Aileen Wuornos' full story is told in a new Netflix documentary. Photo / Netflix
Twenty-three years after her death penalty was carried out, female serial killer Aileen Wuornos is back in the news.
The story of the notorious figure has been thrust back into the public consciousness because of Netflix’s new documentary, Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, which has secured a spot in the top 10 watches on the streaming platform since its October 30 release.
The doco, directed by Emily Turner, revisits Aileen’s complex life and the horrid crimes she committed – including the murder of seven men across central Florida.
Through never-before-seen footage such as real-life interviews, police tapes, archived materials (including raw footage from former Dateline correspondent Michele Gillen), court recordings and candid moments with the woman herself from behind bars, viewers are given a rare glimpse into the real life of America’s first female serial killer.
And for the first time, they are given a possible explanation as to why the confessed “wild boozing lesbian prostitute” turned into the woman she was.
Of course, it’s not the first time we’ve heard Wuornos’ story.
The notorious figure became well known around the globe when actor Charlize Theron took on the role in Monster, a 2003 film that gained the star much praise during award season.
Theron transformed her physical appearance for the role, gaining at least 11kg, donned prosthetic teeth and shaved her eyebrows to portray her real-life character.
The role earned her a gong for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards and another for Best Actress in a motion picture at the Golden Globe Awards in the same year.
Theron’s role was hailed as “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema” by film critic Roger Ebert.
Wuornos was a sex worker who murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990, shooting them dead along major highways across central Florida.
After an intense investigation, she was finally apprehended in January 1991 and formally convicted of multiple murders.
Her first reported murder was that of 51-year-old shop owner Richard Mallory in 1989. He was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest two weeks after he engaged with Wuornos. Throughout the investigation, Wuornos maintained that she killed Mallory in self-defence after he raped and physically assaulted her.
Construction worker David Spears, 47, followed with Wuornos reportedly shooting him six times in 1990. Her third victim, Charles Carskaddon, 40, also met with his death the same year.
Retiree Peter Siems was alleged to be her next killing. While the body of the 65-year-old was never found, Wuornos’ palm print was found on the handle of his car door. She was not formally charged for his murder.
Salesman Troy Burress, 50, and former police chief Charles Richard “Dick” Humphreys, 56, were next in line followed by her final murder in 1990, shooting dead 62-year-old security guard Walter Jeno Antonio.
After serving six years on death row, she was executed by lethal injection in Florida in 2002.
She reportedly declined her final meal, requesting a simple cup of coffee and spent her final evening with her childhood friend, Dawn.
Her final words were: “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus, June 6. Like the movie, big mother ship and all, I’ll be back.”
Born in Michigan in 1956 to devout Christian parents, Wuornos’ childhood is best described as troubled.
She was raised by her grandparents after her mother left when she was 4 years old, which fuelled her lifelong struggle with abandonment issues. Her father was jailed for seven years for abusing a 7-year-old girl before taking his own life in prison.
Wuornos fell pregnant at the age of 14 after being raped and was reportedly sent to a residence for unwed mothers. She was forced to give up her son for adoption after his birth and when her grandparents died, she was turned over to state care with her brother.
Wuornos spent the majority of her younger life living in and out of various foster homes and documents years of abuse she endured as a child before ultimately running away to live a life off the streets.
In her early 20s, she hit the road hitchhiking through Florida, supporting herself through prostitution and minor crime.
Her tough life meant that Wuornos was forced to fend for herself on the streets, forcefully admitting “I’m tough!” in one recorded interview.
In a twist that no one – apart from maybe Wuornos herself – could’ve predicted, viewers have been left torn over the newly released documentary, with some claiming it has completely changed their views on what unfolded in Wuornos’ life.
“The new Aileen Wuornos documentary pissed me off so bad. She had an awful life. She was a victim of misogyny, sexism and homophobia. Didn’t deserved to be on death row. F*** the judge, the prosecutor, the reporters and anyone who didn’t showed her a little bit of sympathy,” one person slammed on X.
“I visited the bar where serial killer Aileen Wuornos got captured. I’ve watched docs about dozens of serial killers, and she’s the only one I’ve felt sympathy for. If you’re not familiar with her, read up about her online and watch the movie Monster with Charlize Theron,” another commented.
And another shared: “Aileen Wuornos’ story broke my heart. A woman crushed by cruelty and failed by justice. They ended her life instead of saving her. Rest in peace, Lee, the world let you down.”
Meanwhile, other viewers said the detailed doco managed to confirm their conflicted feelings about the killer.
“I have watched different documentaries about Aileen Wuornos yet I’m always ready to watch a new one. This Netflix documentary is so much more detailed, I would say. It confirms what I always believed: Aileen Wuornos should never have been executed. Life in prison, best option,” another added.
The social reaction to the doco is exactly what director Emily Turner was aiming for – a push to understand Wuornos’ “why”.
“She is so confusing and so complex, which runs so in the face of how we like women to be,” she told Tudum.
“And something that felt really important to me was that we weren’t here to make an apology piece about what she’d done. I hope that people come to really different conclusions.”
By telling her story through unseen, archived footage, creators were able to present Wuornos as a traumatised character drawn to a life she didn’t want – and from there, though they can’t change any outcome, viewers can come to their own conclusions.
“It’s so much easier to write off someone who’s done such heinous acts as a cold-blooded murderer [rather than] a deeply damaged human,” Turner said. “Actually, she was made, and that’s chilling.”
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is now streaming on Netflix and you can catch Charlize Theron’s portrayal as the controversial figure on Tubi.
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