Aileen Wuornos was born on February 29, 1956. Her grandparents raised her after her parents split. Her father committed suicide after being jailed for child rape. While growing up, her temper made it hard for her to make friends. Her grandfather and brother sexually and physically abused her. Aileen then started offering sexual offers to boys in exchange for cigarettes, coining the derogatory nickname, cigarette pig. She gave birth to a boy at age 15 in 1971.
She then dropped out of school and drifted around, going around juvie and abandoned cars. After her grandmother died and her grandfather stopped caring for her, she began hitchhiking and selling her body across the U.S. Wuornos. She met with Lewis Gratz Fell, a rich man, in May 1976. Their marriage was swift, and they divorced on July 19, 1976. Fell said that she had, “a violent and ungovernable temper.” Aileen was arrested in the mid1970s for multiple crimes such as assault, disturbing the peace, and disorderly conduct. She was arrested again for being intoxicated and robbing a convenience store with a gun. Wuornos was known for using false identities.
At a gay bay in June 1986, Aileen met Tyria Moore in Dayton, Florida. The two ladies started a relationship that was fierce in passion. They lived together and while Moore held legal jobs such as housekeeping or working as a maid, Wuornos still offered her body on the Florida highways. A controlling Aileen did not enjoy having her girlfriend spending time with others or going to work. They moved a lot between rental living and trailer parks in Florida. Wuornos' illicit behavior escalated into acts of murder. Tyria helped the police after the incident.
In the years of 1989 to 1990, Aileen Wuornos took the lives of eight men. Her first murder was Richard Mallory, a 51-year-old who regularly hired prostitutes. His last appearance was on November 30, 1989. Moore said that she was contacted by Aileen and was told about the murder and where the body was dropped off. The body was found at an illegal dumping site on December 13, 1989. There were more dead men, five of whom were found over time. All the bodies were found with names following: David Spears, 43, was discovered on June 1, 1990. Charles Carskaddon, 40, was found on June 6. Troy Burres, 50, found August 4. Charles “Dick” Humphreys, 56, was found on September 12. Walter Antonio, about 60, was found on November 19. All of them were found dead in the same year.
Throughout all her murders, Wuornos returned to her house with stolen items from her victims and pawned them off using different names. By using different identities, she was able to keep the authorities off her trail. The police found the car of 65-year-old Peter Siems. Witnesses saw Aileen and Tyria leave his car and leave a fingerprint on the car. The authorities matched the print to Wuornos. In the autumn of 1990, the police were searching for the two women suspected of murder. Aileen Wuornos was arrested on January 9, 1991.
Aileen confessed to her murders while on a phone call with Tyria Moore. She tried to reason with her by saying that she was trying to win over Moore’s love. The media called her the “country’s first female serial killer,” and “ the Damsel of Death,” due to her actions and how she did the murders. At first, she tried to defend herself from the death of Mallory by saying he tried to rape and assault her. The phone call she made to her ex-girlfriend didn't line up with her defense. A jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and robbery on January 27, 1992. She was given the death penalty four days later. Wuornos did not fight back from the guilty verdict after two months. After she was given the death penalty, Aileen gave more confessions for the rest of the murders she committed. She was given a death sentence for every death she confessed to. She was given the lethal injection on October 9, 2002. She was 46 years old. Her last words were, “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.” Her ashes were scattered on a tree in Michigan.
Aileen Wournos was given the death penalty for murdering seven to eight men. Those men were trying to help her thinking she needed a ride. It could have been chalked up to trauma from her abuse. She was abused by her uncle and brother sexually and physically. It does not give an excuse to go around taking lives because of her pain. Society uses the death penalty for those who have taken lives with malicious intent and full knowledge about their actions. If a person cannot be rehabilitated and cause more harm than good, the death sentence is a way to peacefully take the life of a criminal so that they cannot cause anymore harm.