Death row notes for sale

Letters from a killer executed in the US for slaying his girlfriend two days before Christmas are for sale on Trade Me by his former Kiwi pen pal.

Hamilton man David Perfect said he was selling the letters as he now wanted "closure" from his relationship with death row inmate William Earl Lynd.

Lynd was put to death by lethal injection in Georgia in May 2008 after being convicted of shooting his partner, Ginger Moore, 26, in the face during an argument outside their home in 1988. He shot her again when she regained consciousness.

Lynd then put Moore in the boot of a car and drove away.

Prosecutors argued Moore was still alive when Lynd heard a thumping noise coming from the trunk, so he got out and shot her a third time before burying her body in a shallow grave. Lynd later drove to Ohio, where he shot another woman who told police what happened before she died.

Perfect wrote on Trade Me: "Earl was my buddy and was executed many years ago and I kept our letters and pics that he sent from a phone a prison guard smuggled in for him.

"He was such a wonderful man and spent damn near two decades on death row for his crimes.

"A self confessed ex-biker and hard man who made some bad drug-induced decisions. It breaks my heart to finally have to do this."

Perfect said he was supposed to get Lynd's ashes "as per his wishes" but "his girlfriend can't bring herself to part with them".

The pair became pen pals after Perfect read a book about death row inmates and contacted an American-based group that offered support to condemned inmates.

He said he had received more than 100 letters from Lynd, who had been upfront and honest about his offending, leading up to his execution.

He described reaction on Trade Me to his posting as "mild, which is quite surprising. I thought they may have ... polarised opinions."

By last night two people had bid for the items, with a top offer of $21.

A Trade Me spokesman said the advert had not been withdrawn because no complaints had been received about it.