Imagine The Colorful Mr. Eggleston: With an in-depth review of BBC's Documentary about Photographer William Eggleston and his Murderabilia

By Jane Flowers

William Eggleston is one of the most influential Photographers alive today. Who's Murderabilia in his films, fine art photography, Portrait Exhibitions and Books have shocked all that have come to know his work.

In this True Crime Novella about fine art photography and Murderabilia. Jane takes you on a tour of BBC's Documentary

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane Flowers LLC
• Release date: Jan 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088084410

Book preview

Introduction

William Eggleston is one of the most influential photographers alive today. Over several decades he has deeply touched everyone’s emotions with his most famous photograph The Red Ceiling and with my father’s unsolved murder that he puts with it and other photos he took. The Red Ceiling photograph brings in tons of emotions and which it should because it’s spoken about with someone’s unsolved murder.

My father’s unsolved murder to be precise. Murder is and can be a very emotional subject. With Eggleston’s hallmark ability to find emotional resonance in the ordinary has become a north star for many filmmakers and photographers all over the world.

But how about my emotional sadness, disgust and grief that I feel deep inside when reading articles that fabricate my father’s unsolved murder with Murderabilia and claims made by William Eggleston, his family members and social media outlets claiming he was murdered where The Red Ceiling photograph was taken.

Or how about my emotions I feel when I know Eggleston and his family are fabricating my father’s unsolved murder with two different claims as to where he was murdered and how he was murdered with an ax to his head when it states on the back of his death certificate he died from smoke inhalation.

Eggleston and his family are selling the claim that my father was murdered with an ax to his head with fine art photography that is part of William Eggleston’s Murderabilia.

Murderabilia is a term coined by Andy Kahan the director of victim services and advocacy at Crime Stoppers in Houston Texas. He was prompted to do something about it. So that’s why he eventually coined the word Murderabilia to describe the industry. Andy is also an avid buyer of Murderabilia.

He has a duffel bag full of Murderabilia he uses when he gives presentations on murderabilia and when he campaigns for notary for profit laws, which exists in states throughout the United States and prohibits people from profiting off of their crimes with their murderabilia.

The Son of Sam Law was passed in New York in 1977 out of concern that serial killer David Berkowitz would profit off of selling his story, which was his murderabilia, to the media and for book or film rights, but by 1991 the U.S. Supreme Court deemed the laws unconstitutional for violating freedom of speech.

Where the Son of Sam Law draws a line is when people actually list items in regards to someone’s murder that they sell for a personal profit. Eggleston and his family members started breaking the Son of Sam Law in 1983 once Eggleston started selling his murderabilia in regards to Dr. Thomas Chester Boring’s unsolved murder.

There is clearly a demand for true crime collectibles associated  with notorious crimes and criminals. Even within the fine art photography community there is a demand for their so-called murderabilia.

Murderabilia can take on many forms, including but not limited  to personal possessions, photography taken by the murderer, letters, autographs, hair, finger nail clippings and articles of clothing.

Some people that collect murderabilia have been described as unhinged and have been seen even teetering on dangerous. With some of the collectors of murderabilia actually becoming killers themselves. Collecting murderabilia can become a dark hobby for some with them beginning the hobby of collecting murderabilia with their own set of problems that the hobby never created.

Andy Kahan has commented in the past about the families of the victims and he shared their perspective on Murderabilia. He has stated that in the eyes of the victims’ families. Murderabilia is one of the most nauseating and disgusting feelings in the world, especially when you find out that the person who murdered one of your loved ones has personalized items being sold by third parties for pure profit.

This is what I had to find out the hard way is when I was discovering the murderabilia William Eggleston and his family members are selling in regards to my father’s unsolved murder.

I’ve already written William Eggleston a letter in regards to my father’s unsolved murder. I asked him in the letter if he could please speak to me about my father’s murder. He received the letter at his residence in Memphis Tennessee in 2019 and he signed for it yet still to this day he refuses to speak to me about my father’s murder.

I have never personally met Eggleston or any of his family members that profit off of my father’s unsolved murder with Murderabilia. They avoid me like the plague because they know they’ll have to answer questions about my father’s unsolved murder that they don’t want to have to answer. That’s obvious right there.

Eggleston has a photo of the murder weapon he claims murdered my father. Then who gave him the weapon to photograph and where is the weapon currently kept by Eggleston or the third party that could be in possession of the murder weapon. which is an Ax or a hatchet. These are questions me and my family have that will eventually have to be answered by Eggleston and his family members.

Eggleston grew up in Money Mississippi close to Greenwood Mississippi and was friends with my father, U.S. Navy Veteran Dentist Dr. Thomas Chester Boring, Jr. He later moved to Memphis Tennessee where he has lived most of his life. The Eggleston Trust is also kept in Memphis Tennessee, but is currently permanently closed. With Eggleston’s kids running the trust.

Eggleston’s kids have different positions within the Eggleston Trust. The Founding board members of the Eggleston Art Foundation, which is a charitable organization established in 2019, are President: William Eggleston 3rd, Vice President : Andra Eggleston, Secretary and Treasurer: Winston Eggleston.

Do you think that Eggleston’s kids are worried about my father’s unsolved murder getting solved? No they are not. They are much more worried about helping their father run his business and profit off of my father’s murder with their father’s murderabilia.

My father was murdered May 10, 1980 in a house fire at 103 Virginia Street in Greenwood Mississippi in the early hours of the morning around 3:28 am or before. His Cold Case is still unsolved to this day. Below is a photograph of the burnt out remains of his home that once stood at 103 Virginia Street in Greenwood Mississippi.

Photograph taken by the Greenwood Commonwealth in Mississippi

It is sad to say but, photographer William Eggleston and his family