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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Aileen Wuornos (born February 29, 1956, Rochester, Michigan, U.S.—died October 9, 2002, Starke, Florida) American serial killer who murdered at least seven people in 1989–90. Her case drew national attention to issues such as the relationship between gender and violence and the legal treatment of acts of self-defense by women. Her life was the subject of documentaries and a film, Monster (2003).
Wuornos had a deeply troubled childhood. Her parents separated before her birth, and her father later spent time in mental hospitals for child molestation. When Wuornos was four years old, she and her brother were sent to live with her grandparents. In her early teens she spent time at a home for unwed mothers and then dropped out of school and turned to prostitution.
In 1974 Wuornos was imprisoned for driving while intoxicated and for firing a gun from a moving vehicle. She subsequently was arrested numerous times on charges that included armed robbery, check forgery, and auto theft. By the late 1980s she was a drifter. In 1989–90, posing as a hitchhiking prostitute, she killed seven middle-aged male motorists and left their bodies along the highways of Florida and southern Georgia; some speculate that she may have killed an eighth motorist in the same period. Arrested in early 1991, she admitted to the killings but claimed that she acted in self-defense after the men assaulted her. Supporters of Wuornos viewed her as a strong independent woman—and even as a heroic figure for defending herself against male aggression. In 1992 she was convicted of one of the murders and sentenced to death. She later pleaded guilty to three more of the murders and admitted that she had killed for profit and not in self-defense. She was executed by lethal injection.
During junior high, Wuornos began exhibiting hearing loss, vision problems, and trouble in school. Her IQ was established at 81, in the low dull-normal range. (An IQ at or below 70 is generally accepted as indicating mental retardation.
Detectives had gathered a considerable amount of evidence implicating Wuornos in the murders, including her fingerprints on pawned items belonging to some of the murdered men and from cigarette butts that had been found in their abandoned vehicles.
Aileen had not been properly prepared by her family to interact with the world in a pro-social, adaptive way. She hurt others before they hurt her. She used aggression to defend against what she perceived to be threats to her sense of well-being.
Known as America's first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos carried out a string of notorious and brutal murders along the dark highways of Florida in late 1989 and 1990. A victim of child abuse herself, in adult life Wuornos was a petty criminal who worked as a sex worker.
Some crimes were attributed to fake names Wuornos had a habit of using. In June 1986, Wuornos, now calling herself “Lee,” met 24-year-old Tyria Moore at a gay bar in Daytona, Florida. The two started an intense 4.5-year relationship and began living together.
Convicted and sentenced to death, she was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. In her final moments, Wuornos declared, "I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the Rock, and I'll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus, June 6th. Like the movie, big mother ship and all.
Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer who murdered at least 7 people between 1989 and 1990. She was sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection in 2002. Her last words became widely popular and a point of discussion relevant to her mental state when she committed the murders.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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