Prison: Killer broke rules with M&M art

A convicted killer who sold postcard-size paintings he created with dye from M&Ms and brushes fashioned from his hair broke prison rules by running an unauthorized business out of his cell, officials said.

While Donny Johnson hasn't profited from his art -- all the money is being used to start a program for children of inmates -- prison officials said he was wrongfully engaged in a business without the warden's permission.

Johnson, 46, has been locked up since 1980 for second-degree murder in a drug-related killing. In 1989, he was convicted of assaulting one guard and slashing the throat of another. He's now serving life without parole in the most secure unit at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, about 10 miles south of the Oregon border.

The details of possible disciplinary action were unclear. A hearing on the matter will be held in the next few weeks, said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

His lawyer, Charles Carbone, disputed that Johnson violated the rules.

"There's a very large question mark over the legality and morality of what the department has done to punish an inmate for trying to better himself and better his community," he said.

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