Aileen Wuornos “The Florida highway killer” “I am a serial killer. I would kill again”

Background Born on February 29, 1956 in Rochester, Michigan Her father killed himself in prison while serving time for child molestation Her mother abandoned her two kids and left them with their grandparents The grandmother was an alcoholic and the grandfather sexually abused Aileen By the age of 11, she began engaging in sexual activities in school in exchange for cigarettes, drugs, and food Aileen became pregnant when she was 14 by her older brother and gave the baby up for adoption Aileen dropped out of high school after her baby was born She was thrown out of her home by her grandfather when she was 15 and she lived in the woods near her house Aileen became a prostitute and hitchhiker on the Florida highways Aileen married a 69 year old yacht club president Lewis Fell in 1976 She also hit Fell with his own cane, leading him to get a restraining order against her Aileen and Lewis Fell ended up getting divorced after only 9 weeks of being married Her older brother Keith died in 1976 of esophageal cancer, and Aileen got $10,000 of life insurance from him, which she spent on paying a drunk driving fine and buying a new car which she ended up wrecking shortly afterwards. Wuornos met Tyria Moore, a hotel maid, at a Daytona gay bar in 1986. They moved in together, and Wuornos supported them with her earnings from prostitution. They ended up having a relationship for 4 years.

Crimes 1984- Wuornos was arrested for attempting to pass forged checks at a bank in Key West 1985- Named as a suspect in the theft of a revolver and ammunition 1986- Arrested and charged with car theft, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice for providing identification bearing her aunt's name. Miami police officers found a revolver and a box of ammunition in the stolen car 1986- Was detained for questioning after a male companion accused her of pulling a gun in his car and demanding $200. Was found to be carrying spare ammunition, and police found a pistol under the seat she was sitting in 1987-Police detained Wuornos and Moore at a bar for questioning regarding an incident in which they were accused of assault and battery with a beer bottle 1974- (age 18) arrested for DUI, disorderly conduct, and firing a .22- caliber pistol from a moving vehicle. She was later charged with failure to appear. 1976- Went to jail for assaulting a man at a bar. 1976- Charged with assault and disturbing the peace for throwing a cue ball at a bartender's head 1976- Given a $105 fine for drunk driving 1976- Husband filed a restraining order against her after she hit him with his cane 1981- Arrested for armed robbery of a convenience store, where she stole $35 and two packs of cigarettes. She was sentenced to a year in prison

Murders Troy Burress- On July 31, 1990, he was reported missing. On August 4, 1990, his body was found in a wooded area along State Road 19, he had been shot twice. Charles Humphreys- (September 11, 1990) On September 12, 1990, his body was found in Marion County, Florida. He was fully clothed and had been shot six times in the head and torso. Walter Jeno Antonio- On November 19, 1990, Antonio's nearly nude body was found near a road, he had been shot four times. Richard Mallory- (November 1989) Was a convicted rapist whom she claimed to have killed in self defense. His body was found a month later in a wooded area, he had been shot several times in the chest. David Spear- (June 1, 1990) his nude body was found along Highway 19, he had been shot six times. Charles Carskaddon- (May 31, 1990) He had been shot nine times with a small-caliber weapon. Peter Siems-On July 4, 1990, his car was found in Florida. Moore and Wuornos were seen abandoning the car, and Wuornos' palm print was found on the interior door handle. His body was never found. Wuronos later confessed to murdering him.

Fate Wuornos and Moore were tracked down from fingerprints and palm prints left in the crashed vehicle of another missing man, Peter Siems. Moore made a deal, and got a phone confession from Wuornos, in which she took full and sole responsibility for the murders. Aileen said all of the murders happened in result of self defense, and eventually after the completion of her trials, she received the death penalty for each murder. She was eventually executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002, after being on death row for ten years.

Cultural References Books: Lethal Intent by Sue Russell, Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in her Own Words Movies: Monster (2003), Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, Aileen Wuornos: Selling of a Serial Killer, Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story Shows: The New Detectives (Season 3 episode 1), AHS Hotel (episode 4 and finale), referenced in multiple Criminal Minds episodes Songs: “Nicotine Love” by Jewel, “Sixth of June” by It Dies Today Poems: “Aileen Wuornos” by Doron Brawnshtein, “Sugarzero” by Rima Banerji Opera: “Wuornos” performed in San Francisco

Differential- Association Theory Aileen grew up in a bad environment, with her father having been in jail, being abused by her grandfather, and around her alcoholic grandmother. The company surrounding her was mostly negative, especially with her going into prostitution at a young age. She was never surrounded by anyone who was a positive influence on her.