text: Awaiting his execution in a six-by-eight foot death row cell, Christian Longo believes he can no longer be redeemed for his horrific crimes. The father-of-three was sentenced to death for murdering his family, stuffing them in suitcases and dumping their bodies in coastal bays in Oregon in December 2001 to 'escape the shackles of domestic life'. He then went on a booze-fuelled holiday to the resort of Cancun, Mexico, where he posed as a shamed New York Times reporter - before he was captured by the FBI, arrested and charged. Now a film about his life, True Story, starring James Franco and Jonah Hill, has been released, and the brutal killer has spoken out from behind bars. Scroll down for video . Christian Longo, who murdered his wife and three children in Oregon in 2001 before going on an alcohol-fulled Mexican trip believes he can no longer be redeemed for his horrific crimes. He is pictured during his defense testimony before he was sentenced to death . A film about his life starring Jonah Hill as former New York Times journalist Mike Finkel (left) has been released. The murderer is being played by James Franco (right) Writing letters to People from Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, he says guilt is a 'pervasive part of my daily existence, the reality that all my frequent nightmares are made from. 'But I realize I can't do anything about it now, except to try to live as positively as possible with a view that I don't deserve the breaths I get to take... I don't feel that I can be redeemed. 'I believe that some actions are so terrible that nothing can ever atone for them.' The case began to unravel when the body of Longo's four-year-old son Zachary was discovered on December 19, 2001. A pillowcase filled with rocks had been tied to his leg. His sister Sadie, three, was found three days later. Then the remains of his wife, Mary Jane, 34, and a third sibling Madison, two were retrieved on December 27. The pair were found stuffed inside a suitcase weighted down by dumbbells. As soon as the bodies were found in coastal areas near the family's condominium, Longo became the prime suspect. But he had disappeared south of the border and assumed the identity of Mike Finkel, a New York Times journalist who had been fired for inventing a character in a piece about the African slave trade. After snorkeling, swigging beer, hitting nightclubs and romancing a German woman he had met, he was spotted. His wife Mary Jane (top left) and his three children Zach, four (far right), Sadie, three (center), and two-year-old Madison were all killed, stuffed in bags or suitcases, weighed down and then thrown in rivers. Prosecutors say Longo (top right) killed his family to 'escape the shackles of domestic life' Longo (left) is played by Franco in the movie which is based on the relationship he built with shamed New York Times journalist Mike Finkel - who fabricated a story . Plastic-covered photos of Mary Jane (left), and her children sit on the dock at a makeshift memorial in Newport, Oregon . The FBI transferred him stateside, where he was arrested and charged with murder. He was found guilty after a month-long trial and sentenced to death. True Story is based by Finkel, who formed an unlikely friendship with Longo. What unfolds is a complex relationship as Finkel, played by Jonah Hill, meets Franco's Longo, an Oregon man awaiting trial for brutally killing his wife and three children. The two men find common ground in writing but the dynamic wavers as each man struggles with his search for intellectual credibility. Finkel told People: 'The scariest thing about him is that there is nothing scary about him. 'He's a witty, very intelligent guy, and I'm still completely flummoxed by what drove him. I don't believe in the death penalty, but I believe he belongs exactly where he is. He's despicable to the core.' In preparation for the film he dined with Jonah Hill in New York, but in a recent interview with his former employer, conducted after he had seen the film, Finkel claimed some of the scenes had been fabricated. He also visited the set once as Longo's trial was being recreated, an experience he admitted was traumatic. Finkel told the Times: 'It brought back some very uncomfortable flashbacks. I never forget at the heart of this story is three murdered children and a murdered wife. That's the nature of this material - it's tragic, creepy and compelling.' Longo travelled to Mexico and assumed the identity of  shamed New York Times reporter Mike Finkel. After learning of the alias, Finkel travelled to Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem to meet the murderer. The film True Story  is based on his experiences and the unlikely friendship he struck up . The journalist still keeps in contact with Longo on a regular basis. The prisoner calls him on the first Sunday of every month. 'There's always this internal tug of war over whether I should pick up the phone or not, but I usually do,' Finkel added. In January, Franco, who is playing the killer, said: 'He's probably the worst person that I've ever played, just because I have such a great family and there's just something so horrible about killing your kids. So I have very little connection to him.' To prepare, Franco watched tapes of Longo testifying at his 2003 trial, which he called 'chilling,' but he opted not to visit the convicted killer currently on Death Row. 'There was no need to go and meet him, and I certainly didn't want to give him any attention or validation by doing that.' From his cell is campaigning to donate his organs after he is executed in an attempt to repay society. In 2011, he was denied a request to drop his appeals in exchange for being allowed to donate organs and donation officials have labelled the idea 'morally reprehensible'. 'Why go out and waste your organs when you have the potential to go out and save six to 12 lives?' Longo said from his cell. A moratorium on executions has been in place in Oregon since 2011. While Longo awaits his death sentence, he is locked in a cell for 21 hours a day. Silk flowers and a sign saying 'Pray for Justice' adorn the Highway 34 bridge on the edge of Alsea Bay in Waldport, Oregon, in a picture taken in October 2002 .
target: Christian Longo has been writing letters to People from his death row cell .
  Believes 'some actions are so terrible that nothing can ever atone them'
  In 2001 he killed his family, stuffed them into suitcases and dumped them .
  Three children and his wife Mary Jane were all found by police divers .
  FBI tracked him to Cancun where he was partying with a German woman .
  Was posing as shamed New York Times reporter Michael Finkel .
  He was brought stateside and sentenced to death at the end of month trial .
  Movie starring Jonah Hill and James Franco about his relationship with the journalist has been released .