In December 1983 Marko Bey was sentenced to death for the rape & murder of 19 year old Cheryl Alston. Her nude & battered body was found in a vacant lot near the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. In 1984 Bey received a second death sentence for sexually assaulting & strangling 46 year old Carol Peniston. Bey was 17 at the time of the first murder; he turned 18 just two weeks before the second. In addition to his confession, abundant physical evidence tied him to both crimes.

In June 1992 I wrote a letter to Marko Bey, one of 3 men residing on death row in New Jersey.

"I just got off the phone with Jim Stone (Bey's lawyer) to learn that you are interested in having me come down to Trenton to meet and possibly photograph you. I thought it might be a good idea to write and explain what it is that we are involved in... Basically, the idea is to give you an identity and to tell your story through a sensitive photographic portrayal. The "magic" of photography still amazes me after all these years. I have seen people form immediate bonds with pictures and I am trying to make my photographs communicate so that happens more and more often. If I am successful an entire story can be told without words."

In July Bey acknowledged receipt of my letter.

"I'm against the D.P. but because of other reasons not only the obvious. No one has the right to knowingly take a persons life. (To plan to end life is wrong no matter what the reason) I also disagree with Anti-Abortionists. In one sense they say they are against: The taking of life (unborn child) but life is life unborn or born so why do Anti-Abortionists support the D.P. I am myself against Abortion BUT I or any man who can not get pregnant nor a woman who isn't pregnant has the right to vote on or tell a woman who is pregnant what to do with her body. Anyway Death Row is a lonely place..."

Two weeks later I wrote back to tell him we were in the process of gaining permission to see him.

"Your willingness however to communicate with me and to discuss whatever topic or topics you feel may be helpful to the development of this project are very important. This is important in terms of me getting to know you: to learn about what's important to you, what matters. What you care about..."

On 28 August Lorie Savel, project manager for my studio, entered death row for the first time. Her role was to interview Marko Bey on tape. Outside the visiting room she panicked, unsure what she should say. My advice was to treat Marko like anyone else; he probably hadn't been treated like a human being for a long time.

Finally Marko Bey, one of only 3 people on death row in New Jersey at the time, entered the room. He was suspicious, his speech terse and barely audible, with a slight stutter.

I busied myself setting up lights, loading cameras, changing perspective. Lorie persisted in trying to draw Bey out. She was careful not to talk about his case. (This was our first audio recording, and we feared it might be subject to subpoena.) I listened to the conversation, chiming in every once in a while to make my presence known.

Six months later Bey wrote to me that politics was increasing the population on death row.

"This wing now has 7 occupantís as of this letter. Unfortunately, this is a election year for Governor in January, so it's likely that more will be sent to this wing."

In April 1994 Bey wrote me a chatty letter about the book Dead Man Walking, by Sister Helen Prejean. He gave the address of the prison chaplain, and speculated about his most recent appeal.

"My second appeal was heard 8 months ago, so I'm looking for a ruling on that appeal any day now. The main force of this appeal is on racism playing a part in my case... The court at the D.A.'s seemed to be worried that racism was a factor (cause) of the jury giving me the D.P..."

The next month Lorie returned his letter.

"The book you mentioned by Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking) is great. We've both read it and commend her ability to deal with the issues and emotions surrounding the death penalty and the human beings involved. She effectively deals with the issues in a way that would be nonthreatening to pro-death-penalty believers. Which is really the point, isn't it? The primary goal should be to change the minds of those who are pro, not to further confirm the beliefs of the anti-death-penalty believers. Certainly, it's great to accomplish both if you can find a way to get the pro thinkers to open their minds to what you're trying to communicate. If it's nonthreatening they'll see the facts, the issues and the emotions more clearly and openly and hopefully consider their position.

Last year we had the opportunity of meeting her. She spoke at an awards meeting of the Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty. She spoke of her book and her ability to change the minds of many who have read the book: our goal with this project as you know. She's a great inspiration to the potential successes."