Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos shot and robbed seven male motorists along Florida highways while working as a street prostitute. She was convicted of one murder, pleaded guilty or no contest to five others, and was executed in 2002 after more than a decade on death row.
The Last Resort - Port Orange, FL (7113274795) (cropped) — Credit: RustyClark (hottnfunkyradio.com) from merritt usland FLA · CC BY 2.0
Aileen Carol Wuornos (née Pittman, born February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan) was convicted of killing seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. She was raised by her maternal grandparents after her mother abandoned her and her brother in 1960; Wuornos later described extensive childhood physical and sexual abuse and became involved in sex work as a teenager. She had a lengthy record of prior arrests in Colorado, Michigan, and Florida before the killings, including convictions for armed robbery and various weapons and assault-related charges.
The seven victims, all men between the ages of 40 and 65 encountered while Wuornos was engaged in street prostitution, were: Richard Charles Mallory (killed November 30, 1989, body found December 13, 1989); David Andrew Spears (found dead June 1, 1990); Charles Edmund Carskaddon (killed May 31, 1990, found June 6, 1990); Peter Abraham Siems (missing after June 1990; his body was never recovered); Troy Eugene Burress (missing July 31, 1990, found August 4, 1990); Charles Richard "Dick" Humphreys (killed September 11, 1990, found September 12, 1990); and Walter Gino Antonio (found dead November 19, 1990). Victims were shot multiple times, generally with a .22-caliber weapon, and several of their vehicles or belongings were later recovered or pawned.
Wuornos was arrested on January 9, 1991, on an outstanding warrant for carrying a concealed weapon, having by then become a suspect based on witness descriptions from a car crash involving Siems' vehicle and fingerprint evidence linking her to a pawned item belonging to one of the victims. Her partner, Tyria Moore, cooperated with police and helped elicit a confession; Wuornos confessed to the killings on January 16, 1991, initially claiming the men had raped or attempted to rape her and that she acted in self-defense.
At trial beginning January 14, 1992, for the murder of Richard Mallory, prosecutors were permitted under Florida's Williams Rule to introduce evidence of her other killings. She was convicted of Mallory's murder on January 27, 1992, and sentenced to death four days later. She subsequently pleaded no contest to the murders of Humphreys, Burress, and Spears in March 1992, pleaded guilty to the Carskaddon murder in June 1992, and pleaded guilty to the Antonio murder in February 1993, receiving death sentences in each case for a total of six death sentences. No charges were brought in the death of Peter Siems because his body was never found.
Wuornos was held on death row at Broward Correctional Institution before being transferred to Florida State Prison, where she was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. In the years before her execution she gave a series of interviews to documentarian Nick Broomfield in which she made conflicting statements about whether the killings were committed in self-defense.
Charles Richard Humphreys, Charles Edmund Carskaddon, Richard Charles Mallory, Troy Eugene Burress, David Andrew Spears, Walter Gino Antonio, Peter Abraham Siems
Date
1989
Location
Central Florida (multiple counties along highways), Florida, United States
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1956-02-29
Aileen Carol Pittman (later Wuornos) born in Rochester, Michigan.
1989-11-30
Richard Charles Mallory killed, Wuornos' first victim.
1990-05-31
Charles Edmund Carskaddon killed.
1990-06
Peter Abraham Siems goes missing after leaving Jupiter, Florida for Arkansas; his body is never found.
1990-07-04
Siems' car found abandoned after a crash witnessed by Rhonda Bailey, leading to a media campaign to identify two women seen at the scene.
1990-07-31
Troy Eugene Burress reported missing.
1990-09-11
Charles Richard Humphreys killed.
1990-11-19
Walter Gino Antonio's body found near a logging road in Dixie County.
1991-01-09
Wuornos arrested at The Last Resort bar in Volusia County on an outstanding weapons warrant.
1991-01-16
Wuornos confesses to the killings after phone calls arranged by police with Tyria Moore.
1992-01-14
Trial begins for the murder of Richard Mallory.
1992-01-27
Wuornos convicted of Mallory's murder.
1992-01-31
Wuornos sentenced to death for Mallory's murder.
1992-03-31
Wuornos pleads no contest to the murders of Humphreys, Burress, and Spears.
1992-05-15
Wuornos given three more death sentences.
1992-06
Wuornos pleads guilty to the murder of Charles Edmund Carskaddon.
1992-11
Wuornos receives her fifth death sentence.
1993-02
Wuornos pleads guilty to the murder of Walter Antonio and is sentenced to death for a sixth time.
2002-10-09
Wuornos executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Bailey Sarian / 32 min
A True Monster or Victim? Aileen Wuornos - Mind of a Monster | Mystery & Makeup GRWM | Bailey Sarian
People
Charles Richard Humphreys
VICTIM
Retired Air Force major and former police chief killed September 11, 1990.
Charles Edmund Carskaddon
VICTIM
Part-time rodeo worker killed May 31, 1990; body found June 6, 1990.
Richard Charles Mallory
VICTIM
Electronics store owner killed November 30, 1989; body found December 13, 1989.
Troy Eugene Burress
VICTIM
Sausage salesman reported missing July 31, 1990; body found August 4, 1990.
David Andrew Spears
VICTIM
Construction worker; body found June 1, 1990.
Walter Gino Antonio
VICTIM
Trucker and reserve police officer found dead November 19, 1990.
Peter Abraham Siems
VICTIM
Retired merchant seaman reported missing in June 1990; body never found.
Aileen Wuornos
CONVICTED
Convicted of the murder of Richard Mallory; pleaded no contest or guilty to five additional murders; sentenced to death six times and executed in 2002.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
mugshot
Aileen Wuornos (4x5 cropped)
Credit: Florida Department of Corrections · Public domain · Source
archival location
The Last Resort - Port Orange, FL (7113274795) (cropped)
Credit: RustyClark (hottnfunkyradio.com) from merritt usland FLA · CC BY 2.0 · Source
mugshot
Wuornos
Credit: Florida Department of Corrections · Public domain · Source
mugshot
Aileen Wuornos
Credit: Florida Department of Corrections · Public domain · Source
Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos shot and robbed seven male motorists along Florida highways while working as a street prostitute. She was convicted of one murder, pleaded guilty or no contest to five others, and was executed in 2002 after more than a decade on death row.
Where did the murders happen?
Central Florida (multiple counties along highways), Florida, United States.
Who was convicted?
Aileen Wuornos (Convicted of the murder of Richard Mallory; pleaded no contest or guilty to five additional murders; sentenced to death six times and executed in 2002.).
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