Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos

When the title ‘serial killer’ comes up, not many people think of a female. Many people attribute serial killers as being males (Hickey, 1991). The case of Aileen Wuornos can be seen as ‘special’ since she was considered the first female serial killer in America (CYRIAX, 2009). She was also later known by the press as the “Damsel of Death” (CYRIAX, 2009). The build-up of Wuornos includes historical background, criminal profile tactics, and general diagnosis.

Wuornos was born on February 29, 1956 to Diane Wuornos and Leo Pittman (Jensen, 2012). Diane was pregnant at 16 with Wuornos and already had a son, Keith, with Leo (Jensen, 2012). Shortly before Wuornos was born, her parents separated. Her father was given a life sentence in prison for

the kidnapping and raping of a seven year old girl where he later hanged himself (Jensen, 2012). For this reason, Wuornos never met her father. Her mother abandoned her and Keith when she was still an infant (CYRIAX, 2009). The maternal grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos, took in and adopted Wuornos and Keith as their own (Jensen, 2012). It was not until the age of 11, that Wuornos found out that her parents were actually her grandparents and that her siblings were actually hers and Keith’s aunt and uncle (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). During the time that Wuornos lived with her grandparents, she experienced abuse from her grandfather (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). On several occasions, he would beat her with a leather strap on her bare buttocks (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Her grandmother was an alcoholic who would look the other way when her husband was delivering beatings to the children (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). It is also mentioned that Wuornos was raped by her grandfather and had an incest relationship with Keith (CYRIAX, 2009). During her adolescent years, Wuornos was described as having angry outbursts that were often unpredictable and unprovoked (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). She could not socialize with peers and eventually became sexually active at the age of 11 (Jensen, 2012). She then began to perform sexual acts in exchange for cigarettes and loose change (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Wuornos became pregnant at age 13, in which she said that she had been raped (possibly by her grandfather) (Hickey, 1991). Her grandparents did not approve of the pregnancy and later put the baby up for adoption (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Later on that same year, Wuornos’ grandmother died of liver failure (Aileen Carol Wuornos, 2008). Five years later, her brother would die too of throat cancer (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). It was then that Wuornos decided to move out of the house and go on her own. She eventually dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began prostituting herself for a living (Hickey, 1991). She moved to Florida where she married at age 20 to a 50 year old man (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). A few weeks later he filed a divorce and restraint order against Wuornos for beating him with his own cane (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Wuornos continued with her prostitution and engaged in other crimes. She committed check forgery, shoplifting, identity theft, car theft, and eventually armed robbery (Jensen, 2012). She never had a stable job. She was always staying at different places including her aunt’s house, abandoned cars, and even the woods (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). She was sent to jail for three years and by the time she was released; she showed a sexual interest for women. She met Tyria ‘Ty’ Moore at a gay bar in which later they would form a relationship (Jensen, 2012). The relationship lasted 4 ½ years (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). It was during this time that Wuornos began her killings. She continued prostitution, forgery, and theft in order to keep incoming coming into their home (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). One day Wuornos took a ride with a client, Richard Mallory, expecting to make some money for sex. That night she ended up killing her client by shooting him four times (Jensen, 2012). The next day, Wuornos returned to the crime scene to hide the body and abandon the car (Jensen, 2012). It was from here on out that Wuornos would continue her killing spree. She would hang out on the Florida highways until someone, particularly a male, would pick her up. She would mention to them that she was a prostitute and was in need of money (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). After they were both in a secluded area where Wuornos would give her services, she made her victims get undressed when shortly after she would shoot them with the same .22 pistol (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). She would then rob them of their belongings and go back to her lover, Ty. This went on with all of her victims. When Wuornos was arrested, she claimed that all the murders were made in self-defense (Seal, 2008). Not only did Wuornos have an unpleasant early life experience, but she was also not mentally healthy.
Wuornos can be described in a way as a psychopath.

According to Hare, psychopaths are mostly nonviolent, engage in risky behaviors, driven by narcissism, and are indifferent to the needs of others (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos does not exactly fit the criteria for Hare’s psychopath. Wuornos often had violent rages, she did engage in risky behaviors and she was indifferent to the needs of others, particularly her victims. However, there tends to be differences between male psychopaths and female psychopaths (Hickey, 1991). Female psychopaths show a great need for attention (Hickey, 1991). They are dependent for approval from others, manipulators, pathological liars, impulsive, superficial charm, and engage in antisocial and criminal activity (Hickey, 1991). Compared to males, Wuornos had slightly different attributes of a psychopath. Her killings were also somewhat unique and consistent all throughout her criminal

career.
Wuornos can be seen as a predatory female serial killer (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Typically serial killers go after victims who are not likely to be reported missing and who are vulnerable like prostitutes (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos was a highway prostitute who would wait for ‘Johns’ or male victims (especially if they drove expensive cars) to pick her up (Hickey, 1991). She specifically went after men who seemed to be financially well off. All the victims were white males in between their 40s and 60s (Hickey, 1991). They were all shot several times and most were shot in the torso area (Hickey, 1991). Many of the victims were found nude or partially naked and they were all robbed of their belongings (Hickey, 1991). She would drive the vehicles to stranded locations, drink a beer and head back to her lover (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Most of her killings were done a month apart from each other. Wuornos had begun to be investigated and was eventually busted in a bar called “The Last Resort” (Doherty, 2004). Once arrested, Wuornos stated that all the murders were made in self-defense (Seal, 2008). As of today, many believe that she was a misunderstood girl; she was abused at home and on the streets (Doherty, 2004). The only thing she did wrong was to look for love in the wrong places (Doherty, 2004). Feminists in support of Wuornos, argue that the killings were indeed for self-defense and that these kinds of actions truly would happen if all women who get raped would respond the same way (Seal, 2008). Eventually Wuornos’ lover, Ty, was used as a witness to testify against Wuornos (CYRIAX, 2009). It was then that she confessed to everything. She was convicted of capital murder but that did not end there. Wuornos appealed to the decision which lasted over a year (Jensen, 2012). An advocate, Arlene Pralle, came into Wuornos’ life and adopted her intending to ‘help’ her (Aileen Carol Wuornos, 2008). Pralle hired a new lawyer for Wuornos which later on, she claims that they advised her to plead ‘no content’ and eventually cancel the appeal (CYRIAX, 2009). The appeal was closed and in 2002, she was given lethal injection. Ever since Wuornos, there have been two movies made, an opera, and several books (CYRIAX, 2009). Wuornos had many critical points in her personal and criminal life that made her who she was. In many instances, she can be categorized in different typologies and theories.
The first theory that can be applied to Wuornos is the Social Structure Theory.

According to this theory, poor individuals commit more crimes because they are on a quest for financial success (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos began prostitution at an early age because of the necessity of food and surviving. She strived to bring in as much income to her lover causing her to engage in criminal activity (Doherty, 2004). Another theory that Wuornos would fall under is the Social Process Theory. This means that criminal behavior is part of socialization (Hickey, 1991). Offenders can turn to crime as a result from peer-group pressure, family problems, mediocre school performance, and legal problems (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos never actually had friends so she was constantly doing things in order to be liked (including prostitution). She had family problems since she was born and she dropped out of school while in the ninth grade. Her legal problems included the different crimes she committed before and after the killings. Wuornos also fits in the Neutralization theory. The technique of neutralization that Wuornos used was the denial of responsibility and the condemnation of the condemners. All through-out, she would state that all the killings were made in self-defense (Hickey, 1991). In other words, they tried to hurt her so they deserved to die. The Social Control Theory can also be applied to Wuornos. It consists of four elements, attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief that bond

the individual to society (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos never had any attachment to anybody. The closest relationship she had was with her lover, Ty. She never had any commitments; a good reputation or education. She was never involved in anything, not with family, not with friends, and not with work. She was also never in belief with others. She did not believe anybody would actually care for her. She believed that all her victims were trying to rape and hurt her (Seal, 2008). Because of all this, Wuornos’ bond with society was never strong and eventually broke causing her to commit those killings. Wuornos was an organized crime offender. She planned the murders. She targeted victims and demanded them to be submissive (Hickey, 1991). She had the same killing procedure for all her victims; she would get picked up by the victim, go to a secluded area, get the victim to get naked, shoot victim, rob them of their belongings, and get rid of the evidence (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). The nature of Wuornos’ motivation was that of a power/control-oriented type. The source of the power/control killer is ultimately the control and power they have over the victims (Hickey, 1991). Wuornos felt powerless and with no control (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004). Killing her victims, Wuornos restored her sense of well-being, control and financial gain (Arrigo & Griffin, 2004).
All in all, Wuornos, being considered the first female serial killer, had a rough childhood. She was abandoned by both her parents and abused by her grandparents. She began prostitution at an early age and committed many crimes before she began her killing spree. She was a power/control serial killer. Her case was unique in the way that no one had suspected that it was a female that was causing concern at the time. Ultimately there needs to be more research or analysis done on female offenders. Males and females can have differences and so need to be treated somewhat difference. Maybe this way, females can be stopped before they continue to do much more damage to society.