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Essay on Aileen Wuornos

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Hannah Velez FLM 400 Final Paper Aileen Wuornos: The Dark Tale of One Woman’s Descent into Infamy When did it all begin? Technically, Aileen became a murderer on December 1, 1989 when 51-year-old electrics shop owner Richard Mallory picked her up on I-75 (8) and together they drove off into the woods to meet an uncertain fate. But when did the murderous creature that is Aileen Wuornos come to be? She began prostituting herself as age 9 (5), without so much as an assault charge related to her profession for 24 years while working the streets. Yes, she was a hitchhiking prostitute that became famous for murdering and robbing seven of her johns, but what was it in her that snapped? What caused her transformation from a hooker into a …show more content…

The two women were together for over three years when one day Aileen returns home to the motel room which they rented, but this time she had a car with her that she claimed she borrowed from a friend (5). From December 1, 1989 to November 19, 1990 Aileen was responsible for the deaths of seven men, all of who were johns of hers (7): Richard Mallory, December 1, 1989; Dick Humphreys, May 19, 1990; Charles Carskaddon, May 31 1990; Troy Burress, July 30, 1990; Peter Siems, September 11, 1990; Walter Antonio, November 19, 1990; and David Spears, May 19, 1990. David Spears was the only man she was not convicted of killing. She carried a gun with her at all times; the murder weapon was a .22 caliber handgun – a small gun, generally carried by women and generally intended for self-defense. During her many trials, the recovered handgun, which Aileen had dumped in a river, was forensically matched to four of her victims (5). Aileen’s modus operandi was very consistent across all of her crimes. She would pick up men as a hitchhiker, usually along I-75 (3). Once in the vehicle, she would tell a sob story about trying to save up money to send for her children (she had no dependents) and ask if there was anything she could do for them in exchange for a little cash. She and the john would then drive off into the woods and settle on what services they wanted and what the price would be. In interviews she

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