Serial Killers: Aileen Wuornos

Aileen Wuornos (1956-2002) was an American serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. She was one of the few female serial killers in the U.S. to receive widespread media attention, and her case sparked debates about trauma, self-defense claims, and how the justice system treats women who kill. The murders: 1989-1990
Wuornos worked as a highway sex worker along Florida's interstates. Between November 1989 and November 1990, she shot and killed seven men: 1. Richard Mallory, 51 - electronics shop owner, convicted rapist

2. David Spears, 43 - construction worker
3. Charles Carskaddon, 40 - rodeo worker
4. Peter Siems, 65 - retired merchant seaman; his car was found with Wuornos's palm print
5. Troy Burress, 50 - sausage salesman
6. Charles "Dick" Humphreys, 56 - retired Air Force major, former police chief
7. Walter Jeno Antonio, 62 - trucker, security guard, reserve police officer

Modus operandi: She claimed each man had tried to rape or assault her during a sex work encounter, and that she shot them in self-defense. Prosecutors argued the killings were premeditated robbery. The men were found shot multiple times with a .22 caliber pistol, their bodies dumped in wooded areas. She often took their cars and belongings.