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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Mark Hacking has voluntarily agreed to stop selling autographs, inmate forms and other memorabilia related to his conviction for murdering his wife in Utah.
"He's voluntarily discontinued trying to sell anything on the Web," Department of Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said.
Hacking is serving a sentence of six years to life in the Utah State Prison for the 2004 murder of his wife, Lori. He claimed his wife disappeared while jogging, then admitted shooting her and dumping her body in the garbage.
Lori Hacking's body was found in the Salt Lake Valley landfill. Prosecutors said Lori Hacking was killed after discovering a web of lies her husband had created.
A signed hand tracing, a prison visitor's form and two canteen invoice forms are among the items that were being offered by a seller known as Hellflorist on murderauction.com.
The seller also offered several magazines Hacking purportedly owned.
"Both are May 2006 issues," Hellflorist wrote in describing the items, "Toss 'em out on the coffee table, tell your friends Mark left 'em during his last visit."
The site offers letters and signatures from what it claims is a variety of convicted murderers, including Charles Manson.
Ford said the prison warden spoke to Hacking after discovering the Web site.
Utah has a law that makes it a civil penalty for criminals to profit from their crimes.
"He had somebody that he was acquainted with in California that had mentioned (the auctioning of items) to him, and he said sure," Ford said. "He was unaware of the law, and he's voluntarily pulling everything."
Hacking will not face disciplinary action, Ford said.
The Utah Attorney General's Office said it is still investigating if any money generated from the sale of Hacking merchandise should go to the Crime Victim Reparations Fund.
The Web site says it does not glorify killers, and collecting true-crime artifacts is nothing new.
"We do NOT glorify anyone," the Web site said. "We simply present the facts as they are and offer a rare opportunity to own various pieces of criminal history."
Crime-victim advocates have been pushing for a federal "Notoriety for Profit Law" to prevent killers from selling their wares through third parties on the Internet.
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Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
