Original subtitles

[reporter] Authorities call her the first true female serial killer.

[reporter] America's first female serial killer.

[Taylor] It was like a media firestorm.

Do we really have a female

suspected of killing these guys?

[reporter] Serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

[reporter] Police say Aileen Wuornos terrorized men along

Florida's highways, luring them into her web of death.

The very first time that I had

face-to-face contact with Aileen Wuornos

was to remove Aileen to the Ocala Marion County Jail.

There were three of us, plus Aileen Wuornos.

So, how long would it take

for a trial for something like this?

A year? Two years?

[Taylor] The atmosphere inside the vehicle was pretty relaxed.

It's just like you and I are talking now.

I was just thinking about what I told the guys yesterday.

See, I was a professional hooker,

and these guys would take my offer.

Most of the time I was drunk as hell.

But I'd give them a little shit sometimes, you know,

and they'd start getting rough with me.

Anything that's spontaneously uttered, that's fair game.

So, you know, you let 'em talk, let 'em sink

their own ship.

I think to myself,

why are you giving me such hell?

You know, I'm just...

Just trying to make my money and you're giving me a hassle.

I've been raped nine times in my life.

I've been beat up so bad,

you couldn't describe me.

That's tough.

[Taylor] You look at how her life started out, to think that

someone that young had so many traumatic experiences

in her life.

Aileen had an upbringing that was just crushing.

She was homeless and she was living in the woods.

[Lori] We were 13 at that time.

She got pregnant and then she got sent away

to an unwed mother's home to have a baby

and she put the baby up for adoption.

She had a little boy and it was such a shock.

[Dawn] Then the grandpa kicked her out of the house.

And I'll say, families, they didn't talk

about that.

They didn't want their friends to know

that one of their children had a baby

or was pregnant or anything. They would hide that stuff.

I really had very little contact

with her over the years. She would appear

every so often.

A few years later,

I got married and had my baby

and we moved into a nice house.

And I remember Dawn came to me,

and Dawn's got tears in her eyes telling me that Aileen is

living out in the woods.

And she's telling me she has nowhere to go.

It's freezing cold.

So she's telling me,

"Please, can she come live with you?"

You know, I had kind of forgotten, you know,

some of her oddities. And I said, "OK."

[tense music playing]

Immediately, I felt the vibes.

I felt the strangeness all over again.

[clears throat] You OK?

Yeah, guess so.

[Lori] But then it wasn't very long

after that that we got a phone bill...

[Aileen] Oh! [laughing]

...that was horrendous for the time, in the '70s,

for a couple of teenagers with a baby to have.

Yeah. yeah, yeah.

[Lori] It was at least $150.

And it was all these long-distance phone calls that

she made to Florida.

My husband, he confronted her.

He said, "Give me the key, you're outta here."

A day or two later,

we're sitting in the living room watching TV.

I can remember this like it was yesterday.

[laughs]

[loud knocking on door]

Who's there?

[gasps]

[Lori] All of a sudden, somebody kicked the door open,

and it was two big guys with Aileen.

I'm here for my stuff.

[Lori] We were pretty shook up.

We didn't know if they were gonna, you know, hurt us.

Thankfully, this was about 15 years before she decided

to go on her killing spree.

[Taylor] There was a pre-trial hearing.

They played the tape recordings of the prison calls that Aileen

had made to her girlfriend Tyria.

[Aileen and Tyria speaking]

[crying]

It was the ultimate humiliation for Aileen.

It was proof that Tyria was working with the police.

Aileen was completely broken.

It was devastating to her.

[Dawn] When she was in prison, she would write me

these letters, saying how she was angry and saying that she's

innocent and stuff like that.

[as Aileen] "Dear Dawn,

"love to tell you what's going on with the case,

but I would jeopardize a very severe matter if I did."

[thunders rambling in the distance]

[Kassewitz] I worked many cases as a private investigator

where people were accused of murder.

What I became very good at was

finding the mistakes they made in cases.

"Dateline" and many other shows began to use me

in more and more high-profile investigations.

So I was brought on board to work a story for "Dateline"

about Aileen.

Aileen said

the reason that she killed Richard Mallory

is that he tried to rape her.

She also alleged he had been in prison.

What I gotta tell you as an investigator,

that's where I'm gonna look first!

I discovered Richard Mallory had been in a place called

the Patuxent Institution for the criminally insane.

So I called Patuxent

and I said, "I'm calling from 'Dateline' and I'm trying to see

if you had an inmate named Richard Mallory there."

She puts me on hold.

She comes back five minutes later and says,

"Yes, he was here

"for attempted sexual assault.

"And he was here many years.

"And while he was here, he attempted a rape

of a guard."

So now those are bells going off in my head.

[Taylor] Richard Mallory spent 10 years of incarceration

for the unlawful entering of a home with the intent

to commit a sexual assault or rape.

Could that have lent some benefit or some credibility

to her whole self-defense argument?

Absolutely.

[as attorney] Well, the trial is coming up, and we are fighting

to let the jury hear about Mallory's past.

But it's not guaranteed.

It might be ruled inadmissible.

But he's a convicted rapist. He tried to rape me.

It will be at the judge's discretion.

This is unbelievable.

But the judge ruled that it was too far removed,

that it wasn't relevant,

and it was withheld from the jury.

[Kassewitz] After all this evidence came out about Richard Mallory,

why did they deny that?

[Taylor] So now to escape the death penalty,

she had one shot, one shot only.

And that was to convince the jury that she had killed

Richard Mallory in self defense.

[Aileen] "Dear Dawn,

"I decided to testify for myself.

"They'll hear blow-by-blow

"from the horse's mouth what happened.

"And as for what really went down with Mallory...

"The world

will learn come trial time."

[reporter] 34-year-old Aileen Wuornos goes on trial for killing

Clearwater Video Store owner Richard Mallory,

whose body was found in Ormond Beach three years ago.

Her attorneys say insanity will not be a defense.

[distorted noise on radio]

[reporter] 35-year-old prostitute Aileen Wuornos says that

she killed seven middle-aged men in self-defense.

There was media from local affiliates.

There were national news outlets there.

It was a circus.

The media was all over this case.

It literally was a feeding frenzy.

The courtroom was full to see the world's

first female serial killer.

[Jarvis] Everyone wanted to hear what she had to say.

Everyone wanted to listen.

When she comes in, it was like a hush came over the courtroom.

Raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you give

to this court will be the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth so help you God?

- [Aileen] I swear. - Thank you.

Because Richard Mallory's past had not been revealed

to the jury,

Aileen had to make sure

that they believed she was acting in self defense.

It was a matter of life and death for Aileen.

- Can you hear me? - Yeah.

OK, if you can't hear me at any time, let me know.

OK.

She didn't have anything else

to count on at that point.

- OK? - OK.

- How old are you? - 35.

[Jarvis] Aileen testified very graphically

what had happened in the car.

It took a lot of people by surprise

because these weren't events that had really been known

by most people

prior to the trial.

And I was really pissed.

She came across as being credible

and I think believable.

[Taylor] Her testimony was riveting.

She was adamant that she killed him in self-defense.

[Kassewitz] Richard Mallory was in prison

for doing exactly what she said.

It's not too much of a leap of faith to say he probably

did try to rape her.

If a jury heard that, they may have said,

"You know, this was self-defense."

This evidence was not allowed to be introduced.

The judge did wrong, in my opinion,

and he should be ashamed.

[Taylor] Now she had to convince the jury that

she had killed in self-defense.

She knew everything was on the line,

because if the jury didn't believe her,

she would pay for it with her life.

At Aileen's trial, the jury was not allowed to hear evidence

of Richard Mallory's background concerning sex offenses

in the state of Maryland.

However, they were allowed to hear evidence

involving six other murders that Aileen had confessed to.

I think the judge did wrong, in my opinion,

because now the jury's tainted.

She was on trial for Richard Mallory,

not the other six.

[Taylor] I testified in her trial to the facts

of the Richard Humphreys case.

[Taylor] We're at the location where

the body of Richard Humphreys was located.

It was just a few feet from where I'm standing now.

You can actually see where

a drainage culvert would have been,

and he was actually found on his side

by that culvert.

Richard Humphreys' pants were not undone.

The zipper was not down. The shirt was not unbuttoned.

There was no evidence of sex whatsoever.

We could determine that his pants pocket had been

pulled inside out,

which was suggestive of the crime of robbery.

He's in a defensive-type posture.

His hands are up.

One went through the open hand.

That doesn't lend itself to someone arguing that

they were being violently attacked

and they had to kill someone in self-defense.

[gun shot fired]

[Jarvis] The moment of the trial that was rather explosive,

that's when Tyria, Aileen's girlfriend,

was called to take the witness stand.

Any chance of being found not guilty was for Tyria to say

Aileen killed in self defense.

[Jarvis] Aileen's claim was that she was the victim

of Richard Mallory, that it was self defense.

And having a girlfriend that would back her up would go

a long way to verify that.

In December 1989, she came to you and she said,

"I've gotta tell you something."

- Right? - Right.

[attorney] Can you tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury

how that conversation began and what transpired?

Aileen had believed that Tyria would back her up.

Her girlfriend, the girl that she protected,

the girl that she didn't want to see get in any trouble,

testifying against her was the ultimate betrayal.

And you could see it. You could see

she hung her head.

She was devastated. The betrayal, it broke her.

Another gut punch in her long life of being betrayed

by those that she thought loved her.

[as attorney] This way.

[Taylor] 91 minutes, that's all it took

for the jury to come back with a verdict.

[Taylor] Throughout the trial, she sat there, docile.

But after the verdict, then that switched,

and you could see it, instantaneous.

The anger, the rage, and she used some colorful

metaphors directed solely at the jury.

[Aileen speaking]

In DeLand, Florida tomorrow, a judge will sentence

the first female serial killer

ever brought to trial in this country.

[Taylor] She was sentenced to death by Judge Blount.

I've been to a lot of sentencing hearings in my time.

That is the first time I have ever heard a judge say,

"May God have mercy on your corpse."

The judge did not believe she had a soul.

[Aileen speaking]

Therefore these proceedings are now concluded.

[Taylor] She went crazy. She went ballistic.

It was in the blink of an eye, the instant rage, hatred.

[Taylor] After she was convicted and sentenced to death,

Aileen fired her defense team.

She then hired a local attorney out of Ocala by the name

of Steven Glazer.

[singing] Oh, oh, oh, yes.

I'm a public defender.

[reporter] This is Lee Wuornos's lawyer.

[singing] If you want to plead out, that's what I'm all about.

Just sign this no-contest plea.

Being a musician,

I'm an entertainer.

I thought with Aileen's case, being in front of the cameras,

I was an entertainer.

That's what I did for a living. I entertained people.

When I do a jury trial, I had to convince people

my client's not guilty.

And that's showbiz to me. That's still showbiz.

When she was convicted and given the death penalty,

automatically,

Florida statutes kick in, and she gets

an automatic appeal.

I went down to death row, Broward Correctional.

I've been to a lot of prisons, but death row is

something else.

When those doors slam, they slam.

And they put us in this little room when I first met her.

And I was afraid.

She could probably take me in a fight, I'm sure.

How you holding up?

OK, I guess.

Another day in paradise.

[Steven] She has borderline personality disorder, so you never know

when she's gonna turn on you.

So knowing all this,

our first meeting together was really pleasant.

If you can make friends with somebody who killed

seven people, I think I did it.

Because she knew she was facing the death penalty.

And the only way out of it was to lie,

say she was the victim.

All seven were self defense. No one can judge that but God.

[Dawn] I'd go visit her in prison on death row.

Every time I visited her, I had to get her two calzones,

two pops, and two bags of potato chips.

[Aileen] Dawn!

[both chuckling]

It's good to see you, Dawn.

On death row, that's when you need

your best friend the most.

Look at you.

You're burdened.

I told her, "You need to start telling the truth

"about everything with the men you killed.

"'Cause they had wives and family members.

"These guys, they probably picked you up to

"get you out of the rain, and then you come on to them,

"you know, for money and all that, but you're making them

"look like this god-awful, terrible person that's going

out on their wives and their girlfriends and all that."

I said, "That's just sad."

You know I'm a good person.

I would never hurt nobody.

But when I was drinking with these guys

when they started messing with me...

Well, I'd get just as violent as they would get with me.

To try to protect myself.

Aileen.

It's time to drop the BS.

My job is to do what the client wants.

It's not my job to pass judgment or point a finger.

I'm trying to save her life.

I don't wanna go through this shit anymore.

No more appeals.

[Steven] It was her choice.

I really,

really wanna get right with God.

Let me die.

If you wanna know where Jesus is,

Jesus is on death row.

Everybody on death row finds religion.

Lee was no different.

Coming to God was her only way to absolve herself.

I'm very sorry for the family members,

what happened to your husbands.

And what will happen to me in the execution chamber

will be justifiable.

And I killed those men.

I robbed them, and I killed them as cold as ice.

And I'd do it again, too, and I know I'd kill

another person 'cause I've hated humans for a long time.

It's sad.

But I'm coming clean.

[Taylor] It was amazing.

She finally confessed that the six murders

after Richard Mallory were not acts of self-defense.

They were cold-blooded killings.

[crying]

[as Tyria] "Dear Lee, Hi.

"Sorry it took me so long to write back.

"Only you and the Lord know what happened out there,

"and you have to live with that.

"I only know what you told me,

"and you never said it was self-defense.

"I really did love you a lot, and I was ready to spend

"the rest of my life with you.

"I just don't understand why you hurt me so much.

"If I knew that our phone conversations were going to

"become public record,

"I would have never allowed them to be recorded.

"I can't believe you would think that I didn't care about you.

"Maybe someday we'll see each other and get to talk

"about all of this.

"Until then, you keep your chin up and remember

"I always think about you.

"I'll never quit caring.

Love ya, Tyria."

[Dawn] My last visit

for her last meal,

she told me what she wanted, her calzones and her candy bar

and her pops and all that.

We had such a good visit.

We laughed through the whole thing.

She says, "Will you kneel down and pray with me first?"

Will you seal me in the blood of Jesus Christ?

And I said, "I don't know if I'm qualified for that,

but sure, I guess." So I stood up behind her,

and I said, "OK."

And so I touched the floor.

I touched her shoulder.

Touch the top of her head.

Touched her other shoulder.

And I says...

Now, Aileen, you have been

sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

So you have nothing but sweet dreams tonight,

knowing that you're going home to God in the morning.

[Aileen] I love you, Dawn.

[Dawn] I have a picture where I put my arm on her shoulder.

We know it was our final goodbye.

[reporter] There are two countdowns here at the Last Resort Biker Bar.

One is to Biketoberfest, and the other countdown is

to the execution of Aileen Wuornos,

female serial killer.

The bar owner hopes several folks make it

to the Wuornos execution gathering

here at the Last Resort.

It will also be an opportunity

to pick up an Aileen Wuornos t-shirt.

Just packed with people.

[Loukia] You had a lot of media outside too that day?

[Steven] I stopped the contact, and then I never heard

from her again.

I was gonna go out to

the prison, but I didn't

because of the TV cameras and the news.

I didn't want any part of it anymore.

But I felt like I should have been with her.

[Beth] People, they're gonna remember her as the woman

that killed seven men.

They're gonna remember her as the monster.

Not being respectful to the victim's families.

But she was a...

woman that did terrible things,

but she wasn't a monster.

[Steven] With her mental health limitations, it had to be

so incredibly difficult to cope.

Just cope with anything, let alone yourself.

I think that's what kind of turned her into a killer.

[Loukia] Aileen, she was damaged,

mentally fractured.

She was angry.

I don't condone what she did.

She killed people. That is wrong.

But she was also wronged.

And she

did not have the ability to turn her life around.

And that is, to me, the saddest part of it.

[Jarvis] To this day, there are people that feel that

she was the victim. She was, uh,

not rightfully tried or convicted.

[Taylor] She intentionally made decisions to kill,

and it resulted in seven people being killed.

But, you know, the human part of me does have

some compassion where, "Did she really ask

to be a killer?"

[Lori] All of the events that happened in her life,

who can survive that? Get tossed from here to there

and then be abused by every person around you?

[Dawn] I can't imagine how hard her life had to have been.

After everything she went through,

she wanted to be off this earth.

Aileen Wuornos' brief one-minute final statement,

she alluded to the fact of--

that she would be sailing away with the rock.

I'm sailing with a rock and I'll be back.

Like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6,

like the movie,

big mothership and all, and I'll be back.

I'll be back.

[crying]