Aileen Wuornos
American serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida.
Aileen Carol Wuornos (née Pittman; February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an American serial killer. Between 1989 and 1990, while engaging in street prostitution along highways in Florida, Wuornos shot, killed, and robbed seven of her male clients. She initially claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her, and that the homicides were committed in self-defense, but later abandoned this defense. Wuornos was sentenced to death for six of the murders and was executed in 2002 after spending more than ten years on Florida's death row.
- born
- February 29, 1956, Rochester, Michigan
- died
- October 9, 2002, Florida
- field
- Serial killer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Murdering seven male clients while working as a prostitute in Florida
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Aileen Carol Pittman was born on February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan. Her mother, Diane Wuornos, was 16 when Aileen was born and abandoned her and older brother Keith in January 1960, leaving them with their maternal grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos, who legally adopted them on March 18, 1960. Both grandparents were alcoholics. Aileen said her grandfather sexually assaulted her and forced her to undress before beating her. By age 11, she began engaging in sexual activity at school in exchange for cigarettes, drugs, and food, and also engaged in sexual activity with her brother. At age 14, she became pregnant after being raped by a friend of her grandfather. She gave birth to a boy at a home for unwed mothers on March 23, 1971, and her grandfather forced her to give up the child for adoption. She dropped out of school around the time her grandmother died of liver failure, and at age 15 her grandfather threw her out of the house. Living in the woods, she supported herself through prostitution.
Reader's Guide
Wuornos murdered seven men within 12 months, all motorists between ages 40 and 65. Her first victim was Richard Charles Mallory, age 51, on November 30, 1989; Wuornos claimed he beat, raped, and sodomized her, and she killed him in self-defense. Mallory had a prior conviction for attempted rape in Maryland. Other victims included David Andrew Spears (47), Charles Edmund Carskaddon (40), Peter Abraham Siems (65), Troy Eugene Burress (50), Charles Richard 'Dick' Humphreys (56), and Walter Gino Antonio (61). On July 4, 1990, Wuornos and her girlfriend Tyria Moore abandoned Siems' car after a crash; a witness provided descriptions that led to a media campaign. Police found victims' belongings in pawnshops, and Wuornos' fingerprint on a receipt matched one left in Siems' car. On January 9, 1991, Wuornos was arrested at The Last Resort biker bar on an outstanding warrant for carrying a concealed weapon. Moore, granted immunity, elicited a confession from Wuornos via phone calls, and on January 16, 1991, Wuornos confessed to the murders.
Did You Know?
- Wuornos was born on February 29, 1956—a leap day.
- She never met her father, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a seven-year-old girl and later committed suicide in prison.
- At age 14, Wuornos became pregnant after being raped by a friend of her grandfather and was forced to give up the child for adoption.
- She married 69-year-old yacht club president Lewis Gratz Fell in 1976, but the marriage was annulled after only nine weeks.
- Wuornos attempted suicide six times between ages 14 and 22, including once by shooting herself in the stomach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Aileen Wuornos?
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American woman who killed seven men in Florida during 1989 and 1990. She committed the murders while soliciting clients as a street prostitute along Florida highways. She was born in Rochester, Michigan, on February 29, 1956.
How many victims did Aileen Wuornos have?
Wuornos murdered a total of seven male clients over roughly a year in 1989–1990. Every killing took place in Florida while she was working as a prostitute off the state's highways.
What defense did Aileen Wuornos use at trial?
She initially told the court that each man had raped or attempted to rape her, framing the killings as acts of self-defense. She later abandoned that claim and admitted to the murders without justification.
How did Aileen Wuornos's story end?
After spending more than a decade on Florida's death row, she was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. She had received capital sentences for six of the seven homicides.
Why is Aileen Wuornos culturally significant?
Her case became one of the most widely discussed true-crime stories in American history, fueled in part by the dramatic self-defense narrative she first presented. The 2010 film 'Monster,' in which Charlize Theron portrayed Wuornos, brought renewed public attention to her life and crimes.
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