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Monster or Martyr: The Case Against Aileen Wuornos Examined
Audio is available on Spreaker — see link below.
She was convicted as a predator, but the full record of Aileen Wuornos — the abusive childhood, the suppressed evidence, the lover who sold her out — raises questions that a death sentence closed without answering. This episode examines the gap between the story the world was told and what the case actually showed.
Audio is available on Spreaker — see link below.
Most people think they know Aileen Wuornos. They've seen the movie.
She was born in Rochester, Michigan, in February of nineteen fifty-six. Her father never raised her.
In nineteen eighty-six, Wuornos was thirty years old. She walked into the Zodiac, a gay bar in South Daytona, and met a motel maid named Tyria Moore.
Mallory was fifty-one years old. He ran an electronics store in Clearwater.
The investigation began moving in late nineteen ninety. Police recovered a palm print from the abandoned vehicle of Peter Siems, one of the victims whose body was never located.
Wuornos was tried for six of the seven killings. The seventh victim, whose identity she confirmed, was never found, and that case was handled differently.
The years on death row were not quiet. Wuornos made public statements that grew increasingly erratic.
In two thousand and three, Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Wuornos in the film Monster. The performance was praised for its physical transformation and its emotional commitment.
Here's where it actually lands. Aileen Wuornos killed seven men.
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