Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer who operated in Florida. Her story was made into the movie Monster which starred Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. After she was arrested for a series of murders she would be convicted and sentenced to death. Aileen Wuornos was executed in Florida in 2002. In this article on My Crime Library we will take a closer look at Aileen Wuornos.
Aileen Wuornos Childhood
Aileen Wuornos was born in Rochester Michigan to Diane Wornos and Leo Dale Pittman on February 29, 1956. At the time of the marriage Diane was fourteen years old and Leo was sixteen years old. Two months before Aileen was born her parents would divorce. The marriage lasted two years and produced two children.
- editors note – just realized that Aileen Wuornos shares the same birthday as Richard Ramirez
Aileen Wuornos would never meet her father who would be arrested and incarcerated at the time of her birth. Leo Pittman would later be arrested and convicted for sex crimes against children. Pittman would commit suicide in prison in 1969
When Aileen Wuornos was four years old her mother would abandon her children and leave them with Lauri and Britta Wuornos her maternal grandparents. Unfortunately her grandfather was a severe alcoholic and Wuornos claimed she was sexually abused by him.
Aileen Wuornos would trade sexual favors at school for cigarettes, food and money when she was eleven years old and reportedly had a sexual relationship with her brother. By the time Aileen was fourteen years old she was pregnant after she was raped by an accomplice of her grandfather.
Aileen Wuornos would give birth after she moved to a home for unwed mothers. The child was immediately given up for adoption. Aileen would drop out of school soon after and her grandmother would die from liver failure. Around this time Wuornos began working as a prostitute.
Aileen Wuornos Young Adulthood
Aileen Wuornos would move to Colorado where she was soon arrested for driving under the influence, disorderly conduct and firing a weapon from a moving vehicle. Aileen would be allowed to bail out but she did not return for her court date and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
When Aileen was twenty years old she would hitchhike back to Florida and soon after would marry a sixty nine year old man who was the president of a yacht club. The marriage would be printed in the society pages in the local newspaper.
The marriage was doomed from the start as Aileen was still frequently bars and causing trouble. She would be arrested for assault and soon after would assault her husband with his own cane. The husband would file a restraint order against his wife of a month.
Aileen Wuornos would travel to Michigan where once again she would be arrested for assault after throwing a cue ball at a bartenders head. At this time Aileen brother would die from cancer.
Aileen would inherit $10,000 from her brothers life insurance policy but her trouble with the law continued as she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Aileen would be fined and let go. At this time Aileen and her husband would annul their marriage after nine weeks.
Wuornos would travel back to Florida where she was soon arrested yet again but this time for armed robbery. Aileen would be sentenced to two years in prison and she served just over a year
A year after getting out of prison Aileen would be arrested and charged for passing forged checks. A year later she was named as a suspect in the theft of a handgun however she was not charged
A year later Aileen would find herself in hot water as she was arrested and charged for car theft, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.
Aileen Wuornos And Tyria Moore
Aileen Wuornos would meet Tyria Moore in a lesbian bar in Daytona Beach Florida. The two were soon detained by police for an assault that took place at a bar. The relationship between Tyria Moor and Aileen was complicated and Wuornos claimed that she loved Moore all of the way to her execution.
Around the time Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore met Aileen claimed she was assaulted by a bus driver however no charges were filed. Aileen claimed the bus driver had pushed her off a bridge and that Tyria Moore witnessed it take place.
Aileen Wuornos Murders
When it comes to the murders that Aileen Wuornos committed there has been a rather large debate regarding claims that Aileen was acting in self defense and was not a cold blooded murderer. Now when it comes to the first victim Richard Charles Mallory who was a convicted sex offender who spent time in prison for rape a case could be made however the next six men she murdered it is a bit more difficult.
Aileen Wuornos Victims
- Richard Charles Mallory – Richard Charles Mallory owned an electronic store in Clearwater Florida. As mentioned he was a convicted rapist who spent time in prison. Aileen claimed that she was severely beaten and sodomized. Police would find his vehicle abandoned on December 1, 1989 and would find his body two days later, he had been shot several times. Mallory was fifty one years old
- David Andrew Spears – David Andrew Spears was a construction worker from Winter Garden Florida who was declared missing on May 19 1990. Spears body would be found on June 1, 1990 he had been shot several times.
- Charles Edmund Carskaddon – Charles Edmund Carskaddon was a rodeo worker whose body was found on June 6, 1990. He was wrapped up in a blanket and shot multiple times. Carskaddon was forty years old
- Peter Abraham Siems – Peter Abraham Siers left Jupiter Florida for Arkansas in June 1990 and his car was found on July 4 1990. Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore were seen abandoning the car as well as Aileen hand print was found in the vehicle. Peter Abraham Siems body was never found. Siems was sixty five years old
- Troy Eugene Burress – Troy Eugene Burress was a sausage salesman whose body was found on August 4, 1990 five days after he was reported missing. Burress was fifty years old and had been shot twice
- Charles Richard “Dick” Humphreys – Charles Richard Humphreys was fifty six years old and a former US Air Force Major and a former Chief Of Police. On September 11, 1990 his body was found fully clothed and shot twice. He was fifty six years old
- Walter Jeno Antonio – Walter Jen Antonio was sixty two year old and a truck driver and security guard. Antonio was found on November 19, 1990, he had been shot four times
Aileen Wuornos Arrest And Capture
When Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore had abandoned the car belonging to Peter Siems they were seen by a number of witnesses who would describe the two women to police. Police would also link Aileen to several of the victims after their belongings were found at pawnshops with Wuornos fingerprints still on them.
On January 9, 1990 Aileen Wuornos was arrested for an outstanding warrant stemming from an assault. Unknown to Aileen police had picked up Tyria Moore, who was in Pennsylvania and transferred back to Florida. Tyria had made a deal with the police where in exchange in getting a confession from Wuornos she would be immune from prosecution
Aileen Wuornos during several phone conversations Wuornos would not confess however after Tyria Moore pleaded with her that she was going to prison for something that Aileen did Wuornos would confess to the murders however she stated she was attacked by the men first.
Aileen Wuornos Trial
Aileen Wuornos first trial began in January 1991 and she faced the charges of murder regarding the case of Richard Charles Mallory. Aileen defense team would call a number of psychologists to the stand who testified that Wuornos suffered from an assortment of mental health illnesses such as borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. The defense team would also try to bring up Mallory criminal history where he was convicted of sexual assault however the judge would not allow it.
The prosecutors made sure that jury was aware of all of the trouble Aileen Wuornos had with the police over the years. Aileen Wuornos was convicted and sentenced to death.
A year later Aileen Wuornos would plead no contest to the murders of Humphreys, Burress, and Spears. Again Aileen Wuornos was sentenced to death for the three murders.
A few months later Aileen would plead guilty to the murder of Carskaddon and would receive her fifth death sentence.
Aileen Wuornos Execution
Aileen Wuornons would spend over ten years on death row and towards the end she was asking to be executed as she was tired of being in prison. Aileen would tell the Supreme Court that “she killed those men” and “robbed them as cold as ice. And I’d do it again, too. There’s no chance in keeping me alive or anything, because I’d kill again. I have hate crawling through my system…I am so sick of hearing this ‘she’s crazy’ stuff. I’ve been evaluated so many times. I’m competent, sane, and I’m trying to tell the truth. I’m one who seriously hates human life and would kill again”
Aileen Wuornos would start making complaints about the way she was treated in prison accusing officials of tainting her food and that she overheard staff talking about pushing her over the edge so that she would commit suicide.
When Aileen Wuornos was speaking with director Nick Broomfield, who would make two documentaries about Wuornos, she spoke about meeting God and blamed society for the way her life turned out. She also continued to complain about the staff treatment towards her.
On October 9, 2002 Aileen Wuornos was executed by the State of Florida by lethal injection. Her last words are the following
“Yes, I would just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I’ll be back, I’ll be back.”
Aileen Wuornos Videos
Frequently Asked Questions
Aileen Wuornos FAQ
Why Was Aileen Wuornos Executed
Aileen Wuornos was executed for the murders of seven men
When Was Aileen Wuornos Executed
Aileen Wiornos was executed on October 9, 2002
