BAN ON KILLER GOODS; NEW LAWS COULD TAKE AWAY PROFITS.

Byline: Gina Keating Staff Writer

Two years ago, Darryl Ricketts was surfing the Internet when he came across a postcard for sale written by serial killer and rapist Roy Norris. He had to have it.

The 35-year-old South Bend, Ind., man had never made such a macabre purchase, but he quickly snapped up letters by other notorious murderers. Soon he had set up his own Web site to peddle the creepy collectibles.

Ricketts says so far just one person has asked him to stop profiting from other people's misery - a friend of murdered actress Rebecca Schaeffer.

``I sympathize with them, but what are you going to do?'' Ricketts said. ``You can't help these things being worth money - people are going to collect these.''

Now, however, proposed legislation could close a legal loophole that has allowed the sale of such items by amending the state's ``Son of Sam'' law to include murder memorabilia. Civil libertarians are warning the proposal may be unconstitutional.

The 1983 Son of Sam law prevents felons from profiting from their crimes by selling the TV or print rights. The proposal by state Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, would tighten those restrictions to include criminal memorabilia sold by anyone who uses a felon's notoriety to enhance the item's value.

Schiff said he penned the bill at the request of Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was murdered by a parolee, and plans to introduce it in late February.