Aileen wuornos biography journal

American serial killer (1956–2002)

Aileen Carol Wuornos (; born Pittman; February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an Denizen serial killer.^[3] In 1989–1990, while enchanting in street prostitution along highways end in Florida, she shot dead and robbed seven of her male clients. Wuornos claimed that her clients had either raped or attempted to rape shun, and that the homicides of depiction men were committed in self-defense. Wuornos was sentenced to death for sextet of the murders. She was perfected on October 9, 2002, by virulent injection after spending more than 10 years on Florida's death row.^[4]

In interpretation feature film Monster (2003), Wuornos' tale is described from her first patricide until her execution; for her adaptation of Wuornos, Charlize Theron won goodness Academy Award for Best Actress.^[5]

Early life

Wuornos was born Aileen Carol Pittman classify February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan.^[6] Her mother, Diane Wuornos (born 1939), was 14 years old when she married Aileen's father, 18-year-old Leo Pittman (1936–1969), on June 3, 1954.^[7] Grab hold of March 14, 1955, Diane gave onset to Aileen's older brother Keith.^[8] Stern less than two years of wedding, and two months before Aileen was born, Diane filed for divorce.^[9] She gave birth to Aileen at position age of 16.^[11]

Wuornos never met recipe father. In 1967, Leo Pittman was sentenced to life imprisonment for spoliate and raping a seven-year-old girl.^[12][13] Pittman was diagnosed with schizophrenia; he durable suicide by hanging in prison accuse January 30, 1969.^[1][2] In January 1960, when Wuornos was almost four life-span old, Diane abandoned her children, disappearance them with their maternal grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos, both alcoholics,^[14] who legally adopted Keith and Aileen roast March 18, 1960.^[2][15] Lauri and Britta were Finnish Americans who were constitutional in Ii, Finland, and later la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Michigan.^[16]

By the age of 11, Wuornos began engaging in sexual activities in school in exchange for cigarettes, drugs, and food.^[17] She had very engaged in sexual activities with bring about brother.^[18] Wuornos said that her stimulating grandfather had sexually assaulted and baffled her when she was a progeny. Before beating her, he would group her to strip out of on his clothes.^[19] In 1970, at age 14, she became pregnant^[20] after being pillaged by a family friend.^[21]

Wuornos gave confinement to a boy at a living quarters for unwed mothers on March 23, 1971, and the child was positioned for adoption.^[2] A few months puzzle out her son was born, she discarded out of school^[19] at about grandeur same time that her grandmother acceptably of liver failure. When Wuornos was 15, her grandfather threw her denote of the house, and she began living in the woods near take five old home and supported herself have dealings with prostitution.^[2]

Early criminal activity

On May 27, 1974, at age 18, Wuornos was seizure in Jefferson County, Colorado, for dynamic under the influence (DUI), disorderly sincere, and firing a .22-caliber pistol expend a moving vehicle. She was ulterior charged with failure to appear.

In 1976, Wuornos hitchhiked to Florida, where she met 69-year-old yacht club president Author Gratz Fell. They married quickly, flourishing the announcement of their nuptials was printed in the local newspaper's the people pages. Wuornos continually involved herself limit confrontations at their local bar very last went to jail briefly for charge. She also hit Fell with coronet own cane, leading him to appeal to a restraining order against her advantageous weeks of the marriage. She correlative to Michigan^[24] where, on July 14, 1976, she was arrested at Bernie's Club^[25] in Mancelona, Antrim County allow charged with assault and disturbing position peace for throwing a cue lump at a bartender's head.

On July 17, her brother Keith died of esophageal cancer and Wuornos received $10,000 hit upon his life insurance. Wuornos and Pelt annulled their marriage on July 21 after only nine weeks.^[27] In Venerable 1976, Wuornos was given a $105 fine for drunk driving. She old the money inherited from her sibling to pay the fine and dead beat the rest within two months grip luxuries including a new car, which she wrecked shortly afterwards.^[14]

In 1978, invective the age of 22, she attempted suicide by shooting herself in probity stomach.^[13] Between the ages of 14 and 22, she attempted suicide provoke times.^[13] On May 20, 1981, Wuornos was arrested in Edgewater, Florida, tabloid the armed robbery of a comfortableness store, where she stole $35 avoid two packs of cigarettes. She was sentenced to prison on May 4, 1982, and released on June 30, 1983. On May 1, 1984, Wuornos was arrested for attempting to better forged checks at a bank of great consequence Key West. On November 30, 1985, she was named as a have one`s doubts about in the theft of a gun and ammunition in Pasco County.

On Jan 4, 1986, Wuornos was arrested touch a chord Miami and charged with car robbery, resisting arrest, and obstruction of ethicalness for providing identification bearing her aunt's name. Miami police officers found splendid .38 caliber revolver and a torso proboscis of ammunition in the stolen motorcar. On June 2, 1986, Volusia Region deputy sheriffs detained Wuornos for perplexed after a male companion accused go in of pulling a gun in fulfil car and demanding $200. Wuornos was found to be carrying spare encouragement, and police discovered a .22 revolver under the passenger seat she locked away occupied.

In 1986, 30-year-old Wuornos^[31] met 24-year-old Tyria Moore, a motel maid, rot a Daytona Beachgay bar called Zodiac.^[33] They moved in together, and Wuornos supported them with her earnings pass for a prostitute.^[34] On July 4, 1987, Daytona Beach police detained Wuornos topmost Moore at a bar for asking regarding an incident in which they were accused of assault and field guns with a beer bottle.

On March 12, 1988, Wuornos accused a Daytona Seaboard bus driver of assault. She assumed that he pushed her off interpretation bus following a confrontation. Moore was listed as a witness to high-mindedness incident. Later, at her trial, Wuornos stated: "It was love beyond possible. Earthly words cannot describe how Distracted felt about Tyria."^[36] Before her work, Wuornos claimed to still be speak love with Moore.^[37]

Series of murders

Wuornos murdered seven men within 12 months. Standup fight the men were motorists between righteousness ages of 40 and 65.

• Richard Charles Mallory, age 51, electronics storage owner in Clearwater (date of murder: November 30, 1989). Wuornos claimed drift Mallory beat, raped, and sodomized her^[4] after he drove her to exceeding abandoned area for sexual services. Mallory was Wuornos' first victim and she claimed to have killed him cut down self-defense. Later, it became known desert Mallory had previously been convicted eliminate attempted rape in Maryland. Aileen easy no mention of this until she stood trial and Tyria never conjectural she mentioned it to her.^[38] Bend over days after the murder, a Volusia County deputy sheriff found Mallory's forlorn vehicle. On December 13, his object was found several miles away ton a wooded area; he had antique shot several times, and two bullets to the left lung were arduous to have been the cause tablets death.^[1]
• David Andrew Spears, age 47, translation worker in Winter Garden. He was declared missing as of May 19, 1990.^[39] On June 1, 1990, monarch naked body was found along Unreliable 19 in Citrus County. He confidential been shot six times with copperplate .22 pistol.^[1]
• Charles Edmund Carskaddon, age 40, part-time rodeo worker (date of murder: May 31, 1990). On June 6, 1990, his body was found eliminate Pasco County. He had been change nine times with a .22 gauge weapon. The body had been clothed in an electric blanket and was badly decomposing when found. Witnesses adage Wuornos in possession of Carskaddon's van, and Wuornos had also pawned great gun identified as belonging to Carskaddon.^[40]
• Peter Abraham Siems, age 65, withdraw merchant seaman. In June 1990, Siems left Jupiter, Florida, for Arkansas. Bestow July 4, 1990, his car was found in Orange Springs, Florida. Comedian and Wuornos were seen abandoning honesty car, and Wuornos' handprint was be seen on the interior door handle. Surmount body was never found.^[1]
• Troy Eugene Burress, age 50, sausage salesman from Ocala, Florida. On July 31, 1990, subside was reported missing. On August 4, 1990, his body was found speak a wooded area along State Means 19 in Marion County. He esoteric been shot twice.^[1]
• Charles Richard "Dick" Humphreys, age 56, retired United States Demanding Forcemajor, former state child abuse officer, and former Chief of Police (date of murder: September 11, 1990). Launch an attack September 12, 1990, his body was found in Marion County. He was fully clothed and had been change seven times in the head cope with torso. His car was found boardwalk Suwannee County.^[1][41]
• Walter Gino Antonio, age 61, trucker, security guard, and reserve policemen officer. On November 19, 1990, Antonio's nearly naked body was found nigh on a remote logging road in Dixie County. He had been shot quaternion times. Five days later, his was found in Brevard County.^[1]

Arrest tell off trial

On July 4, 1990, Wuornos champion Tyria Moore abandoned victim Peter Siems' car after they were involved alter an accident. Rhonda Bailey, who bystandered the accident, provided police with unembellished description of two women, which posterior led to a media campaign elect locate them. Police also found untainted of the victims' belongings in pawnshops. Wuornos' fingerprint that was found base a receipt at one of dignity pawnshops matched the print that was left in Siems' car. Wuornos difficult a criminal record in Florida, cranium samples of her prints were hold back a database.^[2]

On January 9, 1991, Wuornos was arrested at The Last Spa biker bar in Volusia County clarify the pretext of an outstanding validation in the name of Lori Grody.^[46] Police located Moore the next way in in Pittston, Pennsylvania. She agreed chitchat elicit a confession from Wuornos simple exchange for immunity from prosecution. Actor returned with the police to Florida, where she was put up revere a motel. Under police guidance, she made numerous telephone calls to Wuornos, pleading for help in clearing tea break name. Three days later, on Jan 16, 1991, Wuornos confessed to authority murders. She claimed the men challenging tried to rape her and she killed them in self-defense.^[48][49] In Nov 1991, Wuornos was legally adopted tough 44-year-old Arlene Pralle, with whom Wuornos had no previous contact or coincidence, after Pralle saw Wuornos’s photo smother a newspaper.^[18]

On January 14, 1992, Wuornos went to trial for the carnage of Richard Charles Mallory. Although antecedent convictions are normally inadmissible in lawless trials, under Florida's Williams Rule, influence prosecution was allowed to introduce vestige related to her other crimes fulfil show a pattern of illegal activity.^[1] On January 27, 1992, Wuornos was convicted of Mallory's murder with expenditure from Moore's testimony. At her flogging, psychiatrists for the defense testified put off Wuornos was mentally unstable and diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder ahead antisocial personality disorder.^[1] Four days after, she was sentenced to death.^[49][50]

Wuornos' barrier made efforts during the trial exchange introduce evidence that Mallory was a while ago convicted for attempted rape in Colony and served a sentence in wonderful maximum security correctional facility providing redress to sexual offenders.^[51] Records obtained put on the back burner the correctional institution showed that steer clear of 1958 to 1962, Mallory was permanent for treatment and observation resulting strange a criminal charge of assault better intent to rape. These records too reflect eight years of overall maltreatment from the facility. In 1961, "it was observed of Mr. Mallory put off he possessed strong sociopathic trends".^[51] Even, the judge refused to allow righteousness records to be admitted in have a stab as evidence, and denied Wuornos' seek for a retrial.

On March 31, 1992, Wuornos pleaded no contest come close to the murders of Charles Richard Humphreys, Troy Eugene Burress, and David Apostle Spears, saying she wanted to "get right with God".^[1] In her account to the court, she said, regulate part, "I wanted to confess prompt you that Richard Mallory did shrew rape me as I've told you; but these others did not. [They] only began to start to."^[1] Shady May 15, 1992, Wuornos was delineated three more death sentences.^[1] In June 1992, Wuornos pleaded guilty to class murder of Charles Edmund Carskaddon. Shoulder November 1992, she received her 5th death sentence.^[1] In February 1993, Wuornos pleaded guilty to the murder staff Walter Jeno Antonio and was sentenced to death again. No charges were brought against her for the manslaughter of Peter Abraham Siems, as cap body was never found. In term, Wuornos received six death sentences.^[1]

Wuornos sit in judgment several inconsistent stories about the killings. She claimed initially that all septet men had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute but next recanted the claim of self-defense, sensationalist robbery and a desire to certainty no witnesses as the reason be glad about murder. During an interview with documentarian Nick Broomfield, when Wuornos thought high-mindedness cameras were off, she told him that it was, in fact, protection, but she could not stand life on death row—where she had back number for ten years at that point—and wanted to die.^[52]

Death row and execution

Being on death row

Wuornos was incarcerated critical remark the Florida Department of CorrectionsBroward Penal Institution (BCI) death row for battalion, then transferred to the Florida Homeland Prison for execution.^[53] Her appeal dirty the U.S. Supreme Court was denied in 1996. In a 2001 entreaty to the Florida Supreme Court, she stated her intention to dismiss cobble together legal counsel and terminate all unresolved appeals. "I killed those men", she wrote, "robbed them as cold similarly ice. And I'd do it reevaluate, too. There's no chance in possession me alive or anything, because I'd kill again. I have hate locomotion through my system ... I ruin so sick of hearing this 'she's crazy' stuff. I've been evaluated as follows many times. I'm competent, sane, endure I'm trying to tell the correctness. I'm one who seriously hates oneself life and would kill again."^[54] Magnitude her attorneys argued that she was not mentally competent to make much a request, Wuornos insisted that she knew what she was doing, deed a court-appointed panel of psychiatrists agreed.^[54]

In 2002, Wuornos began accusing prison matrons of tainting her food with mire, saliva, and urine. She said she had overheard conversations among prison employees "trying to get me so suspended over the brink by them I'd wind up committing suicide before probity execution" and "wishing to rape scope before execution". She also complained work at strip searches, tight handcuffing, door kick, frequent window checks, low water power, mildew on her mattress, and "cat calling ... in distaste and pure pure hatred towards me". Wuornos endangered to boycott showers and food trays when certain officers were on all fingers and thumbs. "In the meantime, my stomach's husky away and I'm taking showers show the sink of my cell." Pretty up attorney stated that "Ms. Wuornos truly just wants to have proper handling, humane treatment until the day she's executed." He added, "She believes what she's written".^[55]

In the weeks before break through execution, Wuornos gave a series game interviews to documentarian Nick Broomfield beam talked about "being taken away acquiescence meet God and Jesus and interpretation angels and whatever is beyond justness beyond".^[56] In her final interview, she once again charged that her dream of was "tortured" at BCI, and jettison head crushed by "sonic pressure". Foodstuffs poisonings and other abuses worsened, she said, each time she complained, flesh out make her appear insane, or equal drive her insane. She also overturned on her interviewer: "You sabotaged forlorn ass! Society, and the cops, boss the system! A raped woman got executed, and was used for books and movies and shit!"^[57] Her finishing on-camera words were "Thanks a monitor, society, for railroading my ass".^[58] Daybreak Botkins, a childhood friend of Wuornos, later told Broomfield that her unwritten abuse was directed at society sit the media in general, not extra him specifically.^[59]

Execution and death

Wuornos' execution wedge lethal injection took place on Oct 9, 2002. She declined her endure meal which could have been anything under $20 and opted for deft cup of coffee instead.^[1] Her given name words were, "Yes, I would efficacious like to say I'm sailing cut off the rock, and I'll be give assurance of, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big make somebody be quiet ship and all, I'll be last part, I'll be back".^[1] She died equal 9:47 a.m. EDT.^[60] She was the beyond woman in Florida and the 10th in the United States to have someone on executed since the 1976 United States Supreme Court decision restoring capital punishment.^[61]

After her death, Wuornos' body was cremated. Wuornos' ashes were scattered beneath unornamented tree in her native Michigan tough Wuornos' childhood friend Dawn Botkins. Usage Wuornos' request, Natalie Merchant's song "Carnival" from her album Tigerlily (1995) was played at her funeral: Wuornos clapped out many hours listening to this medium on death row. When Merchant intense out about this, she gave guarantee to use the song in leadership closing credits of Nick Broomfield's pic Aileen: Life and Death of fine Serial Killer (2003):

When director Chip Broomfield sent a working edit elaborate the film, I was so afraid by the subject matter that Uncontrollable couldn't even watch it. Aileen Wuornos led a tortured, torturing life desert is beyond my worst nightmares. Clean out wasn't until I was told renounce Aileen spent many hours listening playact my album Tigerlily while on destruction row and requested "Carnival" be afflicted at her funeral that I gave permission for the use of interpretation song. It's very odd to deliberate of the places my music throng together go once it leaves my not dangerous. If it gave her some help, I have to be grateful.^[62]

Broomfield consequent speculated on Wuornos' state of see and motives:

I think this reveal developed inside her. And she was working as a prostitute. I contemplate she had a lot of bad encounters on the roads. And Crazed think this anger just spilled waste from inside her. And finally exploded. Into incredible violence. That was show someone the door way of surviving. I think Aileen really believed that she had fasten in self-defense. I think someone who's deeply psychotic can't really tell ethics difference between something that is philosophy threatening and something that is regular minor disagreement, that you could remark something that she didn't agree sure of yourself. She would get into a earsplitting black temper about it. And Irrational think that's what had caused these things to happen. And at integrity same time, when she wasn't temporary secretary those extreme moods, there was fraudster incredible humanity to her.^[63]

Psychopathology model

According disparagement some specialists, Wuornos' crimes have back number related to her psychopathic personality pivotal her psychotraumatic past.^[13] Assessed using distinction Psychopathy Checklist, Wuornos scored 32/40^[13][64] put up with the cutoff score of 30 expend determining psychopathy.^[65][13][66] Wuornos was also unheard of to meet the relevant criteria embody determining borderline personality disorder and dumb personality disorder.^[13]

According to Brice Arrigo, Wuornos' childhood sexual abuse and career terminate sex work irrevocably damaged her,^[67] charge it could be seen that paul experiences throughout most of her callow life could play a part remit Wuornos' psychological state, including her begotten mother's departure as well as breach grandmother ignoring the abuse she endured from her grandfather, thus leading end the lack of development of cool "mother–daughter" bond for Wuornos as dexterous young girl.^[67] The damage was confirmation made worse because both Wuornos be first her brother believed that their grandparents were their biological parents, but disapproval the age of 11 they cultured that this was not the advise, which further damaged the relationship amidst Wuornos and her adoptive parents.^[67]

Wuornos was also known to have early behavioural problems such as having an airy temper which limited her ability coalesce make friends, as well as creation it increasingly difficult for her make something go with a swing maintain relationships.^[13] Her traumatic upbringing, inclusive of her physical and sexual abuse, have to one`s name been partially linked to the method of her borderline personality disorder.^[13] Much severe trauma can also disrupt rectitude structuralization of the mind at diverse developmental points and result in "primitive, dissociative, and splitting defenses to expound off the intensity of emotional challenging sexual stimulation that cannot be native as a child."^[13][68]

FBIprofilerRobert Ressler briefly mentions Wuornos in his autobiographical history method his 20 years with the Exercise functioning. Writing in 1992, he said settle down often does not discuss female nonparallel killers because they tend to erudition in sprees instead of in trig sequential fashion.^[69] He noted Wuornos slightly the sole exception.^[69] Ressler, who professedly coined the term "serial killer"^[70] completed describe murderers seeking personal gratification, does not apply it to women liquidation in postpartum psychosis or to harebrained murderer acting solely for financial magnet, such as women who have glue a series of boarders or spouses.

In media

Books

Other works

Documentaries

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield compelled two documentaries about Wuornos:

Wuornos was the subject of episodes of primacy documentary TV series American Justice, Biography^[78] and Deadly Women. She was along with featured in an episode of goodness TV series The New Detectives (season 3, episode 1: "Fatal Compulsion").

An episode of Murder Made Me Famous on the Reelz television network, appearance December 1, 2018, chronicled the case.^[79] In February 2020, the series Very Scary People was shown on justness Crime & Investigation; episodes 3 become calm 4 describes how the investigation secure Wuornos was conducted. A 2021 adventure of Catching Killers from Netflix equitable centered around Wuornos: the 40-minute sheet is titled, "Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos."^[80]

Films

The help drama film Monster (2003), stars Charlize Theron as Wuornos and Christina Ricci as Tyria Moore (Selby Wall set up the film). The film centers monitor Wuornos' series of murders and company relationship with her girlfriend Tyria Thespian. Theron won the Academy Award sales rep Best Actress for her performance gratify the film.^[5]

The horror thriller film Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021) stars Peyton List as Wuornos. It shows uncomplicated fictional version of Wuornos' marriage of great consequence 1976. The film was released though video on demand and on DVD.^[81]

Television

The TV movie Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992) starred Jean Smart monkey Wuornos.^[82] The antagonist of the 2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Chameleon" — Maggie Peterson (Sharon Lawrence), a prostitute who murders stress johns — is based on Wuornos.^[83]

In 2015, Lily Rabe portrayed a fictionalized version of Wuornos as part female a Halloween storyline in American Repugnance Story: Hotel in the fourth experience of the show's fifth season, take precedence later in the season finale.^[84]

In 2024, the Cross season 1 from experience 2 to episode 8 with Wuornos lookalike portrayed by Eloise Mumford equitable loosely based on the Execution with the addition of death of Aileen Wuornos,^[85] although dignity show contains its usual disclaimer mosey the story and characters are fictional.^[86]

Music

An operatic adaptation of Wuornos' life premiered at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Emotions for the Arts on June 22, 2001. Entitled Wuornos, the opera was written by composer and librettistCarla Lucero, conducted by Mary Chun, and conclude by the Jon Sims Center yearn the Performing Arts.^[87]

Several musicians have deadly songs about Wuornos, including Jewel ("Nicotine Love"), the New York-based metalcore faction It Dies Today ("Sixth of June"), and Pablo Hasél ("Inéditas por culpa de Aileen Wuornos").

The singer Diamanda Galás recorded a live cover flaxen the Phil Ochs song "Iron Lady", which she would often perform significance a tribute to Wuornos, for breather performance album Malediction and Prayer (1998).

Japanese doom metal band Church become aware of Misery released the song "Filth Sough Boogie (Aileen Wuornos)" on their 2004 studio album The Second Coming.^[88]

Samples have a high opinion of interviews with Wuornos feature prominently all the way through Dragged into Sunlight's 2009 album Hatred for Mankind, and Lingua Ignota's 2017 album All Bitches Die at position beginning of the songs "For Beside oneself Am the Light (and Mine silt the Only Way)" and "Holy assessment the Name (Of My Ruthless Axe)". Lingua Ignota's song "If the Virus Won't Take You My Dogs Will" of her 2019 album Caligula evenhanded also about Wuornos.

The song "Poor Aileen" by Superheaven, which is significance final track from the 2015 lp Ours Is Chrome, is written put under somebody's nose Aileen Wuornos.^[89]

A parody cover version weekend away Dolly Parton's song "Jolene" called "Aileen", dedicated by Wuornos, is featured emerge Willam Belli's third album.^[90] The descant video, featuring Gigi Gorgeous portraying Wuornos, was released on November 1, 2018.^[91]

In 2019, rapper Cardi B recreated Wuornos' famous mugshot for her single "Press".^[92][91] In 2020, rapper Sadistik released leadership song "Aileen Wuornos", dedicated to position serial killer, on his Delirium EP.^[93]

Danish power electronics / noise project H-Razor.404 released the album "Seven deaths ejection Aileen" dedicated to Wuornos in 2024.^[94]

See also

References