On April 5, 2002, Mark Stroman, a 32-year-old stonecutter from Dallas, entered Texas’s death row for the murder of Vasudev Patel, an Indian immigrant and gas station owner in Mesquite, TX. Patel was Stroman’s third and final victim. In the three weeks after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Stroman also shot and killed Waqar Hasan, a Pakistani immigrant in Dallas, and partially blinded a gas station attendant from Bangladesh in the erroneous belief all three men were Arabs. The press labeled the murders Texas's first post 9/11 hate crime. Stroman himself claimed that “blinded by rage,” he killed to avenge the United States. The prosecution convinced the jury that robbery was his true motive, (even though he hadn’t taken money from his victims) and he was sentenced to death.

What drove Stroman to commit these horrendous acts? This question, along with Stroman’s day-to-day existence on death row, his battle against the state of Texas' determination to execute him, and the plight of his victims' families, are examined in the documentary Execution Chronicles.

Currently in the making, the film explores the anatomy of a crime from its beginnings to its consequences. Director Ilan Ziv has interviewed and followed nearly everyone connected to this capital case, from Stroman and his family to his victims and their families. He plans to document Stroman's case until his execution or appeal.

This companion website, www.executionchronicles.org, offers unprecedented access to death row. Each week, through video interviews with Stroman, and excerpts from his death row diary, viewers can follow his story as it unfolds. The aim is not to rationalize or justify, but to expand upon one man’s experience to explore the range of complex issues surrounding the death penalty itself. www.executionchronicles.org regularly reports on death row cases, on the efforts of organizations and individuals to abolish capital punishment, and encourages debate and the free exchange of ideas on our forum, Speak Out!

www.executionchronicles.org is devoted to the victims of hate, and to the thousands of activists battling racial, religious, or gender violence and intolerance, whether in Dallas, TX, Sarajevo, or the state of Gujarat in India. Weekly, the site highlights stories of survivors and their advocates and invites them to submit news articles, trial updates and videos, meet fellow survivors and share their experiences online.

The site attempts to provide an open forum as long as contributors do not engage in hateful speech, racial slurs or profanities. Post your thoughts, stories and your videos – become involved in this emerging community!