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This Show Is Death
Michael Toney, sentenced to die for a 1985 briefcase bombing that killed three, put the five seats up for bid – starting at $100 – Wednesday afternoon, eBay officials said.
The posting was removed about four hours later having drawn no bidders.
Toney, 34, said he would give money from the auction to his two estranged daughters, whom has “neglected for some 13 years.” He also said once the trust was set up, he would waive further appeals on his case.
A friend who declined to be identified told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Toney asked her to set up the eBay posting, which said in part, “My name is Michael Toney. Most people call me ‘Cowboy.’ I am on Texas’ Death Row awaiting execution for a crime I did not commit.”
Condemned prisoners in Texas are allowed five witness at their execution.
The person who helped Toney set up the Web site is an “idiot,” Glen Castleberry, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, told the Star-Telegram.
He added that bidders wouldn’t have been allowed to attend the execution, even though he couldn’t say if selling witness seats violated any written policy.
Toney’s sentence is still under appeal.