for-profit” laws – created amid fears that serial killer David Berkowitz wanted to sell his life story – the laws prevent criminals from profiting from publicity surrounding their crimes.
But Arias’ paintings don’t cross the line because the artwork has no connection to Alexander’s murder, and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry says it is aware of his profiteering.
