What happened to Aileen Wuornos? All about the life (and death) of Aileen: Queen of the Serial Ki...

Wuornos was sentenced to death for her crimes. What happened to Aileen Wuornos? All about the life (and death) of Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers Wuornos was sentenced to death for her crimes. By Allison DeGrushe :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/allisondegrusheEWbiophotoe5f8e89253c84b7085a43c502a3051a4.jpg) Allison DeGrushe Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at . She has been working at since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify. EW's editorial guidelines October 30, 2025 10:21 a.m.

Wuornos was sentenced to death for her crimes.

What happened to Aileen Wuornos? All about the life (and death) of Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers

Wuornos was sentenced to death for her crimes.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 30, 2025 10:21 a.m. ET

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Aileen Wuornos in court, as seen in 'Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers'. Credit:

- Aileen Wuornos was convicted of murdering six male motorists between between 1989 and 1990.

- She was arrested in January 1991 and later sentenced to death.

- Her story is the subject of a new Netflix documentary, *Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers*.

Between 1989 and 1990, a string of brutal murders in Florida thrust Aileen Wuornos into the public eye and made her one of America's most infamous killers. For decades now, the case has sparked debate over how her tragic upbringing may or may not have contributed to her crimes.

Now, Netflix is revisiting the complex case in *Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers*, a documentary premiering Thursday, Oct. 30. The film offers audiences a closer look at Wuornos' life, drawing on candid recordings, archival footage, and "never-before-seen death row interviews with Aileen herself," according to a synopsis.

Below, we look back at what happened to Aileen Wuornos, from her early years to her arrest and death.

Who was Aileen Wuornos?

Aileen Wuornos via the Florida Department of Corrections.

Florida DOC/Getty

Wuornos was born in Troy, Mich. in 1956. Her mother abandoned her as a baby, and her father later died by suicide in prison while serving time for a child sex crime, according to the *Los Angeles Times*.

She and her brother were raised by their grandparents, though Wuornos later alleged her grandfather was abusive. Wuornos also claimed to have had a sexual relationship with her brother.

At just 13, she became pregnant. She would later allege, per the *Tampa Bay Times*, that it was the result of rape, though no police report was ever filed. She gave birth to a son, who was given up for adoption.

By her early teens, she was drinking heavily and using drugs. She dropped out of high school and hitchhiked across the country, reportedly supporting herself with odd jobs and prostitution.

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Wuornos arrived in Florida in 1976 and quickly married a much older man. Their union ended a little over a month later, with each accusing the other of domestic violence.

Legal troubles soon followed. In 1981, Wuornos was arrested for holding up a convenience store for $33. She served a year in prison.

Following her release, Wuornos continued drifting until 1986, when she met and fell in love with a 28-year-old woman named Tyria Moore. The couple moved in together, with Wuornos supporting them through her sex work.

Three years later, Wuornos began the killing spree for which she would be remembered, murdering at least six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. As reported by the *Los Angeles Times, *police said she "met her prey at truck stops or while hitchhiking and lured them off the road with the promise of sex."**

What happened to Aileen Wuornos?

Aileen Wuornos, as seen in 'Aileen: Life and Death Of A Serial Killer'.

Lafayette/Kobal/Shutterstock

Wuornos was arrested while drinking at the Last Resort Bar in Port Orange, Fla. on January 9, 1991. According to the *New York Times*, the arrest was on an outstanding charge of carrying a concealed weapon, but she was already suspected of the murders due to witness reports and prints lifted from a pawnshop item that belonged to one of the victims.

Following the arrest, police managed to convince her partner, Moore, to help coax a confession from Wuornos. Across several phone conversations, Wuornos admitted to multiple murders, but insisted that she'd acted in self-defense.

She pleaded not guilty at the trial for the murder of 51-year-old Richard Mallory, still claiming self-defense. "I had to kill them," she told police in a videotaped confession, per the* Los Angeles Times*. "It was self-defense. It was, like, 'Hey, man, I gotta shoot you, 'cause I think you're gonna kill me.'"

She added, "They crossed the line. They were gonna rape me, kill me, strangle me."

A jury found her guilty, and she went on to plead no contest or guilty to five more murders. In the end, Wuornos was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

In 1992, the *New York Times* reported that Wuornos claimed she'd been "tortured physically and psychologically" while in the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach, Fla.

She spent her time on death row at the Broward Correctional Institution before being moved to the Florida State Prison for her impending execution.

How did Aileen Wuornos die?

Aileen Wuornos, as seen in 'Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers'.

Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 10, 2002, per a *New York TImes *obituary. She was 46.

Her final words referenced the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster *Independence Day*, ''I'll be back like *Independence Day* with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mother ship and all. 'I'll be back.''

In the years since her death, Wuornos's story has been told on the screen several times, most famously in the 2003 film *Monster*. Charlize Theron portrayed Wuornos and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Where can I watch Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers?

Aileen Wuornos, as seen in 'Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers'.

*Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers* is now streaming on Netflix.

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Source: Movies

Published: November 03, 2025 at 05:39AM on Source: TRENDY MAG

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