david.lohr@huffingtonpost.com
Supporters of Jodi Arias, the woman accused of killing her former lover, are raising money for her by auctioning artwork she supposedly has created since her 2008 incarceration.
Since Jan. 10, seven colored-pencil drawings have sold on the online auction website eBay, raking in $1,019.98 in winning bids.
The 32-year-old aspiring artist and photographer is currently on trial in Mesa, Ariz., accused of shooting Travis Alexander in the face, stabbing him 27 times and slitting his throat in the shower of his Mesa apartment in June 2008. Prosecutors allege she killed Alexander in a fit of jealous rage. The defense contends Alexander was killed in self-defense. The prosecution rested its case Thursday. The defense begins presenting its case in two weeks.
The auction organizer, who goes by the eBay user name “0817soldierofchrist,” told The Huffington Post they plan to post additional pieces by Arias.
“We’re working on a certificate of authenticity right now. She has drawn all of these while waiting in jail. It is drawn on the cardboard at the back of a pad of paper. I will be listing about five or six more drawings. She is still deciding on which ones she wants me to sell,” the seller said.
According to the auction listings, “All profits go towards Jodi’s family traveling expenses to the trial, other fees, and of course money for Jodi so she can eat better food than what they serve in jail.”
