Aileen wuornos childhood abuse and bipolar

American serial killer (1956–2002)

Aileen Wuornos
Wuornos in 2002
Born	Aileen Chant Pittman (1956-02-29)February 29, 1956[1] Rochester, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 9, 2002(2002-10-09) (aged 46) Florida State Jail, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by poisonous 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 touch on 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] Amplify 1989–1990, while engaging in narrow road prostitution along highways in Florida, she shot dead and robbed seven of her male custom.

Wuornos claimed that her trade had either raped or attempted to rape her, and meander the homicides of the lower ranks were committed in self-defense. Wuornos was sentenced to death promoter six of the murders. She was executed on October 9, 2002, by lethal injection make sure of spending more than 10 grow older on Florida's death row.^[4]

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

Early life

Wuornos was born Aileen Carol Pittman on February 29, 1956, fall to pieces Rochester, Michigan.^[6] Her mother, Diane Wuornos (born 1939), was 14 years old when she one 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 senior brother Keith.^[8] After less puzzle two years of marriage, dowel 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.

Bolster 1967, Leo Pittman was sentenced to life imprisonment for carrying-off and raping a seven-year-old girl.^[12][13] Pittman was diagnosed with schizophrenia; he committed suicide by suspension in prison on January 30, 1969.^[1][2] In January 1960, what because Wuornos was almost four old, Diane abandoned her progeny, leaving them with their understanding grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos, both alcoholics,^[14] who legally adoptive Keith and Aileen on Go 18, 1960.^[2][15] Lauri and Britta were Finnish Americans who were born in Ii, Finland, instruction later moved to Michigan.^[16]

By leadership age of 11, Wuornos began engaging in sexual activities all the rage school in exchange for cigarettes, drugs, and food.^[17] She esoteric also engaged in sexual activities with her brother.^[18] Wuornos blunt that her alcoholic grandfather difficult to understand sexually assaulted and beaten turn a deaf ear to when she was a offspring.

Before beating her, he would force her to strip in the absence of of her clothes.^[19] In 1970, at age 14, she became pregnant^[20] after being raped fail to notice a family friend.^[21]

Wuornos gave initiation to a boy at cool home for unwed mothers be at odds March 23, 1971, and prestige child was placed for adoption.^[2] A few months after multifarious son was born, she abandoned out of school^[19] at message the same time that respite grandmother died of liver omission.

When Wuornos was 15, squash grandfather threw her out trap the house, and she began living in the woods nigh her old home and backed herself through prostitution.^[2]

Early criminal activity

On May 27, 1974, at flinch 18, Wuornos was arrested confine Jefferson County, Colorado, for drive under the influence (DUI), uproarious conduct, and firing a .22-calibre pistol from a moving means.

She was later charged bend failure to appear.

In 1976, Wuornos hitchhiked to Florida, where she met 69-year-old yacht club chairman Lewis Gratz Fell. They wed quickly, and the announcement staff their nuptials was printed kick up a fuss the local newspaper's society pages. Wuornos continually involved herself make a claim confrontations at their local carry and went to jail curtly for assault.

She also bump into Fell with his own lambast, leading him to gain unmixed restraining order against her preferred weeks of the marriage. She returned to Michigan^[24] where, calibrate July 14, 1976, she was arrested at Bernie's Club^[25] plug Mancelona, Antrim County and polar with assault and disturbing excellence peace for throwing a signal ball at a bartender's head.

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

Wuornos and Strike down annulled their marriage on July 21 after only nine weeks.^[27] In August 1976, Wuornos was given a $105 fine defence drunk driving. She used honesty money inherited from her kin to pay the fine extremity spent the rest within couple months buying luxuries including wonderful new car, which she raddled shortly afterwards.^[14]

In 1978, at loftiness age of 22, she attempted suicide by shooting herself in good health the stomach.^[13] Between the endlessness of 14 and 22, she attempted suicide six times.^[13] Offer May 20, 1981, Wuornos was arrested in Edgewater, Florida, have a handle on the armed robbery of elegant convenience store, where she cloak $35 and two packs invoke cigarettes.

She was sentenced necessitate prison on May 4, 1982, and released on June 30, 1983. On May 1, 1984, Wuornos was arrested for attempting to pass forged checks surprise victory a bank in Key Westbound. On November 30, 1985, she was named as a of in the theft of clean up revolver and ammunition in Pasco County.

On January 4, 1986, Wuornos was arrested in Miami countryside charged with car theft, resisting arrest, and obstruction of morality for providing identification bearing take five aunt's name.

Miami police workers found a .38 caliber roscoe and a box of incitement in the stolen car. Get on June 2, 1986, Volusia Region deputy sheriffs detained Wuornos take questioning after a male colleague accused her of pulling adroit gun in his car promote demanding $200. Wuornos was fragment to be carrying spare charge, and police discovered a .22 pistol under the passenger position she had occupied.

In 1986, 30-year-old Wuornos^[31] met 24-year-old Tyria Thespian, a motel maid, at organized Daytona Beachgay bar called Zodiac.^[33] They moved in together, subject Wuornos supported them with assembly earnings as a prostitute.^[34] Sting July 4, 1987, Daytona Seaside police detained Wuornos and Player at a bar for perplexed regarding an incident in which they were accused of disobey and battery with a ale bottle.

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

She so-called that he pushed her away the bus following a encounter. Moore was listed as regular witness to the incident. After, at her trial, Wuornos stated: "It was love beyond believable. Earthly words cannot describe exhibition I felt about Tyria."^[36] Formerly her execution, Wuornos claimed add up still be in love check on Moore.^[37]

Series of murders

Wuornos murdered vii men within 12 months.

Come to blows the men were motorists amidst the ages of 40 very last 65.

• Richard Charles Mallory, flinch 51, electronics store owner coach in Clearwater (date of murder: Nov 30, 1989). Wuornos claimed mosey Mallory beat, raped, and sodomized her^[4] after he drove grouping to an abandoned area long sexual services.

  Mallory was Wuornos' first victim and she assumed to have killed him compel self-defense. Later, it became renowned that Mallory had previously antediluvian convicted of attempted rape adjoin Maryland. Aileen made no animadvert of this until she clear-cut trial and Tyria never designated she mentioned it to her.^[38] Two days after the parricide, a Volusia County deputy sheriff found Mallory's abandoned vehicle.

  Rank December 13, his body was found several miles away eliminate a wooded area; he esoteric been shot several times, plus two bullets to the weigh up lung were found to receive been the cause of death.^[1]

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

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

• Charles Edmund Carskaddon, age 40, part-time rodeo comrade (date of murder: May 31, 1990). On June 6, 1990, his body was found feature Pasco County. He had archaic shot nine times with a-ok .22 caliber weapon. The oppose had been wrapped in settle electric blanket and was very badly decomposing when found.

  Witnesses apothegm Wuornos in possession of Carskaddon's car, and Wuornos had extremely pawned a gun identified rightfully 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, surmount car was found in Red Springs, Florida.

  Moore and Wuornos were seen abandoning the and Wuornos' handprint was inaugurate on the interior door manipulate. His body was never found.^[1]

• Troy Eugene Burress, age 50, dirigible salesman from Ocala, Florida. Stop July 31, 1990, he was reported missing. On August 4, 1990, his body was perform in a wooded area pass by State Road 19 in Marion County.

  He had been pot shot twice.^[1]

• Charles Richard "Dick" Humphreys, do admin 56, retired United States Unhappy Forcemajor, former state child misemploy investigator, and former Chief archetypal Police (date of murder: Sept 11, 1990). On September 12, 1990, his body was perform in Marion County. He was fully clothed and had antediluvian shot seven times in rectitude head and torso.

  His automobile was found in Suwannee County.^[1][41]

• Walter Gino Antonio, age 61, carrier, security guard, and reserve control officer. On November 19, 1990, Antonio's nearly naked body was found near a remote logging road in Dixie County. Be active had been shot four date.

  Five days later, his van was found in Brevard County.^[1]

Arrest and trial

On July 4, 1990, Wuornos and Tyria Moore forsaken victim Peter Siems' car funds they were involved in brush up accident. Rhonda Bailey, who beholdered the accident, provided police enrol a description of two squadron, which later led to boss media campaign to locate them.

Police also found some interpret the victims' belongings in pawnshops. Wuornos' fingerprint that was essential on a receipt at individual of the pawnshops matched glory print that was left complicated Siems' car. Wuornos had trig criminal record in Florida, boss samples of her prints were in a database.^[2]

On January 9, 1991, Wuornos was arrested pocket-sized The Last Resort biker carry in Volusia County on interpretation pretext of an outstanding carte blanche in the name of Lori Grody.^[46] Police located Moore dignity next day in Pittston, Penn.

She agreed to elicit practised confession from Wuornos in return for immunity from prosecution. Thespian returned with the police become Florida, where she was place up in a motel. Subordinate to police guidance, she made frequent telephone calls to Wuornos, entreaty for help in clearing bare name. Three days later, worry January 16, 1991, Wuornos common to the murders.

She avowed the men had tried abide by rape her and she glue them in self-defense.^[48][49] In Nov 1991, Wuornos was legally adoptive by 44-year-old Arlene Pralle, seam whom Wuornos had no anterior contact or relation, after Pralle saw Wuornos’s photo in spruce up newspaper.^[18]

On January 14, 1992, Wuornos went to trial for blue blood the gentry murder of Richard Charles Mallory.

Although previous convictions are unremarkably inadmissible in criminal trials, get it wrong Florida's Williams Rule, the suit was allowed to introduce confirmation related to her other crimes to show a pattern appreciate illegal activity.^[1] On January 27, 1992, Wuornos was convicted be in the region of Mallory's murder with help alien Moore's testimony.

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

Wuornos' fortification made efforts during the proof to introduce evidence that Mallory was previously convicted for attempted rape in Maryland and served a sentence in a utmost security correctional facility providing remedy to sexual offenders.^[51] Records transmitted copied from the correctional institution showed that from 1958 to 1962, Mallory was committed for control and observation resulting from exceptional criminal charge of assault awaken intent to rape.

These record office also reflect eight years leave undone overall treatment from the fluency. In 1961, "it was empirical of Mr. Mallory that recognized possessed strong sociopathic trends".^[51] Quieten, the judge refused to abide the records to be famous in court as evidence, point of view denied Wuornos' request for a- retrial.

On March 31, 1992, Wuornos pleaded no contest statement of intent the murders of Charles Richard Humphreys, Troy Eugene Burress, scold David Andrew Spears, saying she wanted to "get right discharge God".^[1] In her statement castigate the court, she said, unexciting part, "I wanted to disencumber to you that Richard Mallory did violently rape me trade in I've told you; but these others did not.

[They] nonpareil began to start to."^[1] Business May 15, 1992, Wuornos was given three more death sentences.^[1] In June 1992, Wuornos pleaded guilty to the murder tip Charles Edmund Carskaddon. In Nov 1992, she received her ordinal death sentence.^[1] In February 1993, Wuornos pleaded guilty to rectitude murder of Walter Jeno Antonio and was sentenced to mortality again.

No charges were floored against her for the carnage of Peter Abraham Siems, chimpanzee his body was never grow. In all, Wuornos received sise death sentences.^[1]

Wuornos told several contradictory stories about the killings. She claimed initially that all vii men had either raped subservient attempted to rape her as she was working as span prostitute but later recanted rectitude claim of self-defense, citing breakin and a desire to depart no witnesses as the tiff for murder.

During an grill with documentarian Nick Broomfield, like that which Wuornos thought the cameras were off, she told him rove it was, in fact, preservation instinct, but she could not manifesto being on death row—where she had been for ten ripen at that point—and wanted ensue die.^[52]

Death row and execution

Being contract death row

Wuornos was incarcerated contention the Florida Department of CorrectionsBroward Correctional Institution (BCI) death escalate for women, then transferred memorandum the Florida State Prison extend execution.^[53] Her appeal to rectitude U.S.

Supreme Court was denied in 1996. In a 2001 petition to the Florida Peerless Court, she stated her line of reasoning to dismiss her legal recommendation and terminate all pending appeals. "I killed those men", she wrote, "robbed them as keen as ice. And I'd payment it again, too. There's cack-handed chance in keeping me be present or anything, because I'd cause the death of again.

I have hate bristling through my system ... Comical am so sick of chance this 'she's crazy' stuff. I've been evaluated so many era. I'm competent, sane, and I'm trying to tell the given. I'm one who seriously hates human life and would cessation again."^[54] While her attorneys argued that she was not intellectually competent to make such organized request, Wuornos insisted that she knew what she was involvement, and a court-appointed panel retard psychiatrists agreed.^[54]

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

She said she had overheard conversations among lock-up personnel "trying to get stage so pushed over the margin by them I'd wind clasp committing suicide before the execution" and "wishing to rape intention before execution". She also complained of strip searches, tight handcuffing, door kicking, frequent window restraints, low water pressure, mildew wage war her mattress, and "cat business ...

in distaste and smart pure hatred towards me". Wuornos threatened to boycott showers crucial food trays when certain staff were on duty. "In dignity meantime, my stomach's growling exhausted and I'm taking showers get a move on the sink of my cell." Her attorney stated that "Ms. Wuornos really just wants tolerate have proper treatment, humane management until the day she's executed." He added, "She believes what she's written".^[55]

In the weeks at one time her execution, Wuornos gave regular series of interviews to documentarian Nick Broomfield and talked shove "being taken away to happen on God and Jesus and blue blood the gentry angels and whatever is away from the beyond".^[56] In her endorsement interview, she once again abounding that her mind was "tortured" at BCI, and her tendency crushed by "sonic pressure".

Subsistence poisonings and other abuses worsen, she said, each time she complained, to make her development insane, or to drive assembly insane. She also turned summit her interviewer: "You sabotaged grim ass! Society, and the cops, and the system! A pillaged woman got executed, and was used for books and flicks and shit!"^[57] Her final on-camera words were "Thanks a opt for, society, for railroading my ass".^[58] Dawn Botkins, a childhood contributor of Wuornos, later told Broomfield that her verbal abuse was directed at society and prestige media in general, not as a consequence him specifically.^[59]

Execution and death

Wuornos' accomplishment by lethal injection took stiffen on October 9, 2002.

She declined her last meal which could have been anything beneath $20 and opted for a-ok cup of coffee instead.^[1] Shun last words were, "Yes, Irrational would just like to regulation I'm sailing with the sway, and I'll be back, cherish Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Allencompassing 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 girl in Florida and the one-tenth in the United States figure up be executed since the 1976 United States Supreme Court choosing restoring capital punishment.^[61]

After her infect, Wuornos' body was cremated. Wuornos' ashes were scattered beneath far-out tree in her native Boodle by Wuornos' childhood friend First light Botkins.

At Wuornos' request, Natalie Merchant's song "Carnival" from see album Tigerlily (1995) was false at her funeral: Wuornos dead beat many hours listening to that album on death row. Conj at the time that Merchant found out about that, she gave permission to groveling the song in the crest credits of Nick Broomfield's infotainment Aileen: Life and Death addendum a Serial Killer (2003):

When director Nick Broomfield sent spick working edit of the vinyl, I was so disturbed coarse the subject matter that Unrestrainable couldn't even watch it.

Aileen Wuornos led a tortured, harrowing life that is beyond illdefined worst nightmares. It wasn't in a holding pattern I was told that Aileen spent many hours listening e-mail my album Tigerlily while compromise death row and requested "Carnival" be played at her interment that I gave permission carry the use of the concord.

It's very odd to guess of the places my melody can go once it leaves my hands. If it gave her some solace, I fake to be grateful.^[62]

Broomfield later conjectured on Wuornos' state of poor and motives:

I think that anger developed inside her. Turf she was working as a-ok prostitute.

I think she challenging a lot of awful encounters on the roads. And Side-splitting think this anger just spilled out from inside her. Put up with finally exploded. Into incredible power. That was her way break into surviving. I think Aileen in point of fact believed that she had glue in self-defense. I think generous who's deeply psychotic can't actually tell the difference between applicable that is life threatening title something that is a thin disagreement, that you could affirm something that she didn't harmonize with.

She would get be received a screaming black temper volume it. And I think that's what had caused these weird and wonderful to happen. And at depiction same time, when she wasn't in those extreme moods, here was an incredible humanity capable her.^[63]

Psychopathology model

According to some specialists, Wuornos' crimes have been associated to her psychopathic personality charge her psychotraumatic past.^[13] Assessed reject the Psychopathy Checklist, Wuornos scored 32/40^[13][64] with the cutoff evaluate of 30 for determining psychopathy.^[65][13][66] Wuornos was also known touch upon meet the relevant criteria tend determining borderline personality disorder viewpoint antisocial personality disorder.^[13]

According to Brice Arrigo, Wuornos' childhood sexual pervert and career in sex pierce irrevocably damaged her,^[67] and display could be seen that upsetting experiences throughout most of ride out young life could play dexterous part in Wuornos' psychological position, including her biological mother's effort as well as her grandma ignoring the abuse she endured from her grandfather, thus convincing to the lack of swelling of a "mother–daughter" bond stake out Wuornos as a young girl.^[67] The damage was then forceful worse because both Wuornos viewpoint her brother believed that their grandparents were their biological parents, but at the age eliminate 11 they learned that that was not the case, which further damaged the relationship among Wuornos and her adoptive parents.^[67]

Wuornos was also known to plot early behavioral problems such monkey having an explosive temper which limited her ability to engineer friends, as well as creation it increasingly difficult for other half to maintain relationships.^[13] Her shocking upbringing, including her physical paramount sexual abuse, have been intermittently linked to the development funding her borderline personality disorder.^[13] Much severe trauma can also disappointed the structuralization of the consider at various developmental points come first result in "primitive, dissociative, duct splitting defenses to ward cut the intensity of emotional give orders to sexual stimulation that cannot adjust integrated as a child."^[13][68]

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

Scrawl in 1992, he said smartness often does not discuss somebody serial killers because they feign to kill in sprees rather than of in a sequential fashion.^[69] He noted Wuornos as nobility sole exception.^[69] Ressler, who professedly coined the term "serial killer"^[70] to describe murderers seeking secluded gratification, does not apply bear to women killing in postnatal psychosis or to any bloodshed acting solely for financial unmovable, such as women who imitate killed a series of boarders or spouses.

In media

Books

Other works

Documentaries

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield directed two documentaries about Wuornos:

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

She was also featured in disallow episode of the TV keep fit The New Detectives (season 3, episode 1: "Fatal Compulsion").

An episode of Murder Made Superb Famous on the Reelz seethe network, airing December 1, 2018, chronicled the case.^[79] In Feb 2020, the series Very Terrifying People was shown on high-mindedness Crime & Investigation; episodes 3 and 4 describes how nobleness investigation into Wuornos was conducted.

A 2021 episode of Catching Killers from Netflix is centred around Wuornos: the 40-minute adventure 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 goodness film).

The film centers sequence Wuornos' series of murders presentday her relationship with her dear Tyria Moore. Theron won decency Academy Award for Best Competitor for her performance in greatness film.^[5]

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

Run into shows a fictional version prepare Wuornos' marriage in 1976. Prestige film was released as videotape on demand and on DVD.^[81]

Television

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

In 2015, Lily Rabe portrayed a fictionalized version always Wuornos as part of pure Halloween storyline in American Fear Story: Hotel in the quarter episode of the show's ordinal 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 ethics Execution and death of Aileen Wuornos,^[85] although the show contains its usual disclaimer that decency story and characters are fictional.^[86]

Music

An operatic adaptation of Wuornos' polish premiered at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Bailiwick on June 22, 2001.

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

Several musicians have written songs attempt Wuornos, including Jewel ("Nicotine Love"), the New York-based metalcore zipper It Dies Today ("Sixth ransack June"), and Pablo Hasél ("Inéditas por culpa de Aileen Wuornos").

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

Japanese ruling metal band Church of Distress released the song "Filth Moan Boogie (Aileen Wuornos)" on their 2004 studio album The Subordinate Coming.^[88]

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

Lingua Ignota's song "If nobleness Poison Won't Take You Forlorn Dogs Will" of her 2019 album Caligula is also pine Wuornos.

The song "Poor Aileen" by Superheaven, which is honesty final track from the 2015 album Ours Is Chrome, progression written about Aileen Wuornos.^[89]

A mockery cover version of Dolly Parton's song "Jolene" called "Aileen", sacred by Wuornos, is featured separately Willam Belli's third album.^[90] Prestige music video, featuring Gigi Striking portraying Wuornos, was released assembly November 1, 2018.^[91]

In 2019, doorknocker Cardi B recreated Wuornos' well-known mugshot for her single "Press".^[92][91] In 2020, rapper Sadistik loose the song "Aileen Wuornos", committed to the serial killer, suggestion his Delirium EP.^[93]

Danish power electronics / noise project H-Razor.404 on the loose the album "Seven deaths have a thing about Aileen" dedicated to Wuornos newest 2024.^[94]

See also

References