Driven to Kill: The Life of Aileen Wuornos

Introduction

Any crime that involves the slaying of another human being can be deemed horrific, but in the case of Aileen Wuornos, horrific is simply not a justified term. Aileen Wuornos, although ultimately being sentenced to death, with the sentence being carried out on October 9th, 2002, was one of the worst cases to ever fall into the hands of the judicial system. Wuornos was convicted of killing seven men while she was a working prostitute in the state of Florida. Her life story is certainly no fairytale, and the details to why she may have committed murder to become America’s first female serial killer can be found scattered throughout her existence.

Typically when researching serial killers, women are not high on the list. The random acts of violence, the stalking, and the murder, is mostly work of men. According to Johnston (2012) with women accounting for only fifteen percent of serial killers as opposed to men who make up the other eighty five percent, it’s almost shocking to hear of a woman serial killer. In this particular case however, one of the most talked about serial killers to ever roam the United States, was a woman.

There are many reasons that factor into the making of a serial killer, and the mental state of a person obviously has a huge effect on what their actions are. It is obvious to state that each person’s chemical makeup differs from another, and so when trying to figure out why Wuornos killed, clearly is not an easy answer to find. Her wild outbursts after prison, her rampages during her killing sprees, her abuse as a child, are all part of her chemical makeup, making it exceedingly difficult to try to capture her as a whole person, as so many parts of her were disastrous and all over the place. When it comes to serial killers, the psychology of a person is so broad that it becomes very difficult to pinpoint a specific event that may have triggered the person to commit an act of murder. In Wuornos’s case, there were quite a few, and most of them involved childhood trauma. When trying to figure out what lead a person to becoming a serial killer, it is necessary to pay great attention to detail, and to start at the beginning.

The Childhood of a Serial Killer

Aileen Wuornos should be given no excuses as to why she killed several human beings, but as anything in the world, there are two sides to every story. Perhaps Wuornos would have lead a completely different path had her childhood been a bit more orthodox and stable. Unfortunately for Wuornos her life seemed to have been carved out for her before she had even taken her first breath.

Aileen’s mother had her when she was fifteen years old, and abandoned her just six months after giving birth. Eventually the parents of her mother took her into their custody and raised her as their own. Her mother would try to reunited with her throughout her pre-adolescent years, but the grandparents of the children simply would not allow it. Sadly there is no telling what reuniting with her mother could have potentially done for Wuornos. With such a tumultuous childhood to try and recover from such trauma seems almost impossible, and as time went on and Aileen grew up, her ferocity towards others began to shine through during her adolescent years. As Myers (2005) explains “She had a bad temper as a child, was rebellious as a teenager (e.g., she attacked a friend with a shish-ka-bob after a trivial disagreement), and had multiple charges consistent with poor self-control.” (P.26) Myers also proclaims she had early behavioral issues that included stealing and fire setting.

Beyond her destructive behavior she was also extremely promiscuous. Wuornos would performs sexual favors for young men and boys at a price, whether it was for something cheap and store bought or for actual money, she didn’t seem to care. Her promiscuity eventually lead to the feeling that she had become a misfit of sorts, pushing her further into isolation and making it increasingly difficult for her to find somewhere that she felt she fit in, sparking her aggression even more. Rather than react with sadness, Aileen was constantly angry and aggressive.

Unfortunately for her, her father was a convicted child molester and was strangled to death in prison after he was arrested and convicted of child molestation. The death of a parent, no matter what the abuse was, is always difficult for the children involved. There are unanswered questions and wounds that will never heal which may lead to outlandish behavior, such as the type that Aileen demonstrated. Although it was never said that her father abused her, Aileen stated that her grandfather, though it was never confirmed. Sexually abused children often grow up to be molesters themselves, and as Groth (1979) found in research evidence “In many cases the sexual assaults appear to replicate the offender's own victimization.” In the case of Wuornos, this did not seem to be true, she simply turned to killing and prostituting herself rather than victimizing children. Wuornos caused enough trouble that if she were actually sexually assaulted by her grandfather, she probably would have assaulted children as well, this could confirm her capability to lie and push her further into the category of psychopath.

Aileen eventually had a child of her own when she was fifteen and though she never said who the father was, it was questionable to everyone around her whether the child was a product of incest. Eventually she gave the child up for adoption. The instincts of a mother are strong and so for any mother to have to give up her child, it will be a traumatic experience, it seemed that Aileen could not catch a break.

The trauma inflicted on Aileen while she was growing up could be the reason that many psychologists today proclaim her as a psychopath. As Myers (2005) details that Aileen does in fact have the traits that would allow her to be placed in this category without fail, stating

Psychopaths are both affectively (reactively) and predatorily (instrumentally) more violent than non-psychopathic criminals, they have generally low levels of anxiety, they do not form stable, secure bonds, and their low levels of autonomic arousal and efficient orienting to threats give them the hard wiring to be successful intra-species predators. (p.13-14)

Adulthood

Had there been a time in Wuornos’s life that she could have been considered a regular citizen and not a delinquent, her argument of rape may have worked. Unfortunately for Aileen there was far too much evidence in her past that categorized her directly as a psychotic. Wuornos initially did not claim that Mallory raped her, ensuring that not only did she have a shaky story to begin with, but presenting herself to the court as a liar.

Throughout Aileens adult life she was married but arrested after she allegedly beat her husband with his walking cane. She drank heavily and involved herself in drugs and prostitution. Nothing Aileen did in her adult life would not conflict with her future sentence. Evidence surmounted against her at an alarming rate, evidence that had nothing to do with her actual convictions. The evidence mounting up against her had more to do with her mental stability in the past and it only sealed her fate when she was arrested and tried. Her instability was a solid factor in her death penalty sentence and her welcoming of the sentence only reassured the jurors that what they did was the right choice. Although the end of her life was solidified, it is her memory that seems to be taking over the media now. The scariest part about Wuornos’s conviction is that people in the town where she last lived continue to celebrate and honor her memory. Daily News (2013) explains that the bar she drank her last beer at remains a tourist attraction and why, “Al Bulling, who’s owned the tiny brick biker bar for 33 years and who appeared in “Monster,” says he’s simply honoring her last wishes.” (p.1) This strong connection that Wuornos made with others seems to take the place of what most consider to be a psycho and lends a sympathetic ear to someone who others considered a nice woman.

Although there was controversy over the subject about whether or not Wuornos’s acts were justifiable, even the people who believed in her innocence couldn’t deny the evidence surmounted against her. The forensics researched at the scene of the crime where Robert Mallory was murdered did not place him in a crime scene where rape could have occurred, but Aileen continued to protest that he did try to rape her. As Basilio states “Wuornos’s trial followed a number of cases that prompted debates about the categorization of sexual harassment, rape, and battered wife syndrome, in which repeated instances of abuse could justify acts of self defense.” (p.56) Although the fight a “fair” trial persisted, it became more and more evident that Wuornos’s word was unreliable and the jury convicted her and sentenced her to six death sentences.

It is quite possible that the glorifying of Wuornos’s acts went to her head, inflating her already enormous ego and confirming what she believed that what she did was the right thing to do. As media poured over Aileen’s story, her psychosis seemed to intensify, publicizing her in documentaries and movies. As Ramsey (2003) explains “Wuornos was alternately called a man-hating lesbian killer, America's first female serial killer or a feminist hero who murdered in self-defense.”(P.1) For Wuornos to be considered a hero, there must have been someone on her side, and she started to strongly defend herself as killing in self defense. Battered women syndrome played a strong role in her case, and women everywhere seemed to be defending her. To Aileen this was justification, to the judicial system, this was exactly what they needed. As time went on Aileen began to grow more delusional and backed herself into her own corner, although to her it felt like she was finally climbing out of a hole.

Psychopathic Characteristics

The behaviors she eventually came to display were extremely close to those that a psychopath would exhibit. There are many traits that a psychopathic serial killer can possess and of those defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wuornos collected many. According to The Federal Bureau of Investigation (2012) key factors to psychopathy (that Wuornos characterized) were,

a grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, and the manipulation of others. The affective traits include a lack of remorse and/or guilt, shallow affect, a lack of empathy, and failure to accept responsibility. The lifestyle behaviors include stimulation-seeking behavior, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and a lack of realistic life goals. The anti-social behaviors include poor behavioral controls, early childhood behavior problems, juvenile delinquency, and criminal versatility. (p. 247)

To break these traits down with the intention of describing them pertaining to Wuornos will allow a more informative and educated opinion about why Wuornos killed. Although she fit the mold for someone who should not have high self-esteem, she certainly thought of herself as someone who was desirable, prostituting herself to men from adolescence into adulthood. She also applied for many jobs that she was not qualified for, eventually becoming shocked at the fact that no one would hire her. This grandiose sense of self comes hand in hand with unrealistic life goals. Aileen wanted to become a police officer, and even though she was arrested many times, holding a criminal record, she believed that someday she would be on the police force.

Aileen’s lack of remorse and guilt is probably the biggest factor for why she should be placed in the psychopathic domain. After killing the first time, it was apparent she did not feel any remorse, as the body of Richard Mallory was riddled with bullet holes and left for dead. Not only did she feel no guilt for what she had to her first victim, but she continued on a killing spree that reached its stopping point at seven. There are many other cases that are said to have been committed by Wuornos, but none that can be justified. She certainly has a lack of empathy and in denying that she killed these men, took no responsibility for what she had done. She only took responsibility after she was arrested and in jail and had no way. Almost immediately Wuornos sold movie rights for her story when she was brought to prison, and this is a great example of lack of empathy as well. To sell movie rights for such horrific crimes can only be described as evil and certainly the opposite of compassionate.

Her impulsivity, irresponsibility, and poor behavioral controls can all be seen when she was in her adolescence as well as adulthood. Although each time she killed she claimed it was self defense because the person she was with was trying to rape her; however it’s hard to believe that the first time can be deemed from an act of impulsivity. She was never responsible for herself, never holding onto a long term job and always moving around. With no behavioral controls this influenced her constant need to get into fights and attract what most people would deem unwanted attention. Her early childhood problems and juvenile delinquency proved that her future would be an intensely rough one, and sadly a psychotic one that she had no chance of escaping.

Psychological Evidence

One of the major roles that serial killers almost always have is superficial charm, which is shocking because Aileen was a social outcast and unable to make friends easily. That is until she met Tyria Moore, her girlfriend during her killing spree. To Tyria, Aileen was the perfect lover and this was Aileen’s façade. Her ability to manipulate her girlfriend into thinking that she was a good person who truly cared and was compassionate allowed Tyria to feel for her in a relationship sense. She used her excessive skill in lying to achieve the goal of getting Tyria on her side. Aileen wanted this level of comfort between the two to eventually lead up to Tyria defending her, but unfortunately it did not work out in Aileens favor.

The psychological aspects of a serial killers mind can be many different things, however in the case of Wuornos it seems that her childhood trauma is what lead her to actually kill. The aggression she had pent up from her abusive past may have come out in reflections of her youth while being supposedly raped by the men she murdered. Although she didn’t think she was “crazy” she certainly contradicted herself with her rants in prison. Wuornos didn’t seem to stand a chance when it came to rehabilitating herself mentally, and as Arrigo and Griffin reinforce,

“Psychological conflicts cannot be resolved given inadequate mental representations and, thus, violence is seen as a solution. As such, the lack of internal representations of one’s self and of others translates into the experience of ideas and feelings that are acted upon physically” (P.5)

In the case of Aileen Wuornos, there truly will not be a definitive answer as to why she committed the murders she did. As is the case with most serial killers, unless they give a detailed reason behind it, there is no certainty; and even then, the question about whether or not you can trust them comes up. As for incentive, Fox and Levin (1994) best describe it as, “regarding motivation, the study concludes that most serial murderers do not kill for love, money, or revenge, but rather for the psychological stimulation and relief that it brings from an intolerably painful, powerless, and mundane existence” (p. 29).

As much as one would like to try and empathize with the mind of a serial killer, it is exceedingly difficult. Although there are cases such as Wuornos, where being able to understand what brought her to the path she went down, it remains a fact that murder is unacceptable and that consequences will find you. Aileen Wuornos was known to have said how much she hated human beings and that was the specific reason she killed. Her reasoning for hating human beings may be justifiable to a point, but her logic for killing them is inexcusable. Her actions are inexcusable and now to the world she will be a story that headlines in entertainment media, and everyone will forever call her, just as the Blockbuster movie portrayed, a “Monster.”

Movies and Monsters

Aileen agreed to make a documentary during her time in prison. Directed by Nick Broomfield (2003) she comes across just as one would assume her to be, lavishly insane and a bit in denial about the world around her. The accusations she makes during one scene in the documentary allows the viewer to see Wuornos in an incredibly creepy view point. The actuality of Wuornos’s disillusions and sense of self grandiose, plays through during an interview she partakes in during the film when she speaks about being framed by the police; claiming that the police knew she had killed Richard Mallory and her fingerprints were everywhere but the cops hid them, allowing them to hide the evidence and let her continue to kill the other men because they “wanted” her to kill them. Further along in the movie she states “Did you know that they were serviling me before I killed and that I knew it and that it was covered up.” This obscene statement shows her as a delusional and untrustworthy culprit, though she was clearly trying to use it to support her innocence.

Unfortunately in today’s society, glorifying hateful acts seems to be part of the job of the media. Aileen was depicted in a movie titled “Monster” and her story was told to the world. This is disturbing given the amount of television that children are exposed to in the 21st century. However, on the more positive side of the situation, exposing this type of irrational behavior is beneficial to the public as well. It gives them a chance to understand the personality traits of a serial killer and to bring awareness to the situation.

Conclusion

It seems that Aileen Wuornos had completely detached herself from feeling any emotion at all because of her horrific past. She may have subconsciously done it, or her chemical make up may have placed her memories away for her. No matter what the reasoning behind her killing spree, she is still considered one of the most notorious and psychotic serial killers of all time. She will remain in the history of the most brutal crimes committed and although a terrible human being she remains horrifyingly interesting to millions of people all over the world. Wuornos absolutely fulfilled the role of serial killer without even trying. It seemed that she was almost destined from the beginning to become one of the most controversial serial killers of all time. Her diagnosis of being a psychopath is as close to definitive as one could get, unfortunately now that her death sentence has been carried out, there is no way to confirm what any psychologist may or may not believe. The concept of a serial killer is foreign to most people, categorizing them as a psychopath may be the easiest way to understand it. What is known though, is that Wuornos embraced being a serial killer in an eerie fashion that will take decades to try and figure out.

References

Arrigo, B., & Griffin, A. (2004). Serial Murder and the case of Aileen Wuornos: Attachment Theory, Psychopathy, and Predatory Aggression. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 22(3), 19.

Basilio, M. (1996). Corporal Evidence Representations of Aileen Wuornos. Art Journal, 55(4), 56-61.

Broomfield, N. (Director). (2007). Life and Death of a Serial Killer [Documentary]. United States: YouTube.

Florida bar, motel made famous by serial killer Aileen Wuornos attracts visitors from across country. (2013). The Daily News, N/A, 3.

Fox, J., & Levin, J. (1994). Overkill: Mass Murder and Serial Killing Exposed. NCJRS, N/A, 279.

Groth, A. (1979). Sexual Trauma in the Life Histories of Rapists and Child Molesters. Victimology, 4(1), 10-16.

Johnston, J. (2012). Female Serial Killers Silent But Deadly. The Human Equation, N/A, 1.

Myers, W. (2005). The Role of Psychopathy and Sexuality in a Female Serial Killer. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 50(1-6), 29.

Ramsey, N. (2003, December 30). Portraits of a Social Outcast Turned Serial Killer; Finding a Tragic, Searching Figure Beyond a Murderer's Dark Side. New York Times, p. 2.

Serial Murder Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. (2012). The Federal Bureau of Investigation, N/A, 61.