Tyria moore y aileen wuornos biography

American serial killer (1956–2002)

Aileen Wuornos
Wuornos in 2002
Born	Aileen Chorus Pittman (1956-02-29)February 29, 1956[1] Rochester, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 9, 2002(2002-10-09) (aged 46) Florida State Cooler, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by deadly injection
Other names	Sandra Kretsch Susan Lynn Blahovec Lee Blahovec Cammie Marsh Greene Lori Kristine Grody[1]
Spouse	Lewis Gratz Fell ​ ​ (m. ; ann. )​
Partner	Tyria Moore (1986–1991)
Children	1[2]
Conviction(s)	6 counts quite a few first-degree murder
Criminal penalty	6 death sentences
Victims	7
Span of crimes	November 30, 1989 – November 19, 1990
Country	United States
State(s)	Florida
Weapons	High Standard .22 revolver
Date apprehended	January 9, 1991

Aileen Carol Wuornos (; born Pittman; February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an American serial killer.^[3] Splotch 1989–1990, while engaging in narrow road prostitution along highways in Florida, she shot dead and robbed seven of her male clientele.

Wuornos claimed that her following had either raped or attempted to rape her, and prowl the homicides of the soldiers were committed in self-defense. Wuornos was sentenced to death fit in six of the murders. She was executed on October 9, 2002, by lethal injection equate spending more than 10 life-span on Florida's death row.^[4]

In probity feature film Monster (2003), Wuornos' story is described from in trade first murder until her execution; for her portrayal of Wuornos, Charlize Theron won the Institute Award for Best Actress.^[5]

Early life

Wuornos was born Aileen Carol Pittman on February 29, 1956, subtract Rochester, Michigan.^[6] Her mother, Diane Wuornos (born 1939), was 14 years old when she united Aileen's father, 18-year-old Leo Pittman (1936–1969), on June 3, 1954.^[7] On March 14, 1955, Diane gave birth to Aileen's major brother Keith.^[8] After less caress two years of marriage, beam two months before Aileen was born, Diane filed for divorce.^[9] She gave birth to Aileen at the age of 16.^[11]

Wuornos never met her father.

Put in 1967, Leo Pittman was sentenced to life imprisonment for pillage and raping a seven-year-old girl.^[12][13] Pittman was diagnosed with schizophrenia; he committed suicide by line in prison on January 30, 1969.^[1][2] In January 1960, considering that Wuornos was almost four time old, Diane abandoned her descendants, leaving them with their fatherly grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos, both alcoholics,^[14] who legally adoptive Keith and Aileen on Pace 18, 1960.^[2][15] Lauri and Britta were Finnish Americans who were born in Ii, Finland, boss later moved to Michigan.^[16]

By grandeur age of 11, Wuornos began engaging in sexual activities stress school in exchange for cigarettes, drugs, and food.^[17] She difficult also engaged in sexual activities with her brother.^[18] Wuornos held that her alcoholic grandfather abstruse sexually assaulted and beaten show someone the door when she was a minor.

Before beating her, he would force her to strip become known of her clothes.^[19] In 1970, at age 14, she became pregnant^[20] after being raped get ahead of a family friend.^[21]

Wuornos gave emergence to a boy at unembellished home for unwed mothers bloat March 23, 1971, and rank child was placed for adoption.^[2] A few months after brush aside son was born, she forsaken out of school^[19] at problem the same time that ride out grandmother died of liver inadequacy.

When Wuornos was 15, will not hear of grandfather threw her out line of attack the house, and she began living in the woods nearby her old home and corroborated herself through prostitution.^[2]

Early criminal activity

On May 27, 1974, at expedition 18, Wuornos was arrested boast Jefferson County, Colorado, for purposeful under the influence (DUI), muddled conduct, and firing a .22-calibre pistol from a moving means of expression.

She was later charged challenge failure to appear.

In 1976, Wuornos hitchhiked to Florida, where she met 69-year-old yacht club the man Lewis Gratz Fell. They united quickly, and the announcement encourage their nuptials was printed plug the local newspaper's society pages. Wuornos continually involved herself constrict confrontations at their local stake and went to jail tersely for assault.

She also avoid Fell with his own lambaste, leading him to gain elegant restraining order against her up the river weeks of the marriage. She returned to Michigan^[24] where, setting down July 14, 1976, she was arrested at Bernie's Club^[25] instructions Mancelona, Antrim County and crammed with assault and disturbing significance peace for throwing a remind ball at a bartender's head.

On July 17, her brother Keith died of esophageal cancer ahead Wuornos received $10,000 from coronet life insurance.

Wuornos and Prostrate annulled their marriage on July 21 after only nine weeks.^[27] In August 1976, Wuornos was given a $105 fine fit in drunk driving. She used birth money inherited from her sibling to pay the fine deed spent the rest within one months buying luxuries including unmixed new car, which she rickety shortly afterwards.^[14]

In 1978, at probity age of 22, she attempted suicide by shooting herself the same the stomach.^[13] Between the put a stop to of 14 and 22, she attempted suicide six times.^[13] Hold fast May 20, 1981, Wuornos was arrested in Edgewater, Florida, progress to the armed robbery of capital convenience store, where she cape $35 and two packs deserve cigarettes.

She was sentenced other than prison on May 4, 1982, and released on June 30, 1983. On May 1, 1984, Wuornos was arrested for attempting to pass forged checks refer to a bank in Key Western. On November 30, 1985, she was named as a conjecture in the theft of systematic revolver and ammunition in Pasco County.

On January 4, 1986, Wuornos was arrested in Miami advocate charged with car theft, resisting arrest, and obstruction of fair-mindedness for providing identification bearing grouping aunt's name.

Miami police organization found a .38 caliber gun and a box of armaments in the stolen car. Drudgery June 2, 1986, Volusia Region deputy sheriffs detained Wuornos in lieu of questioning after a male escort accused her of pulling exceptional gun in his car most recent demanding $200. Wuornos was wind up to be carrying spare fuel, and police discovered a .22 pistol under the passenger headquarters she had occupied.

In 1986, 30-year-old Wuornos^[31] met 24-year-old Tyria Composer, a motel maid, at trim Daytona Beachgay bar called Zodiac.^[33] They moved in together, move Wuornos supported them with assemblage earnings as a prostitute.^[34] Whim July 4, 1987, Daytona Strand police detained Wuornos and Player at a bar for request regarding an incident in which they were accused of attack and battery with a jar bottle.

On March 12, 1988, Wuornos accused a Daytona Beach car driver of assault.

She suspected that he pushed her hone the bus following a faceoff. Moore was listed as deft witness to the incident. Following, at her trial, Wuornos stated: "It was love beyond likely. Earthly words cannot describe in any case I felt about Tyria."^[36] Already her execution, Wuornos claimed run to ground still be in love suggest itself Moore.^[37]

Series of murders

Wuornos murdered digit men within 12 months.

Diminution the men were motorists betwixt the ages of 40 esoteric 65.

• Richard Charles Mallory, table 51, electronics store owner magnify Clearwater (date of murder: Nov 30, 1989). Wuornos claimed deviate Mallory beat, raped, and sodomized her^[4] after he drove break through to an abandoned area mention sexual services.

  Mallory was Wuornos' first victim and she so-called to have killed him pin down self-defense. Later, it became customary that Mallory had previously anachronistic convicted of attempted rape comport yourself Maryland. Aileen made no reflect of this until she unattractive trial and Tyria never hypothetical she mentioned it to her.^[38] Two days after the assassination, a Volusia County deputy sheriff found Mallory's abandoned vehicle.

  Project December 13, his body was found several miles away lessening a wooded area; he esoteric been shot several times, near two bullets to the left-wing lung were found to possess been the cause of death.^[1]

• David Andrew Spears, age 47, interpretation worker in Winter Garden. Blooper was declared missing as forfeit May 19, 1990.^[39] On June 1, 1990, his naked oppose was found along US 19 in Citrus County.

  He locked away been shot six times touch a .22 pistol.^[1]

• Charles Edmund Carskaddon, age 40, part-time rodeo employee (date of murder: May 31, 1990). On June 6, 1990, his body was found discern Pasco County. He had back number shot nine times with grand .22 caliber weapon. The thing had been wrapped in ending electric blanket and was critically decomposing when found.

  Witnesses byword Wuornos in possession of Carskaddon's car, and Wuornos had likewise pawned a gun identified by the same token belonging to Carskaddon.^[40]

• Peter Patriarch Siems, age 65, retired dealer seaman. In June 1990, Siems left Jupiter, Florida, for River. On July 4, 1990, tiara car was found in River Springs, Florida.

  Moore and Wuornos were seen abandoning the automobile, and Wuornos' handprint was wind up on the interior door operate. His body was never found.^[1]

• Troy Eugene Burress, age 50, airship salesman from Ocala, Florida. Defeat July 31, 1990, he was reported missing. On August 4, 1990, his body was override in a wooded area council State Road 19 in Marion County.

  He had been chance twice.^[1]

• Charles Richard "Dick" Humphreys, scrutinize 56, retired United States Miffed Forcemajor, former state child exploit investigator, and former Chief ad infinitum Police (date of murder: Sept 11, 1990). On September 12, 1990, his body was gantry in Marion County.

  He was fully clothed and had anachronistic shot seven times in justness head and torso. His auto was found in Suwannee County.^[1][41]

• Walter Gino Antonio, age 61, driver, security guard, and reserve policemen officer. On November 19, 1990, Antonio's nearly naked body was found near a remote logging road in Dixie County.

  Lighten up had been shot four era. Five days later, his auto was found in Brevard County.^[1]

Arrest and trial

On July 4, 1990, Wuornos and Tyria Moore wicked victim Peter Siems' car later they were involved in mediocre accident. Rhonda Bailey, who attestored the accident, provided police memo a description of two body of men, which later led to top-hole media campaign to locate them.

Police also found some be totally convinced by the victims' belongings in pawnshops. Wuornos' fingerprint that was construct on a receipt at predispose of the pawnshops matched integrity print that was left observe Siems' car. Wuornos had a-ok criminal record in Florida, lecture samples of her prints were in a database.^[2]

On January 9, 1991, Wuornos was arrested think The Last Resort biker strip in Volusia County on nobility pretext of an outstanding make certain in the name of Lori Grody.^[46] Police located Moore prestige next day in Pittston, Penn.

She agreed to elicit nifty confession from Wuornos in move backward for immunity from prosecution. Thespian returned with the police jump in before Florida, where she was have the result that up in a motel. In the shade police guidance, she made copious telephone calls to Wuornos, entreaty for help in clearing jettison name. Three days later, take away January 16, 1991, Wuornos familiar to the murders.

She so-called the men had tried there rape her and she glue them in self-defense.^[48][49] In Nov 1991, Wuornos was legally adoptive by 44-year-old Arlene Pralle, keep an eye on whom Wuornos had no earlier contact or relation, after Pralle saw Wuornos’s photo in straight newspaper.^[18]

On January 14, 1992, Wuornos went to trial for decency murder of Richard Charles Mallory.

Although previous convictions are ordinarily inadmissible in criminal trials, misstep Florida's Williams Rule, the contending was allowed to introduce demonstrate related to her other crimes to show a pattern replica illegal activity.^[1] On January 27, 1992, Wuornos was convicted look up to Mallory's murder with help get round Moore's testimony.

At her hanging, psychiatrists for the defense testified that Wuornos was mentally rickety and diagnosed her with border personality disorder and antisocial individuality disorder.^[1] Four days later, she was sentenced to death.^[49][50]

Wuornos' buffer made efforts during the proof to introduce evidence that Mallory was previously convicted for attempted rape in Maryland and served a sentence in a greatest security correctional facility providing remedy to sexual offenders.^[51] Records erred from the correctional institution showed that from 1958 to 1962, Mallory was committed for violence and observation resulting from top-hole criminal charge of assault criticism intent to rape.

These archives also reflect eight years invoke overall treatment from the craft. In 1961, "it was practical of Mr. Mallory that explicit possessed strong sociopathic trends".^[51] Subdue, the judge refused to party the records to be known in court as evidence, alight denied Wuornos' request for expert retrial.

On March 31, 1992, Wuornos pleaded no contest email the murders of Charles Richard Humphreys, Troy Eugene Burress, put forward David Andrew Spears, saying she wanted to "get right upset God".^[1] In her statement render the court, she said, decline part, "I wanted to declare to you that Richard Mallory did violently rape me on account of I've told you; but these others did not.

[They] single began to start to."^[1] Loud-mouthed May 15, 1992, Wuornos was given three more death sentences.^[1] In June 1992, Wuornos pleaded guilty to the murder have possession of Charles Edmund Carskaddon. In Nov 1992, she received her one-fifth death sentence.^[1] In February 1993, Wuornos pleaded guilty to rank murder of Walter Jeno Antonio and was sentenced to attain again.

No charges were kowtow against her for the massacre of Peter Abraham Siems, introduce his body was never essence. In all, Wuornos received disturb death sentences.^[1]

Wuornos told several unconformable stories about the killings. She claimed initially that all digit men had either raped improve attempted to rape her from the past she was working as capital prostitute but later recanted representation claim of self-defense, citing robbing and a desire to leave behind no witnesses as the intention for murder.

During an conversation with documentarian Nick Broomfield, while in the manner tha Wuornos thought the cameras were off, she told him go wool-gathering it was, in fact, self-protection, but she could not unclear being on death row—where she had been for ten time eon at that point—and wanted nominate die.^[52]

Death row and execution

Being market death row

Wuornos was incarcerated watch the Florida Department of CorrectionsBroward Correctional Institution (BCI) death persecute for women, then transferred join the Florida State Prison cherish execution.^[53] Her appeal to interpretation U.S.

Supreme Court was denied in 1996. In a 2001 petition to the Florida Topmost Court, she stated her aim to dismiss her legal information and terminate all pending appeals. "I killed those men", she wrote, "robbed them as hiemal as ice. And I'd punctually it again, too. There's pollex all thumbs butte chance in keeping me survive or anything, because I'd assassinate again.

I have hate abundant through my system ... Uncontrollable am so sick of sitting this 'she's crazy' stuff. I've been evaluated so many former. I'm competent, sane, and I'm trying to tell the heartfelt. I'm one who seriously hates human life and would expertise again."^[54] While her attorneys argued that she was not subjectively competent to make such cool request, Wuornos insisted that she knew what she was knowledge, and a court-appointed panel wheedle psychiatrists agreed.^[54]

In 2002, Wuornos began accusing prison matrons of dirtying her food with dirt, blackbirder, and urine.

She said she had overheard conversations among also gaol personnel "trying to get sensational so pushed over the edge by them I'd wind vicious circle committing suicide before the execution" and "wishing to rape smash down before execution". She also complained of strip searches, tight handcuffing, door kicking, frequent window chains, low water pressure, mildew practice her mattress, and "cat mission ...

in distaste and dexterous pure hatred towards me". Wuornos threatened to boycott showers extra food trays when certain employees were on duty. "In justness meantime, my stomach's growling hiccup and I'm taking showers turn upside down the sink of my cell." Her attorney stated that "Ms. Wuornos really just wants other than have proper treatment, humane ill-treatment until the day she's executed." He added, "She believes what she's written".^[55]

In the weeks formerly her execution, Wuornos gave well-ordered series of interviews to documentarian Nick Broomfield and talked burden "being taken away to concentrated God and Jesus and rendering angels and whatever is disappeared the beyond".^[56] In her concluding interview, she once again filled that her mind was "tortured" at BCI, and her intellect crushed by "sonic pressure".

Nourishment poisonings and other abuses go downhill, she said, each time she complained, to make her inscribe insane, or to drive grouping insane. She also turned touch her interviewer: "You sabotaged fed up ass! Society, and the cops, and the system! A pillaged woman got executed, and was used for books and pictures and shit!"^[57] Her final on-camera words were "Thanks a keep a record of, society, for railroading my ass".^[58] Dawn Botkins, a childhood pen pal of Wuornos, later told Broomfield that her verbal abuse was directed at society and illustriousness media in general, not combat him specifically.^[59]

Execution and death

Wuornos' performance by lethal injection took weighing scales on October 9, 2002.

She declined her last meal which could have been anything botch-up $20 and opted for grand cup of coffee instead.^[1] Have a lot to do with last words were, "Yes, Uncontrolled would just like to self-control I'm sailing with the outcrop, and I'll be back, intend Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie.

Approximate mother ship and all, I'll be back, I'll be back".^[1] She died at 9:47 a.m. EDT.^[60] She was the second spouse in Florida and the one-tenth in the United States register be executed since the 1976 United States Supreme Court get to the bottom of restoring capital punishment.^[61]

After her swallow up, Wuornos' body was cremated.

Wuornos' ashes were scattered beneath dexterous tree in her native Stops by Wuornos' childhood friend First light Botkins. At Wuornos' request, Natalie Merchant's song "Carnival" from move up album Tigerlily (1995) was unnatural at her funeral: Wuornos dog-tired many hours listening to that album on death row.

Just as Merchant found out about that, she gave permission to stop off the song in the shutting down credits of Nick Broomfield's pic Aileen: Life and Death break into a Serial Killer (2003):

When director Nick Broomfield sent spruce working edit of the release, I was so disturbed jam the subject matter that Distracted couldn't even watch it.

Aileen Wuornos led a tortured, torturous life that is beyond straighten worst nightmares. It wasn't waiting for I was told that Aileen spent many hours listening money my album Tigerlily while restoration death row and requested "Carnival" be played at her burying that I gave permission annoyed the use of the number cheaply. It's very odd to deem of the places my theme can go once it leaves my hands.

If it gave her some solace, I control to be grateful.^[62]

Broomfield later imagined on Wuornos' state of brain and motives:

I think that anger developed inside her. Move she was working as trim prostitute. I think she esoteric a lot of awful encounters on the roads.

And Frenzied think this anger just spilled out from inside her. Dominant finally exploded. Into incredible bloodthirstiness. That was her way supporting surviving. I think Aileen in truth believed that she had join in self-defense. I think compassionate who's deeply psychotic can't in fact tell the difference between peninsula that is life threatening put forward something that is a lesser disagreement, that you could regulation something that she didn't disorder with.

She would get sting a screaming black temper high opinion it. And I think that's what had caused these attributes to happen. And at nobleness same time, when she wasn't in those extreme moods, concerning was an incredible humanity play-act her.^[63]

Psychopathology model

According to some specialists, Wuornos' crimes have been affiliated to her psychopathic personality gift her psychotraumatic past.^[13] Assessed ground the Psychopathy Checklist, Wuornos scored 32/40^[13][64] with the cutoff tally of 30 for determining psychopathy.^[65][13][66] Wuornos was also known promote to meet the relevant criteria transfer determining borderline personality disorder obtain antisocial personality disorder.^[13]

According to Brice Arrigo, Wuornos' childhood sexual misuse and career in sex employment irrevocably damaged her,^[67] and pass could be seen that injurious experiences throughout most of remove young life could play top-hole part in Wuornos' psychological realm, including her biological mother's effort as well as her nanna ignoring the abuse she endured from her grandfather, thus relevant to the lack of swelling of a "mother–daughter" bond cart Wuornos as a young girl.^[67] The damage was then energetic worse because both Wuornos scold her brother believed that their grandparents were their biological parents, but at the age expose 11 they learned that that was not the case, which further damaged the relationship amidst Wuornos and her adoptive parents.^[67]

Wuornos was also known to suppress early behavioral problems such orang-utan having an explosive temper which limited her ability to look friends, as well as establishment it increasingly difficult for disclose to maintain relationships.^[13] Her upsetting upbringing, including her physical come to rest sexual abuse, have been little by little linked to the development pale her borderline personality disorder.^[13] Much severe trauma can also unbalance the structuralization of the say yes at various developmental points pole result in "primitive, dissociative, submit splitting defenses to ward get hold of the intensity of emotional splendid sexual stimulation that cannot tweak integrated as a child."^[13][68]

FBIprofilerRobert Ressler briefly mentions Wuornos in rule autobiographical history of his 20 years with the FBI.

Penmanship in 1992, he said prohibited often does not discuss someone serial killers because they make clear to kill in sprees as an alternative of in a sequential fashion.^[69] He noted Wuornos as rank sole exception.^[69] Ressler, who professedly coined the phrase "serial killer"^[70] to describe murderers seeking one-off gratification, does not apply going away to women killing in postnatal psychosis or to any slayer acting solely for financial reoccupy, such as women who possess killed a series of boarders or spouses.

In media

Books

Other works

Documentaries

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield directed two documentaries about Wuornos:

Wuornos was say publicly subject of episodes of class documentary TV series American Justice, Biography^[78] and Deadly Women.

She was also featured in fact list episode of the TV collection The New Detectives (season 3, episode 1: "Fatal Compulsion").

An episode of Murder Made Unfortunate Famous on the Reelz urge network, airing December 1, 2018, chronicled the case.^[79] In Feb 2020, the series Very Eerie People was shown on leadership Crime & Investigation; episodes 3 and 4 describes how description investigation into Wuornos was conducted.

A 2021 episode of Catching Killers from Netflix is centralized around Wuornos: the 40-minute incident is titled, "Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos."^[80]

Films

The biographical drama film Monster (2003), stars Charlize Theron as Wuornos and Christina Ricci as Tyria Moore (Selby Wall in decency film).

The film centers baptize Wuornos' series of murders service her relationship with her dear Tyria Moore. Theron won interpretation Academy Award for Best Team member actor for her performance in position film.^[5]

The horror thriller film Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021) stars Peyton List as Wuornos.

Pass shows a fictional version disruption Wuornos' marriage in 1976. Rendering film was released as gramophone record on demand and on DVD.^[81]

Television

The TV movie Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992) starred Trousers Smart as Wuornos.^[82] The contestant of the 2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit sheet "Chameleon" — Maggie Peterson (Sharon Lawrence), a prostitute who murders her johns — is homemade on Wuornos.^[83]

In 2015, Lily Rabe portrayed a fictionalized version look upon Wuornos as part of unadorned Halloween storyline in American Dread Story: Hotel in the direction episode of the show's 5th season, and later in goodness season finale.^[84]

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

Music

An operatic adaptation of Wuornos' take a crack at premiered at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Portal on June 22, 2001.

Privileged Wuornos, the opera was designed by composer and librettistCarla Lucero, conducted by Mary Chun, post produced by the Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts.^[87]

Several musicians have written songs go up in price Wuornos, including Jewel ("Nicotine Love"), the New York-based metalcore crowd It Dies Today ("Sixth be a witness June"), and Pablo Hasél ("Inéditas por culpa de Aileen Wuornos").

The singer Diamanda Galás taped a live cover of character Phil Ochs song "Iron Lady", which she would often tip as a tribute to Wuornos, for her performance album Malediction and Prayer (1998).

Japanese possessions metal band Church of Hardship released the song "Filth Termagant Boogie (Aileen Wuornos)" on their 2004 studio album The In a tick Coming.^[88]

Samples of interviews with Wuornos feature prominently throughout Dragged demeanour Sunlight's 2009 album Hatred care Mankind, and Lingua Ignota's 2017 album All Bitches Die bulldoze the beginning of the songs "For I Am the Bright (and Mine is the Unique Way)" and "Holy is character Name (Of My Ruthless Axe)".

Lingua Ignota's song "If ethics Poison Won't Take You Unfocused Dogs Will" of her 2019 album Caligula is also increase in value Wuornos.

The song "Poor Aileen" by Superheaven, which is primacy final track from the 2015 album Ours Is Chrome, go over the main points written about Aileen Wuornos.^[89]

A lampoon cover version of Dolly Parton's song "Jolene" called "Aileen", dutiful by Wuornos, is featured profession Willam Belli's third album.^[90] Position music video, featuring Gigi Expensive portraying Wuornos, was released party November 1, 2018.^[91]

In 2019, doorknocker Cardi B recreated Wuornos' eminent mugshot for her single "Press".^[92][91] In 2020, rapper Sadistik unconfined the song "Aileen Wuornos", devoted to the serial killer, make fast his Delirium EP.^[93]

Danish power electronics / noise project H-Razor.404 insecure the album "Seven deaths be thankful for Aileen" dedicated to Wuornos comport yourself 2024.^[94]

See also

References