Aileen Wuornos: The Tragic Descent of America’s Notorious Female Serial Killer
Aileen Carol Pittman, later known as Aileen Wuornos, was born on 29 February 1956 in Rochester, Michigan. Her beginnings were shaped by chaos and abandonment, with much of her later violence seeming like a tragic inevitability. Her parents, Diane Wuornos and Leo Pittman, divorced before her birth, leaving young Aileen without any parental support from the start. Her mother, Diane, was a teenage mother, who abandoned Aileen and her older brother, Keith, when Aileen was just a few years old. They were subsequently adopted by Diane’s parents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos.
Growing up in Troy, Michigan, Aileen’s home life was far from nurturing. Her biological father, Leo Pittman, was imprisoned for child molestation before she ever knew him. He later died by suicide in prison. Aileen’s adopted grandfather, Lauri, was a harsh disciplinarian, often resorting to violence, and according to Wuornos’ later testimony, he sexually abused her as well. Life at home was fraught with instability, as her grandmother struggled with alcoholism. A fire in her childhood scarred her face, contributing to her already tumultuous early years. By the age of 11, Aileen was offering sexual favours to local boys in exchange for cigarettes or money, earning the cruel nickname “cigarette pig” among her peers.
At the age of 14, Aileen became pregnant. She claimed the pregnancy was the result of a rape by an older man from her neighbourhood, though later offered differing accounts. In March 1971, she gave birth to a son who was immediately put up for adoption. By this point, Aileen had dropped out of school, began sleeping in abandoned cars or woods, and her relationship with her grandparents reached a breaking point. Britta died of cirrhosis that same year, and Lauri, refusing to care for Aileen any longer, threw her out. By the age of 15, she was entirely on her own.
The Path of Survival
With no support network, Aileen began hitchhiking across the United States, surviving through prostitution and petty crime. She drifted aimlessly, frequently finding herself in trouble with the law. In 1976, while in Florida, Aileen met Lewis Gratz Fell, a wealthy yachtsman five decades her senior. They married in May of that year, but the union quickly turned sour. Fell later described Aileen as having a “violent and ungovernable temper.” He claimed that she had even beaten him with his own cane. The marriage was dissolved in July of 1976, a mere nine weeks after they wed.
That same year, Aileen’s brother Keith died of throat cancer, and his death left her devastated. Keith had been one of the few constants in her life. With his passing, any remaining thread of familial connection seemed to snap, plunging her further into a destructive lifestyle.
Over the next decade, Aileen’s criminal record continued to expand. She was arrested for various offences, including assault, disorderly conduct, armed robbery, and theft. Her unpredictable and volatile personality became more pronounced, and she frequently used false names to evade authorities. In 1986, Aileen met Tyria Moore at a Daytona Beach gay bar. The two women began a passionate relationship that lasted over four years. While Moore held jobs as a maid, Aileen continued to engage in sex work along the highways of Florida, often bringing home new possessions or stolen goods. The relationship was fraught with tension; Wuornos’ possessiveness and anger only deepened with time.
The Murders Begin
Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos fatally shot seven men, each of whom she had encountered while working as a prostitute. Her first known victim, Richard Mallory, a 51-year-old electronics shop owner, was last seen on 30 November 1989. His body was discovered two weeks later in the woods. Wuornos claimed that Mallory had raped her, and she killed him in self-defence. However, her subsequent victims did not follow this pattern.
Over the course of the following year, five more bodies were found along highways in northern and central Florida. The victims, all men between the ages of 40 and 65, were shot multiple times. The body of David Spears, 43, was found in June 1990 with six bullet wounds. Charles Carskaddon, 40, was discovered a week later, having been shot nine times. Peter Siems, a 65-year-old missionary, disappeared in July 1990. Though his body was never found, Wuornos’ fingerprints were discovered inside his vehicle. Troy Burress, 50, a salesman, was reported missing in late July, and his body was found on 4 August 1990. Charles “Dick” Humphreys, 56, a former police chief and child abuse investigator, was found dead in September, shot six times. Finally, the body of Walter Antonio, a trucker and reserve police officer in his 60s, was found in November 1990.
During this time, Wuornos continued to return to her partner, Tyria Moore, with possessions belonging to her victims. Moore later testified that she was unaware of Wuornos’ killings, though she eventually turned against Aileen to avoid prosecution herself. In January 1991, Aileen was arrested at The Last Resort bar in Volusia County, Florida, on an outstanding warrant. Moore, who had fled the state, was tracked down by authorities and agreed to cooperate, providing evidence that would ultimately convict Wuornos.
Arrest and Conviction
Aileen Wuornos initially claimed that all seven murders were acts of self-defence, stating that the men had either raped or attempted to rape her. However, her story began to unravel as she provided contradictory statements and eventually confessed to the murders during a phone conversation with Moore. Her confessions, captured on videotape, became central to the case against her.
In January 1992, Wuornos stood trial for the murder of Richard Mallory. During the proceedings, she testified that Mallory had raped her, but her claims were dismissed by the jury, who were unaware that Mallory had previously served time for attempted sexual assault. She was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. In the months that followed, Wuornos pleaded no contest to the murders of five other victims and received five additional death sentences. She was not charged with the murder of Peter Siems, whose body was never recovered.
The public and media fascination with Wuornos’ case was amplified by the fact that she was one of the few women in American history to be convicted as a serial killer. Tabloid headlines dubbed her the “Damsel of Death,” while others falsely claimed she was the first female serial killer in the United States, overlooking historical figures like Belle Gunness.
Decline and Execution
Aileen spent over a decade on death row, during which time she became increasingly erratic. In interviews, she oscillated between claims of remorse and cold detachment. In one interview, she chillingly stated,
“I killed those men, 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.”
In 2001, Wuornos decided to stop appealing her death sentence, arguing that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Despite concerns over her mental competency, three psychiatrists determined that she was fit for execution. On 9 October 2002, Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke, Florida. She was 46 years old. Her final words were cryptic, referencing the film Independence Day: “I’d 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 mothership and all. I’ll be back.”
Legacy of a Troubled Life
Aileen Wuornos’ story is one of deep-rooted trauma, abandonment, and violent survival. The brutality she exhibited in her killings has led some to view her as a cold-blooded murderer, while others see her as a product of an abusive and loveless upbringing. Whatever the perspective, her case remains a harrowing reflection of a life lived on the margins, shaped by profound mental illness, substance abuse, and a desperate need for control in a world that had offered her none.
Comments