A photographer has created a portrait series with a haunting twist.
The images below are mug shots, with the faces made not of pixels or pigment – but of the last words from prisoners on death row.
California-based photographer Amy Elkins exchanged letters with several men on America's death rows as a part of her "obsessive" project.
Chilling statements from "I am innocent," to "I will wait for" are revealed in an extensive venture that examines capital punishment and solitary confinement in the United States.
The artist has not yet updated her project to include America's latest execution – a woman convicted of torturing and killing a mentally impaired man she lured to Texas with the promise of marriage.
Suzanne Basso, 59, was put to death Wednesday evening in a rare execution of a female prisoner.
Before being put to death, Basso told a warden who stood near her, "No sir," when asked to make a final statement. She appeared to be holding back tears, then smiled at two friends watching through a window. She mouthed a brief word to them and nodded.
Below is a selection of Ms Elkins' work:
Karla Faye Tucker: Executed Feb. 3, 1998; Age 38
Elliot Johnson: Executed June 24, 1987; Age 38
Ignacio Cuevas: Executed May 23, 1991; Age 59
David Goff: Executed April 25, 2001; Age 31
Robert Black Jr: Executed May 22, 1992; Age 45
Samuel Hawkins: Executed Feb. 21, 1995; Age 52
Leonel Herrera: Executed May 12,1993; Age 45
Miguel Richardson: Executed June 26, 2001; Age 46
Richard Beavers: Executed April 4, 1994; Age 39
Edward Green: Executed Oct. 5, 2004; Age 30
Tommie Hughes: Executed March 15, 2006; Age 31
Javier Cruz: Executed Oct. 1, 1998; Age 41
Willie Shannon: Executed Nov. 8, 2006; Age 30
Robert Thompson: Executed Nov. 19, 2009; Age 34
Randall Hafdahl Sr: Executed Jan. 31, 2002; Age 48
Franklin Alix: Executed March 30, 2010; Age 34
Robert Coulson: Executed June 25, 2002; Age 34
Luis Salazar: Executed March 11, 2009; Age 38
Allen Janecka: Executed July 24, 2003; Age 53
Mathis Milton: Executed June 21, 2011; Age 32
Vincent Gutierrez: Executed March 28, 2007; Age 28
Edgar Tamayo: Executed Jan. 22, 2014; Age 46
