10 Criminals Who Turned to Art

Shortly after her highly publicized trial began in 2013, Jodi Arias, who was convicted of murdering an ex-boyfriend in May, began hawking her artwork on eBay as a means (at least according to the art descriptions) to help pay for her trial. The drawings, which ranged from landscapes to celebrity portraits, sold for $300 to $400 a pop. Despite her conviction, Arias’ art sales are still happening, now through her own website, JodiArias.com.

Unlike other convicted killers-turned-artists, Wayne Lo, who is currently serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole following a series of shootings at Simon’s Rock College of Bard in 1992, has attempted to position his work as real art, not just another case of murderabilia. Though his mixed media work, which is featured on SkidLo.net, has been included in several gallery shows, it also hangs in Massachusetts' Museum of Bad Art.

Glen Edward Rogers, a.k.a. The Cross Country Killer or The Casanova Killer, doesn’t create art for the masses. The convicted serial killer, who once claimed to have murdered 70 people (only to later say that he was joking), has claimed to have dropped clues to his actual crimes in the drawings he made and sent out from prison, according to a story in Psychology Today.

Lucas’ partner in crime and sometimes lover, Ottis Toole (who is believed to be responsible for the 1981 kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh, son of America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh), made a habit out of taking Lucas’ lead. He, too, developed a penchant for doodling, with several of his drawings eventually being sold by California’s Hyaena Gallery.

Though he lacked any form of higher education, convicted murderer Perry Smith, one of the subjects of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, was an avid reader, musician, and artist. In the years leading up to his 1965 execution, Smith spent much of his time painting. In addition to religious works, he gifted several of his fellow death row inmates with paintings of their families, which he drew from photos.

Hardly the most sophisticated of artists, serial killer Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez (which is how he signed his artwork) used art as a way to continue to pledge his allegiance to Satan while he sat on death row, following his punishment of 13 death sentences. (His actual cause of death, in 2013, was lymphoma.)

In the early 1900s, Adolf Hitler attempted to make a living a living as an artist, selling many of the postcards and the paintings that he created. His life took a turn for the monstrous when he was rejected not once but twice for admission to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He created hundreds of pieces over the years, many of which have been sold at auction, others seized by the U.S. Army that remain in the government’s custody.

As demented as it may seem, Charles Manson has become a brand unto himself. In addition to the dozens of movies that have been made about his life and crimes, there are books and music, too. His mug also adorns an array of merchandise (think T-shirts and posters). His Facebook page, which includes interviews and links to his artwork—including paintings and sculptures—has more than 22,000 fans. Because Manson isn’t actually allowed to possess art supplies, a team of investigators are assigned to confiscating the work that he does create. That doesn't mean that a few pieces haven't slipped by them over the years.