Original subtitles

[tires crunching on debris]

[theme music]

NICK BROOMFIELD: It was here in these woods off Florida's I-75

that in the space of one year the police

found the bodies of seven men.

They were killed with this gun, a High Standard double 9.22.

Richard Mallory, Walter Antonio, Dick Humphreys, David Spears,

Charles Carskaddon, Peter Siems, and Troy Burress.

REPORTER [ON RADIO]: Eight men have been shot to death

in cold blood on central Florida highways,

including the busy tourist route of I-75.

But this time, there's an even more

chilling twist to the slayings.

Police say for the first time in criminal history,

these killers may be murdering with a feminine touch.

NICK BROOMFIELD: On January 9, 1991,

Aileen Carol Wuornos was arrested

in Daytona Beach, Florida.

She worked as a hitchhiking hooker.

-Oh.

-How are you doing?

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is the original police

video of Aileen Wuornos' confession.

NICK BROOMFIELD: The idea of a woman killing men,

a man-hating lesbian prostitute who tarnished the reputation

of all her victims, brought Aileen

Wuornos a special kind of hatred.

Terry Humphreys' father was a retired police chief.

-There wasn't any sex involved in my dad's murder.

They cut him-- they did an autopsy on my dad.

They wouldn't release his body for over a week.

They cut him from stem to stern.

There wasn't any semen there anywhere.

-You just cannot imagine the grief, the hurt,

the anguish that they have caused this family.

This is a man that I had for--

-I hope she meets up with quote, "Old Sparky."

You know who Old Sparky is.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Politicians and the Christian right

campaigned for Aileen Wuornos' execution.

-Because I'm tired of this reelection jazz.

They're just trying to get promotional ladder climbing,

political prestige from this.

And I'm sick and tired of this.

I'll probably get three more Death Row sentences.

And then I got to go to Pasco and Dixon

for two more d-- Death Row.

How many times you got to kill me, you know?

I mean, this is-- this is bullshit.

They don't need to be doing this.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Even Ted Bundy was offered life imprisonment.

This was never offered to Aileen Wuornos.

By the time I met Aileen, she already

had four death sentences.

But surprisingly, in an odd way, I

found her to be the most honest person involved in the case.

All the others, her lawyers, her born-again Christian mother,

the police, had all been involved

in trying to sell her story for as much money as possible.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hi.

How you doing?

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is Aileen when I first interviewed her

in 1992 for my original film, "The Selling

of a Serial Killer."

-I say it's this.

The principle is self-defense.

They say it's a number.

I say it's a principle.

To heck with what-- it-- it-- it has

nothing to do with the number killed.

It's the principle.

But they're saying, there's a number.

No.

Self-defense is self-defense, no matter how many times it is.

I don't care if it's 100 times.

I was very-- I never provoked those guys.

I never provoked them.

I never showed any provocations whatsoever.

I was very nice, very decent, very clean, very lady-like.

I didn't even swear in front of my clients.

And a lot of my clients and I talked about Jesus

and I talked political both mixed together

and we never argued.

NICK BROOMFIELD: My old film had ended with this announcement

of the resignation of Florida police officers

who had illicitly entered into Hollywood movie deals

to sell the story of America's first female serial

killer, the Aileen Wuornos story.

-Major Dan Henry resigned as Chief of Staff of the Marion

County Sheriff's Office after being notified

of an investigation being conducted by the Florida

Department of Law Enforcement.

The investigation being conducted by the Florida

Department of Law Enforcement centers

around taped telephone conversations

made by Deputy Munster between he

and Major Henry involving the Aileen Wuornos case.

NICK BROOMFIELD: There was speculation at the time

that if police officers did, in fact, receive money,

all Aileen Wuornos' death sentences could be overturned.

12 years later, Aileen is still on Death Row.

There was no proper investigation

into the police officers and their movie deals.

It all got covered over.

Aileen and I kept in touch over the years.

And then a few weeks ago I opened my front door,

and to my amazement, was served with a subpoena

to attend Aileen's final appeal before execution.

I had no idea how things would turn out

and that I'll be witnessing an execution

in 1 and 1/2 years' time.

This is Ocala, Florida.

All us witnesses were housed together in a motel.

-We're going to win this thing.

I'm telling you, we're going to win.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is Joe Hobson, Aileen's attorney.

Lawyers like Joe are kept very busy.

4,000 people are on Death Row waiting for execution.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK.

-OK.

What--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: You're not very good at wheeling this.

-I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, bro.

-And has this particular case been

stressful, the Aileen case?

-Uh, It's so important because this is the legal system in a--

in a phase where it's doing the most important thing it can

ever do, and that is taking a human life.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Mm-hm.

-It's more important than a money judgment

or an adjudication of guilt, or 30 years in prison.

And we've really got to be careful.

I mean, the whole system's got to be careful.

And my opinion and the whole gist of our motion

is that she's been failed by the legal system.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Joe Hobson felt that Aileen had been poorly

represented by her previous attorney, Dr. Legal.

-Most of us will probably never worry

about spending time in jail.

But if you're ever involved in the criminal justice system,

you will need a lawyer who can--

NICK BROOMFIELD: Joe Hobson was hoping to get Aileen a retrial

by discrediting Dr. Legal, otherwise known as Steve.

This is the Ocala Courthouse, where

we were going to spend the next week.

Steve the lawyer had made no attempt

to investigate the cops.

He plead guilty to all the murders

and didn't even try and make a deal for lesser sentence.

Aileen had no money to pay him, so Steve

used the money obtained from interview fees.

This man in front of me is the state prosecutor,

who wants to execute Aileen immediately.

This is the first time I've seen Steve for 11 years.

He said my film got him run out of town.

-Fuck you.

-What?

-Fuck you.

Fuck you and the [inaudible].

-I'm like, what are you reading?

-Fuck you and your documentaries.

-Well, nice to see you anyway.

-Don't talk to me.

-What?

-Don't talk to me.

BAILIFF [OFFSCREEN]: All rise, please.

Circuit Court is back in session.

-OK.

You may be seated.

All right.

Let's continue.

-Now, um, you were contacted by Mr. Broomfield in 1992.

Do you recall specifically charging, or attempting

to charge Mr. Broomfield $25,000 for an interview?

-I didn't attempt to charge anybody anything.

If Miss Wuornos asked me, Steve, I-- or told me,

Steve, I want $25,000 for this interview,

I would have passed that onto the person

who was interviewing.

But it's-- it's not my position to, um, um,

set fees or we didn't have a fee schedule.

-Will you admit at you're depicted on the movie

"The Selling of a Serial Killer" doing exactly that?

Trying to get $10,000-- or I think $25,000 for an interview?

-There's-- there's-- I don't think there's any evidence that

I tried to get $25,000 or anything.

-So the next stage is really to come up with a counteroffer?

-No, the next stage is to come up with $25,000.

-Right.

NICK BROOMFIELD: We're just talking to you about--

-But--OK. OK.

Well, then--

DIANE WUORNOS [OFFSCREEN]: Well then, do a counteroffer.

-If you're not, then the next thing to do is to really get

a counteroffer and let's-- and let's tell her something.

-So we would basically then pay the money to-- well,

we pay the money to you, or to, as her legal--

-As her mom, and then Steve gets a percentages as our agent.

-Right.

I see.

DIANE WUORNOS [OFFSCREEN]: Very tiny percentage.

This poor man works for nothing.

-Nick, wait a second.

What's Davy Crockett doing on the $100? bill?

Thank you, very much.

-Have you seen the-- Mr. Broomfield's production,

"The Selling of a Serial Killer?"

-Yes.

-OK.

And you've seen yourself depicted in that movie?

-Yes, sir.

-Do you recall joking in that movie

that your advice to any client facing the electric chair was,

to quote Woody Allen, don't sit down?

-I remember making a lot of jokes in that movie.

-Judge, we're talking about the depictions of Mr. Glazer

in the movie "The Selling of a Serial Killer,"

that the defendant submits fairly captures the essence

of his approach to a representation,

which clearly impeaches his claim that he had taken

this as an altruistic pro bono national lawyer's

guild [inaudible].

It helps establish the claim that all along his motive

in taking this case was the publicity

and the money to be made.

NICK BROOMFIELD: I have to say, I always liked Steve.

He was an old hippy from Micanopy

who was just way out of his depth.

-The only thing really to do here

is to have breakfast and then leave.

[all chuckle]

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is Dawn Botkins, Aileen's best friend.

-What was that little ditty you had about Ocala?

NICK BROOMFIELD: I really don't believe Steve took the case

on for money, but he was so inexperienced he

could only plead guilty for Aileen.

He didn't even have a fax machine or law office.

-When I was living in a tepee in Micanopy, I had--

I went through the whole thing, cows, chickens, geese, and--

DAWN BOTKINS [OFFSCREEN]: I got all that.

--pigs.

I had a cow called Sir Angus McBeef,

just so you know what he's going to be.

You know, you try to rationalize that you're

going into the refrigerator, you're going--

and that was the last meat I was able to eat.

DAWN BOTKINS [OFFSCREEN]: I guess

you can look at it that way.

-Yeah.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen lived in a total fantasy world.

She thought she'd get off the murders

and then live with this woman, Arlene Pralle,

a born-again Christian who had seen Aileen's picture

in the local newspaper and had adopted her.

Together, they planned to run a horse ranch

and raise she-wolves

Arlene Pralle, the born-again Christian,

hired Steve and persuaded Aileen to come clean with God

and plead guilty.

Steve had been advised that Aileen was paranoid

and suffered from borderline personality disorder,

but still went along with this cockeyed scheme.

Aileen seemed to think a miracle might happen,

and was outraged to receive three more death sentences.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: I sentence you

to death for the murder of Charles Humphreys, case number

91-112, Cypress County case number.

I sentence you to death for the murder of David Spears.

-Thank you.

And, I'll probably see you.

I'll be up in Heaven while ya'll are rotting in hell.

I hope they get whipped in the ass one of these days.

COURT OFFICIAL [OFFSCREEN]: Fifth Circuit to handle that.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: OK.

There will be an automatic appeal.

You have the right to an appeal.

Mr. Glazer is that going to be handled

by you or the public defender?

-May your wife and kids get raped--

-I would ask that you appoint the public defenders office.

--right in the ass.

I know I was raped and you ain't nothing but a bunch of scum.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Therefore, these proceedings

are now concluded.

-Putting somebody who was raped to death?

-All rise, please. Court will be adjourned.

-You bunch of motherfuckers!

NICK BROOMFIELD: In many Death Row cases, a client in despair

will say they want to die.

It was a measure of Steve the lawyer's inexperience

that he took Aileen's wish on face value.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Sir, will you come on up here, please?

NICK BROOMFIELD: I like to flatter myself

that I was being asked for my legal opinion.

But it turned out I was there to talk

about Steve's marijuana smoking.

The big question was whether Steve had consumed seven

very strong joints before giving Aileen legal advice in prison.

-You know, I've got a short video clip I want to show,

if I may.

It's an excerpt from the film that

depicts this alleged six, seven joint ride.

And as a preliminary question, isn't it true

that in doing your work, you routinely edit things, correct?

-Well, you always edit afterwards, yeah.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: And editing

involves cutting and pasting and putting things together.

-Mm-hm.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Correct?

-Yeah.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: And that's

what you do all the time?

-Well, I don't know about the pasting,

but you certainly can't.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Pasting in terms

of inserting and connecting and making things fit together.

-Correct.

-OK.

NICK [ON VIDEO]: It was 6 AM.

Steve said it was a seven joint ride to the prison

and he brought along a tape of his own music

with him singing and playing all the instruments,

especially for the occasion.

[music playing on video]

-OK.

Let's go back.

You recognize that?

-Yes.

Apol-- -That's your work, isn't it?

-I apologize for the quality.

It's not a very good copy.

-But that's still your work?

-Yes.

-You notice that the shirt that Mr. Glazer has on is white?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Uh-huh.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Now, here

he's got a blue shirt on, correct?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Maybe he changed his shirt.

I don't know.

I mean--

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: He had a blue shirt on.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And now he's got a white one on.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Now he's got a white shirt.

-Well, it's possible he changed his shirt.

I've-- I've got-- maybe he put a clean

white shirt on for the prison visit.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: But isn't it also possible that you

just cut and paste and took footage from one episode

and cut and paste it into another episode to make it look

like something that hadn't, in fact, happened?

-Uh, I remember distinctly the-- I mean, the seven joint ride

if that's what you're referring to.

I don't remember him changing his shirt.

But we could-- if you want, we can make all the outtakes

available from that particular journey.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Well--

-Because they're still available.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: -that's not very convenient right now.

And you hadn't made those available before.

-Well, I didn't know you wanted them before.

And I-- you know, I didn't even know that the film was

going to be submitted as evidence.

If I was making that trip, I would probably

change my shirt at the end of the trip.

I don't know about you.

-But that's not part of my question, is it?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I don't know.

But I would-- I would probably bring

a clean shirt along for my visit.

Wouldn't you?

I would.

-Keep in touch.

-Uh-uh, sir.

No, sir.

-Sorry.

Sorry.

-I got a message that Aileen wanted

me to come meet her at the local jail.

She had something to say.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Thank goodness.

-Oh my, God.

-How are you?

-I'm doing good.

Get it out of there, Nick.

-I'm just trying to-- sorry.

-Ah, there.

Shoo!

-It was the microphone, we're adjusting now.

Sorry about that.

-Oh, Lordy.

-All right.

-OK.

I can't believe this microphone, how small it is,

you know, and it actually works.

-It actually works.

[aileen laughing]

-OK, Nick.

Nick, this-- this interview, man.

I got to-- I-- I just-- let me do this thing over one more

time because I know you guys pre-tape

then you clip and stuff.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Right.

-So let me say it one more time, kind of right, OK?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK.

-Because I'm really concerned about the family members.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Right.

-I got to get my hair out of my face while I'm doing this.

Because I'm really concerned about family members, man.

So I want to say this again over.

Nick, the reason I'm-- I'm coming forth with you with this

interview is because I'd like to come clean about my cases.

And because there's only about a 1% chance

that a person can get off Death Row.

And I come to realize that that is actually true.

Very, very true.

There's only, like, about 82 people that got off Death Row

af-- in-- in like 30 years out of like about 4,000 or 5,000

Death Row inmates, and those are only DNA people, blood samples.

So the chances of getting off Death Row are 1%.

99.9% you're going to be on it and you're going to die.

OK, I cannot go in the execution chamber and die

in the execution chamber as a liar.

And I cannot go in the execution chamber

and be executed under the devil.

I have to come clean and clean-- cleanse

my spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

So I have to come clean and tell the world

the lies that went on through my mouth.

I mean, now prosecutors and cops--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And that you killed seven men.

-Huh?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: That you killed those men in cold blood.

-Yeah.

I got to come clean that I killed those seven

men in first-degree murder and robbery.

As they said, they had it right, a serial killer.

Not so much like thrill kill.

I was into the robbing biz.

I mean, you know, serial killers are

in this thrill killing jazz.

I was into the robbing just-- and eliminate a witness.

But still, again, I got a number so it's serial killer.

But I'm coming clean before I go in that execution chamber

and be executed that I killed them.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And so when you met them

from the beginning, did you know that you

were going to kill them?

When they picked you up in their cars?

-I pretty much-- I pretty much had

them selected that they were going to die.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But when you're saying that there

was no self-defense, so there was no self-defense?

-No.

There was no self-defense.

Uh, I'm being really straight up about everything.

There's no self-defense.

I'm really sorry what happened about everything.

I was in-- in this-- this-- to me,

this world is nothing but evil and all of us

are full of evil one way or another.

And whatever we do, we have evil in us.

All of us do.

And my evil just happened to come out

because of the circumstances of what I was doing.

Hitchhiking, hooking, on the road,

I was a homeless person all my life.

And then the hitchhiking and hooking I

learned off the homelessness and cruising

all over the United States of America and stuff.

And so, learning how to be a hooker as a hitchhiker

eventually got tiring in the end.

I carried the gun for protection,

but then I got where I was getting a real problem

and our rent was due, $1,200 behind.

Tyria was doing a lot of beer-drinking and stuff.

She wanted to go out all the time,

so she was burning up the money I was making.

I was making good, about $200 to $300 a day sometimes.

Sometimes $150.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But did she-- and did

she know what you were doing?

-Oh, yeah.

Tyria always knew everything I was doing.

-I met her in a bar.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is Aileen's great love, Tyria.

One of the reasons I had felt so much sympathy for Aileen

was that she was betrayed by those closest to her

all her life.

-We were sitting on the floor watching TV

and she just come out and said I have something to tell you.

And I asked her what, and she said

that she had shot and killed a man that day.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Tyria know about the murders all along,

but didn't come forward to say anything

until she was questioned by police.

Tyria, who was never charged with anything,

was then made a state's witness.

And, it has been asserted, became part of the movie rights

package in the Hollywood police film deal.

It was Tyria who got Aileen to confess

in a series of taped phone calls.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Hello.

OPERATOR [ON RECORDING]: Miss Ty?

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Yes.

OPERATOR [ON RECORDING]: Collect call from Aileen.

Do you accept? TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Yes.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Yes. TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Hi.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Hey.

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: Hey, I had to call you early

because I didn't know if you were going to leave today,

or what.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: I don't-- what the hell's going on, Lee?

They've called.

They've been up to my parents again.

They've got my sister now asking her questions

and I don't know what the hell's going on.

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: Huh.

What are they asking your sister questions for?

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: I don't know.

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: Hmm.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: Lee, Lee, listen.

They're coming after me, I know they are.

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: No, they're not. [inaudible].

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: They've got to.

Then why are they asking so many questions then?

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: Honey, listen.

Listen.

Listen.

Do what you gotta do, OK?

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: I'm going to have to because I'm not

going to go to jail for something that you did.

This isn't fair.

My family is a nervous wreck up there.

My mom has been calling me all the time.

She doesn't know what the hell's going on.

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: OK.

Do what you gotta do, OK?

All righty?

Tyria?

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: What?

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: You-- I'm not

going to let you go to jail.

You hear me?

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: I don't know

whether I should keep on living or if I should--

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: No, Ty.

Ty, listen to me.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: And what if they don't believe me?

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: Tyria, listen to me.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: What?

AILEEN [ON RECORDING]: I'm not going

to let you go to jail or anything.

Listen, if I have to confess, I will.

TYRIA [ON RECORDING]: OK.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So you were very close?

-Yeah, we are.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: All right.

-And I still miss her and I still love her.

And I really-- and I'm really sorry about everything

I've done.

I miss Ty.

I lost Tyria over this.

And then the people that lost their loved

ones and everything.

I really think first about the people that lost their loved

ones and then Ty second, because I

have to put them in first on this whole thing.

I'm really sorry for, you know, them losing their loved ones,

man.

I know the feeling.

-And what about with Richard Mallory?

Because you gave that testimony with Richard Mallory.

-Yeah, Richard Mallory is definitely-- was not

self-defense.

Richard Mallory I killed in-- for he had-- uh, I needed

his wheels to move the stuff and he had the right amount

of money I needed to move into the apartment, so.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But what about the testimony

that you gave in court about--

-Oh, that's just-- like I was saying.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: About the Visine.

-Oh, I just doing a lying biz.

It was just my lying gig to try to beat the system.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Really?

So that was really all-- none of it was true?

-And he said, it doesn't matter to me.

Your bod-- your body will still be warm for my huge cock.

And he said-- he was choking me and I was holding it like this,

and he said, do you want to die, slut?

And I just nodded no.

And then he said, are you gon-- you going

to listen to everything I've got to say, have you do?

And I'm just nodded yes.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Then what happened?

-Takes the Visine and he lifts up my legs

and he puts what turned out to be rubbing alcohol

in the Visine bottle and he sticks some up my rectum area.

And that really hurt real bad, because he

tore me up for a while.

And he put some in my vagina, which really hurt bad.

And then he walked around back to the driver's seat-- side

and he pulled my nose open like this-- pulled them open

and then he squirt rubbing alcohol down my nose.

And he said, I'm saving your eyes for the grand finale.

And he put the Visine back on the dash

and I spit in his face.

And he said, you're dead, bitch, you're dead,

and he was wiping his eyes.

And I laid down real quick and I grabbed my bag.

And he was starting to come for-- for me

when I grabbed my bag and turn-- whipped

my pistol out toward him.

And he was coming toward me with his right arm, I believe,

and I shot immediately.

And I think I shot twice as fast as I could.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Because in court,

you gave such a graphic description

of what had happened with Richard Mallory.

-Yeah, after sitting around thinking

how I could drum up a story.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: That was pretty convincing.

-Was it?

That's sad.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Well, I thought so.

-God, that's sad.

Well--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And it's not-- and it's not that you just

decided that you wanted to die and you wanted to get it over

and done with that you changed your story?

-No.

The reason is, it's serious.

You-- there's no way-- nobody should go in that execution

chamber dying on a hope for a lie, and even by the second

make it out of this thing on a lie.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But I hear, you know,

that you just couldn't stand being on Death Row

after 12 years.

-Nick, and that-- this is the last time I'm going to say it.

You have to kill Aileen Wuornos because she'll kill again.

NICK BROOMFIELD: I had always believed that Aileen Wuornos

had acted in self-defense, and that Richard Mallory,

her first victim, who had a long history of sex crimes

and who had spent five years in an institution for sex

offenders, had tortured and tormented Aileen, pushing her

over the edge into an insanity which

led to the other six murders.

This is what Aileen said to Judge Uriel Blount

before the sentencing on the Richard Mallory murder.

-What I did was what anybody else would do.

I defended myself, which everybody

has the right to defend themselves.

And I had no intentions of killing anyone.

I would not do that.

Not-- I'm not that type of person.

NICK BROOMFIELD: But the jury didn't go for it.

This was Aileen's reaction on receiving

her first death sentence.

COURT OFFICIAL [OFF SCREEN]: Count one, the majority

of the jury by a vote of 12-0, advise and recommend

to the court that it impose the death penalty upon Aileen Carol

Wuornos, also known as Susan Lynn Blahovec,

also known as Lori Christine Grody,

also known as Cammie Marsh Greene.

Dated at DeLand, Volusia County Florida,

this 30th day of January 1992.

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: Hi, Lee.

How do you feel about the verdict?

-Innocent.

And I was raped and I was tortured.

And I-- they had a steering wheel.

They took the steering wheel and it had scratches all over it

and it was broken.

And it proved that I was tied to that steering wheel.

And I cannot believe-- I cannot believe what happened.

REPORTER [OFF SCREEN]: Why did this jury find you guilty?

-I think it's the media coverage.

It's a conspiracy.

NICK BROOMFIELD: I couldn't believe what happened

the next day in court, Aileen objecting to her own witnesses.

-Um, and-- and I need to get this on record, if I could.

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: She's taking it down.

-OK.

Uh, the-- there's some witnesses that are coming.

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: Yes, ma'am.

-And I've already told my attorneys on numerous occasions

these people did not grow up with me at all.

Um, they lived in the neighborhood,

but they didn't really associate with me, my brother,

and my sister and everybody else.

-Here's the only thing.

The attorney can call them, but he

can't put on anyone he thinks is, uh, committing perjury.

That's unethical for him to do that.

If he thinks they're lying-- if he knows that they're lying,

he can't put them on.

-OK.

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Judge?

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: Yes ma'am--uh, yes, sir.

-May the defense request a, uh, 10 minute recess?

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: Yeah, OK.

In view of-- OK, in view of those statements.

-I need to confer with my associates.

JUDGE [OFF SCREEN]: Of course.

Yeah.

OK, they want to take 10 minutes and confer

on what they want to say, OK?

-Yes, sir.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: All right.

We'll be recessed for 10 minutes.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen was deliberately

sabotaging her own defense.

But the witnesses were called anyway.

[background conversation]

NICK BROOMFIELD: Danny Caldwell, like many

of the boys in the neighborhood, lost his virginity to Aileen.

Aileen was trading blow jobs for cigarettes

from the age of nine.

-I was just heading over there to see who was there and got up

to the fort and the door was kind of closed, so I, you know,

opened it up.

And Keith had-- Keith and Mark had Aileen in there.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: What do you

mean that they had Aileen in there?

-Well, they had her in there and, you know,

she was naked and--

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: And-- and what was happening?

-Well, um, Keith was having sex with her.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Did you stay during that?

-Yes.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Did you ever have sex with Aileen again

afterwards?

-Uh, just that day.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Jerry Moss, who was a lover of Aileen's,

pretended in public he didn't even know her.

-She-- she wanted us to be boyfriend-girlfriend in public,

and I--

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: When-- when you were in public

around other kids, when the rest of the kids were around,

how did you treat her?

-Like she was nobody.

Like she was dirt.

Like I had nothing to do with her, you know.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: What would you say to her?

-Tell her, get the fuck out of my face

and go some fucking place else.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Would you call her any names?

-Call her ugly, bitch.

[deep sigh]

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: If she were following along

behind you, what would you do?

-It would, uh, depend on who was with me or whatever.

But I'd turn around and throw rocks at her

and tell her to get the fuck out of there, go home.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Why--why would you do that?

-Because I didn't want to be seen with her.

I didn't want to be associated with her.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Do you know whether she was having

sexual relations with anyone else at this time?

-Yes, I do.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: And who was that?

-Um, her-- her brother, Keith.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Is that her uncle?

Or is that her actual biological--

-That's her actual-- actual brother.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: I just want to make sure that, you know.

-I just wanted to remark that they need

to take a polygraph on what their saying

because there's too much perjury going on.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: All right.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Michelle Chauvin

recalled an incident with Aileen's grandfather.

-Raise your right hand.

-I don't know how much you want me to say.

He was a bastard.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Do you recall an incident

when you and Aileen skipped school?

-Yes.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: What happened

when-- did you go to Aileen's house with her?

-Um, I walked home with her and we had gotten caught.

And I remember looking through the front--

they had a screen door view.

And the minute she walked in, he had her over a chair.

And I stood there and watched him.

And he beat the hell out of her with a black belt

that was around his waist.

He took it off and told her to lean over the chair,

and walloped on her for a good five minutes.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Was this what you would call a spanking?

-Oh, no.

No.

It was like, I was-- it left me hypnotized.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Did he know you were watching?

-Yeah, he did.

He was aware I was watching.

PROSECUTOR [OFFSCREEN]: Is that, uh, just an example as to--

-That's an example, yes.

NICK BROOMFIELD: It had been a long week, all the witnesses

stuck together in this motel.

-Do you think we'd all go mad if we were

locked up here much longer together?

-Well, I'm getting tired of it.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Dawn insisted that gays hadn't been invented

when she and Aileen first became friends.

-They weren't invented or whatever.

There was no gay people.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Well, what were they all doing?

-They weren't gay.

There was no such thing as gay.

-They were in the closet.

-No they weren't There was no such thing.

I don't remember a person at school gay.

I didn't hear this gay stuff until 10 years ago.

Well, maybe 15.

It's just now starting to be acceptable.

But, no, there was not.

Was there gay people when you went to school?

-I'm sure that there probably were.

I went to a British public school, there were

many-- that's where it was invented, us and the Greeks,

you know?

-No way.

Really?

-Yeah, of course.

-I just have to do this.

Sorry.

Look!

Come on you guys.

NICK BROOMFIELD: After all that, Aileen

decided to volunteer for execution and we all went home.

Now that Aileen was confessing to being a coldblooded killer,

Aileen found she had a lot of new friends.

-Her appeals have been exhausted.

She wants to meet her Creator.

She's on the list.

Absolutely.

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: Governor Jeb Bush

is expected to sign Wuornos' warrant soon.

NICK BROOMFIELD: We had all come to this as witnesses,

hoping to get Aileen off Death Row.

But it now felt like we were taking part in an execution.

There was talk of making an appeal

on the grounds of Aileen's mental competence.

We traveled to Troy, Michigan, where

Aileen grew up to find out more.

This is Dawn's house.

-Hi, Joan.

How are you?

I think about you a lot.

My kids just come over with the grandbabies,

so you get to see them.

-Her granddaughter and her grandson.

-How are you?

NICK BROOMFIELD: Dawn gets up and writes to Aileen at 5 AM

every morning.

-I got looking for one thing today,

so I figured while I had Aileen's shit out,

you can sit here.

-What, all this?

-Yeah, and I got lots of pictures of her brothers

and stuff like that, that you might want to look at.

-Really?

-Well, yeah.

-All this?

-All this.

I was looking for her Will.

I couldn't find her Will.

-Her Will?

-Yeah.

OK, here you just sit down for a while.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen does the most amazing ink drawings

that you can only see against the light.

-It's because you can't see them by looking down at them,

but it's perfect with the sunlight outside.

See how that does that?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Wow.

Have you got any-- any pictures of when she was quite young?

Ah.

-Isn't that kind of funny?

-That is funny, isn't it?

-Oh, that's her sister.

-That's--

-That's her graduation.

-That's Lori?

-Yeah.

That's what she looks like now.

NICK BROOMFIELD: There were other photos, too.

Aileen aged four.

Her brother Keith, age six.

Aileen's biological mother, Diane,

who abandoned Aileen when she was six months old.

Aileen's father Leo, who was convicted of kidnapping

and sodomizing an eight-year-old boy.

He committed suicide in prison.

Aileen's grandfather Lowry, who she called dad and is rumored

to be Aileen's biological father.

He abused both Aileen and her mother.

Aileen, aged 13, when she got pregnant

and had a baby boy that was put up for adoption.

After the baby, Aileen became the local untouchable.

She spent two years living in the woods

at the end of her street.

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: Aileen used to have a fort back here,

as a matter of fact.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: A fort?

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: A fort.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: With Dennis.

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: Uh, yeah.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So Aileen would just sleep rough?

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: Mm-hm.

She would either sleep in the cars

or she would go around prostituting

at night to keep warm.

Stuff like that.

And, hopefully, she'd get a hotel.

You know, some of these guys would say we'll go get a hotel

and she could get a shower.

That's how she washed and stuff like that.

Or she would go to that gas station

up there, which is still there by the way,

used to be the Clark.

That's-- we used to go in there and pinch

our nose and drink what was it?

MALE [OFFSCREEN]: Boone's Farm.

-Peppermint schnapps.

It's disgusting.

It's the only way you could drink it to get the quick buzz.

I know it sounds sickening, it was sickening.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But it must've been freezing in the winter.

-Well, it was for her.

I didn't come out here in the winter, I'm sure.

I don't think none of us did.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: She was out here in the winter?

-Yeah.

That's why she left.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So did the other kids pick on her at all?

-Yeah.

Do you remember where we're at?

Yeah, they always picked on her or she picked on them,

because they always had something

terrible to say about her.

But that's because she had a baby,

and they naturally assumed that she-- well, she did get-- you

know, she slept with people for money and all that.

So I imagine the girls in our days

probably thought, well, she sleeps with everybody

and they just didn't like that.

They don't think it's funny now, though.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: How do you mean?

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: I think it's terrible how they treated her.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Now--

-And everybody all of a sudden comes out of the woodwork

and said, oh, I was nice to her.

I gave her clothes and stuff like that.

No they didn't.

NICK BROOMFIELD: We went to visit Dennis Allen, who

lived in the woods with Aileen and now lives in this house.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hi.

-How are you?

-Hi.

How do you do?

I'm Nick.

-Nick?

Dennis. -Hi.

How do you do?

-Hi. JOAN [OFFSCREEN: Hi.

I'm Joan.

-Hi, Joan.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Hello.

-Hi.

-And who-- who are these fine creatures?

-Oh, those are my birds.

That's, uh, Freckles and Freda.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Freckles and Freda.

-Mm-hm.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is a picture

of Dennis, who used to be a cross dresser.

Dennis looked out his only picture of his time

in the woods with Aileen.

-Now, it was kind of a mess around there.

In fact, the police took this picture.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Oh, did they?

-That's how I got it.

Yeah, I don't know if you can see--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: What's it of?

-Let me see.

Well, this was when they were subdividing.

They threw all the stumps over in one section

and these were all made with stumps

with straw packed in around.

This is where I slept.

It was just long enough to get in there and sleep.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And so, Aileen would come and visit you.

-Yeah.

Every now and then, she'd find one of my camps and come.

In fact, the last camp I was at when Aileen found

me was what we called the little round lake.

It was way down at the bottom of a gully and it was round.

And I had a piece of plywood that somebody had left there

and I just made a lean-to with two posts

and put that up on it.

And that was the last place, in fact,

Aileen-- the last camp she come that I had was that one.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is a picture

of Chief, the local pedophile.

He's thought to be the father of Aileen's child.

Chief later committed suicide.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: He was like this bit of a strange old man,

wasn't he?

-Kind of, yeah.

A lot of people thought he was.

But they were a gathering place there for kids

because they had kids from everywhere

that came there all the time.

And I remember when I was little, see,

Chief would want to pick kids up and put them on his lap

and he'd talk and tell them about this and that.

And I never would allow it because I just-- he

kind of freaked me a little bit.

I can remember one time he had some chicken eggs because he

had chickens and all this kind of thing,

and he'd pick them open when they were ready to hatch.

And I couldn't stand it, him doing that.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: He'd pick them open?

-He would pick the shells open as they

were trying to come through.

He would pick them open and it would be too early for them

still, you know.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And they'd die?

-A lot of times they would.

They weren't really ready to come out of there yet.

They wouldn't live.

-They're still there.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Michelle drove us to Aileen's old home.

They grew up as Vietnam was ending

and drugs were everywhere.

-Aileen's house is right over there.

You want to go by it?

-Yeah.

-OK.

I'll take you by it.

This was Mark Farron's house.

We are all connected together.

We all used to hang in the neighborhood.

You know, all the kids packed together.

This was Terry Cox' house right here.

Um, she used to do a lot of drugs

with [bleep] who lived in this little white one.

This is Aileen's house right here.

This is it.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: That's it there?

-That's it.

This is her house.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And when you saw her being beaten.

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: Ah, that door right there.

I was in front of that door.

See, they've redid the house since then.

But that room in the very back is her bedroom.

Not the first one, but the one in the back.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And that's where she was being--

DAWN [OFFSCREEN]: Yeah. This one.

The second window.

And see how low they are?

She used-- she used to climb right out of them.

If somebody sees us in there, they will come out and raise

hell, because I'm-- Corey was with

me when that happened last time.

And [bleep] lived right here.

And they were druggies also.

We used to hang together and go over there and smoke pot and do

what not and get in all kinds of shit.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But lots of different drugs?

-Yes!

Lots of, um, pills actually.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Pills?

-LSD, mescaline, blotter acid.

Um--

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen, age 16, left Michigan and traveled down

here to Florida looking for sun and friends.

She was young and pretty, earning good money as a hooker,

but with a violent temper and soon in trouble.

She knocked one man out with a beer

bottle, another with a billiard ball.

She particularly liked it here near Daytona Beach.

This is one of the motels, the Fairview,

where she frequently stayed.

It was all so new and exciting.

Just down the road is the Last Resort biker

bar, where Aileen liked to hang out.

She was allegedly great friends with the Human Bomb.

[all counting together]

-3, 2, 1.

[explosion]

[cheering and applause]

-How do you feel?

-Real dizzy right now.

Real dizzy.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Did you know Lee well?

-Yeah.

Uh, can I talk to ya'll in a few minutes?

I gotta walk this off.

NICK BROOMFIELD: After Keith, her brother,

died of cancer at age 21, Aileen surprised everyone

by marrying this man, Lewis Fell; who was 76 years old

and President of the Keystone Coal Company.

But after only a month, Lewis filed for restraining charges

after Aileen beat Lewis with his own walking stick.

In her late 20s, Aileen gave up on men

and started dating women.

Here's Tyria, who became Aileen's family.

They lived together for over three years.

This was one of the homes they had.

Aileen saw herself as a kind of Bonnie

and Clyde character on the run with her lover, Tyria.

Aileen and Tyria's favorite pastime

was drinking beer and firing their pistols in the woods.

Aileen got books on being a survivalist.

She wanted Tyria all to herself.

Tyria described Aileen as a fantasist,

who became jealous and possessive,

and who could be violent and frightening.

In the end, Tyria ran off as the police were closing in.

In loneliness and desperation, Aileen

ended up with this man, Dick Mills.

-This is that paper you're talking about?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Yeah.

It's-- it's called "My Sex Romps with Kinky Mankiller."

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Dick had sold his story

to the "News of the World."

-All I want to know is, who's the best lawyer out there, man,

to sue them for this trash?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Can I quote--

-I never even talked that shit.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Can I quote you a bit?

And get-- if you said this, right?

We were lying in bed one night when she started talking

about her favorite sexual fantasies.

She said she often got turned on by imagining

she had a black hood over her head

and was tied to a tree in a forest.

Then a guy would come up, rape her, and shoot her in the head.

She said the actual killing would make her climax.

I was real sickened by what she said.

-Wrong.

Wrong.

There's partial truth to that.

But most of that, I don't know where it came from

or who got it or nothing about it.

And you can check any film anywhere

in the country or anybody that's got it.

I never said that, OK?

It goes along the lines that she told me one time that the idea

was that she'd like to lay in bed out

in the middle of the forest, the woods

or somewhere in the mountains or something.

Have a hood over her head or something,

and somebody crawl in through the window.

No-- they had the hood on or something,

and would rape or this and that kind of shit

and she'd like that.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I mean, did you--

-As far as all these other things go pertaining to it,

there's no reality to it.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Did you get any feeling

that she hated men, or?

-No, I just got the feeling she is what she was, a dyke.

Except I didn't know she was a killer.

There's no way I could know that.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I mean, could you

tell that when you made love to her, or?

-Nah, not particularly.

She just probably liked it either way,

whatever came along.

Didn't really seem to matter much.

It's just another bad experience,

I'm sure, for both of us.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This is Aileen when

first charged with the murders.

It was just after the phone conversations

with Tyria that had led her to confess.

What Aileen didn't know was that Tyria, herself, was involved

in movie discussions involving Florida State

Police and production companies in Hollywood.

They were selling her story, the story

of America's first female serial killer.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: You understand

the nature of the charges?

-Yes, I do, sir.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Do you wish to be represented by counsel?

-Yes, I do.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Can you afford to hire an attorney?

-No, sir.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Do you work?

-No.

I'm in jail.

How can I work?

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: Well, obviously you're not working

now, but how long has it been since you've last worked?

-Oh, about, um, '84, possibly.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: You haven't worked in six or seven years?

How do-- how do you support yourself?

-I was a special call girl.

NICK BROOMFIELD: When Sergeant Brian Jarvis, who is now

police chief in New York State, objected to these movie

discussions, he was taken off the Wuornos case.

-Right, I was actually transferred

back into the patrol division.

It had followed a month of continual harassment

on the job in the current position I was in,

which ultimately started when Captain Binegar had realized

that I found out about their plan to work with Tyria Moore

in obtaining a movie rights package.

NICK BROOMFIELD: The state attorney's report

found that three of Jarvis' fellow officers, Captain

Binegar, Sergeant Munster, and Major Dan Henry

were involved in movie discussions with Tyria Moore

after Aileen's arrest.

-Yeah, ultimately when the--when the arrest came,

Lee Wuornos was charged with the murder and Tyria

Moore was not charged with anything.

But she was made a state's witness

and she was working with these fellow officers

on obtaining movie rights.

NICK BROOMFIELD: This note was them pinned under Sergeant

Jarvis's back door and his home burgled.

-Less than a month later, on November 25,

my wife had gone out to the post office and the store

during daylight hours, like 10 o'clock in the morning.

When she came home, the house had been broken into.

The doors were ajar.

She went up to my office and all of the files

on the Wuornos case, on the investigators,

and all the information I had had been trashed.

Nothing else had been touched in the house.

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: How do you feel, Aileen?

-Bust these crooked cops and their conspiracy, please!

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: Are you afraid, Aileen?

-I'm innocent.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen was right about the cops

and their movie deals.

But in her paranoia, she also believed that the police had

known about the first murder but allowed her to become

a serial killer, because then they'd

get more money for their film deals.

Aileen's lawyers are challenging the execution

on the grounds of her mental competence.

Not that executing insane people seems to be a problem.

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled it was not

unconstitutional to execute the mentally impaired.

Aileen's paranoid delusions have gotten much worse on Death Row.

She now believes her mind is being controlled

by radio waves beamed into her cell.

-Aileen Wuornos says her food is being tainted

and she's being threatened with rape.

-CBS 4's Joan Murray is live in Fort Lauderdale with the story.

John Joan.

-Well, now she has written a 25-page letter

where she names names, names security-- or rather guards

at the prison where she was being held in Pembroke

Pines accusing them of harassing her while she awaits execution.

-And I need some-- an attorney, like a private attorney

to oversee my well-being until my execution.

Maybe that would keep things kind of in line

because there's a lot of illegalness going on.

NICK BROOMFIELD: It's actually pretty hard

to help Aileen, who by now, not surprisingly,

doesn't trust anyone.

And she's threatening to fire her lawyer

if he continues to try to fight the execution.

Dawn told Aileen about our visit to Troy.

And Aileen asked for the opportunity

to put the record straight about her childhood.

-All right.

Yep.

Will-- will you let me know when she is?

OK.

You don't have any secret cameras in your belt, do you?

-Oh, no.

I just have this rather large one right here.

[INDISTINCT YELLING FROM INMATES]

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hello.

-Hello!

Hey, how you doing?

Good to see you.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hi.

It's good to see you.

-Hi, Nick.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hi, how are you?

-I'm doing all right.

How you doing?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Good.

-Check out the orange shirt.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Wasn't it orange-- wasn't it orange

before?

-No, they changed it.

It was-- there-- they got this new thing

to wear the orange shirt out for Iraq

or wherever-- whenever you get out of your cell,

like-- like Death Row has never escaped.

Nobody on Death Row has ever escaped, right?

And they're acting like we're escape risks or something.

-What-- what it's like being here all the time?

-What's it like being in here?

Well, here it's OK.

It's all right.

But, you know, you have your problems

with some staff don't like you--

[laughs]

Oh, you're a serial killer, you know, biz and stuff.

And so they-- you know, some staff

won't treat you right because of who you are.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Have you got any friends?

-You can't be in control of everybody.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Have you got any friends here at all?

-No, I stick to myself.

I just stick in-- in the cell with myself.

I don't even care about going outdoors.

There's nothing out there.

I don't smoke anymore, so.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So what's you're day like?

How does it start?

-I spend 24/7 in the cell watching TV, reading the Bible,

writing letters to Dawn.

Um, sitting around doing a lot of thinking, preparing.

Think-- memory-- going back in time, memory

of all-- everything I've been through in my life

and then just preparing for my death.

Get all the tears out of me and stuff so I won't cry

and that sort of jazz, you know.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So you won't cry?

-Because it is going to be a little bit tough when I go.

Huh?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Getting all the tears out of you?

-Yeah.

Because I just don't want to be in the execution chamber crying

my eyes out, and I'm not going to.

I'm going to tough it out as tough as I can.

Just lay on the table, give everybody a little smile,

and close my eyes and go.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: With Richard Mallory,

he was the first that you killed?

-Mm-hm.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Did he abuse you or not?

Because in the court you said that, you know--

-Aw, see, I'm not going to go into the-- wait a minute.

Ow.

No, I won't go in-- I won't go into the murder.

I won't go into the murders if it was self-defense or not.

I'm not going into any of the murders.

Whether or not they died in self-defense or what,

I'm not going to say.

I'm not saying nothing.

My concern-- the only reason I'm doing interviews for anybody

or anything-- my concern is there's-- you've got law

enforcement out there allowing people to die.

You got those 50 men in Canada-- I mean, those 50

women in Canada that died, I'm sure the cops

knew who the guy was.

They're letting them kill.

They want to turn them into high-profile cases

for books and movies.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Well, what was it-- so what was it--

NICK BROOMFIELD: I wondered how Aileen,

herself, viewed her childhood in Troy.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: -quite nice living there?

-Yeah.

Troy's all right.

Oh, and I want to straighten out something, man.

See-- hey, Nick, I've got to get this straightened out.

See, the cops lied about my family, Jackie, Drew, and them.

They all lied about my--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Well, how did they lie about your family?

-Because see-- OK, now I got-- see,

I got-- if this documentation, I got

to square some stuff up here.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK, so tell me about your family.

-OK.

The truth about my family is this.

My dad was so straight and so clean he wouldn't even

wear-- take his shirt off to mow the lawn.

He did not believe in cussing.

He did not believe in-- in, uh, long hair

and mini skirts and stuff.

He was really straight, really decent.

And so was my mom.

My mom hated swearing in the house.

If you swore-- if you said one swear word,

you had a whole bar of Lava soap in your mouth.

So I came from a real clean and decent family.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But why, then, did

you get thrown out after the birth?

-See, after my mom died-- after my mom died, my dad got pissed.

He's like, OK, this is the last straw, you know?

I think you are the cause of mom's death

because she had physical problems that-- because of all

the stress and the pain and suffering and everything.

And what I'm going through as a wild kid is pissing him off.

I mean, he thinks that that killed her as well, induced

her death, and so he's pissed off.

And he doesn't want me home anymore.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And how-- how did it feel, like,

having to live in cars and in other people's house?

-It was living hell. That's why I went to Florida.

[aileen laughs] NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Living hell?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, you know, sleeping in the snow.

I mean, sleeping in snowy weather in a vehicle

on cinder blocks at Richie's house.

Sleeping in it with no blank-- I think I had one blanket and one

pillow and it's ice cold outside.

That's when I said, well, I got to go.

I got it down to Florida or something

now, because I was sleeping in the snow.

Out in the woods sleeping on the ground in the snow.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: You must have been frozen.

-I was frozen, man.

Yeah.

I still got marks where my toes are blue to this day,

and the bottom of my feet are blue.

And this is probably why I even got my hands like this today.

I don't know.

My hands are-- as you can see, they're

like they're frostbit looking.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And how were the other kids, though?

-How-- the other kids?

They were all living in their houses.

[aileen laughs]

While I was out on the streets.

But that's all right, man.

Because, see, I lived through it.

I survived.

I went down to Florida.

And then I could-- you know, started

trekking all over the United States of America and stuff.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Aileen, let me ask you one question.

Do you think if you hadn't had to leave your home

and sleep in the cars and stuff it

would have worked out differently?

-Now, if I could do my life all over again

and I came from a background of a family that was right

on, where-- I-- I mean, my family was right on.

When I was thinking that I meant as far as my mom not dying,

my dad not freaking out, and us-- if I could do it all over

again, my family died too young, I had to hit the road.

And I came from a family that was supportive,

we didn't have split sister-- half-sister

and brother stuff and all that.

It was all true blood, real blood and everything

was financially stable and everybody was really tight,

I would have became more than likely an outstanding citizen

of America who was-- who would have either

been an archaeologist, a paramedic, a police officer,

a fire department gal, or an undercover worker for DEA,

or arch-- did I say archaeology?

Or-- oh, or a missionary.

Because I believe in God, but I'm not a Christian freak.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So you think it would've--

-And so scrub missionary, because I'm just-- I'm

just thinking what-- you know, I would've came from a decent,

I would've done it real decent and stuff.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Let me ask you something.

What-- what do you think was the single most happy time

in your life?

What-- what do you think you've enjoyed most?

[aileen sighs]

-Nick, I've been through so much hell I can't even

think of something there right now.

And I'm so burning fucking mad about how I'm

being-- I got to wait for my execution!

I want to get in the fucking chamber tomorrow and leave.

And then they play-- since-- since I waved off,

I've had nothing but psychological and physical

fucking problems playing with it because I'm

on hold with my execution.

I'm so fucking mad I can't see straight.

And they're just daring me to kill again.

They got me pissed.

United States Supreme Court, you fucking-- I'm telling you, man!

You motherfuckers keep fucking with my goddamn execution,

there's going to be bloodshed.

I'm sick of this!

Get that fucking warrant signed.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen waited until she thought we weren't

filming to talk about the murders.

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: I can't do it.

I would never be able to handle a life sentence or anything.

And then they've said other things that are really crazy.

They do crazy things to people while they're incarcerated.

I'd never be able to handle it, so I'm going for the death.

I have to because they're too evil.

They're too evil to people incarcerated.

And they're too evil on the cases.

They're so corrupt it's not funny, so I've got to go down.

I have to.

That's why I can't say nothing about self-defense

on tape or anything.

-But was it self-defense?

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: Huh?

-Was it self-defense?

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: What?

-Was it self-defense?

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: What?

-Was it self-defense.

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: Yes, but I can't tell anybody.

Never.

I have to go down to the execution.

They're too corrupt.

They-- they-- they stick together.

Hand over fist, hand in glove, man.

-So, it was self--

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: Let's see.

Hand-- hand over fist, friend in glove.

-So was-- wasn't there any self-defense?

AILEEN [OFF CAMERA]: Yeah.

And so was some others.

But there's nothing I can do about it.

All they'd do is give me an overturned sentence.

They would never do me righteous.

You see what I'm saying?

Never do me right.

They'll only fuck me over some more,

so I can only go to the death.

-You know, I'm going to always remember you and love you.

-Yeah, Aileen.

-I love you so much, man.

Take care of yourself.

-All right.

-And nice meeting you.

Take care. -Nice to meet you.

Take care.

-Goodbye, Aileen.

Bye.

-See you later!

NICK BROOMFIELD: Six months later,

this announcement was made.

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: Governor Jeb Bush signs

death warrants scheduling executions.

44-year-old Aileen Wuornos is one of the nation's

first known female serial killers.

She will be executed October 9 for the murders of six men.

Wuornos has dropped all of her appeals.

-I did it because, uh, I believe in the death penalty

and I have a duty to implement the law.

And a great majority of Floridians

want their governor to do this.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Jeb Bush is running for reelection

on a law and order pro death penalty ticket.

Aileen's execution date for October 9

fits him perfectly, a month before these elections.

Brad Thomas, Jeb Bush's political adviser,

is reported as saying, we want to become more like Texas.

Bring in the witnesses, put them on a gurney, and let's

rock and roll.

We're driving to meet Diane Wuornos,

Aileen's biological mother.

They haven't laid eyes on each for 25 years.

This is Calumet, a copper mining town

on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Wuornos family originally came here

as immigrants from Oulu in Finland to work down the mines.

-OK, let me fix my pillow again.

OK, I want to tell you, I'm probably going to cry a little.

I want to tell you something about her birth.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK.

-She was a frank breech birth, that means bottom first.

And a breech birth is very dangerous.

And that's feet first, and a frank breech, bottom first,

is really very bad.

The doctor even called in other people

to watch it because it was so unusual.

But I thought maybe that she got some kind of brain damage

during that birth.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Yeah.

-And that may have cau-- while she's mentally competent,

it may have caused her problems.

What does Aileen think about what

caused her to act like that?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Well, originally,

she said she did it in self-defense.

And then she said she just needed the money.

And she says that if she'd, you know,

come from a home that wasn't split and--

-Oh, because her-- her father and me getting a divorce.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I-- she didn't say that.

But I think, um, I think she's confused.

Because she, on the one hand, says

she-- says it had nothing to do with her childhood.

But then on the other hand, she was sleeping out

in the snow for a while and living in the woods.

-She was sleeping in the snow and living in the woods?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Mm-hm.

Immediately after she had the baby.

-I know nothing about that.

I never heard Barry tell me that.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: After she had the baby,

she couldn't-- she couldn't move back

into the house with your father.

-Yeah.

-Then she was living in the woods in the snow.

-Didn't agenc-- agency find her and take-- take care of her?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: No.

And then she ended up, you know, hitchhiking around.

-Which she liked.

Do you know the exact date of the execution?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I think it's soon.

-OK.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: I think it's very soon.

-I think I'll rest better.

NICK BROOMFIELD: As we were leaving,

Diane asked for Aileen's forgiveness.

I heard Aileen just fired her lawyer.

I drove to Stark, Florida, where the execution will happen.

And to meet Dawn, who's doing the funeral arrangements.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So what does Aileen

want to wear, again, for the execution?

-Um, a black Harley Davidson t-shirt

with wings, because she believes she's earned her wings,

which she has.

A pair of jeans.

A pair of boots with, um, corner toes.

And a military belt.

I think that's it actually.

She might have something else on that, I don't know.

Probably a leather jacket if I know Aileen.

I know if she can or not, but.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: No other wishes that she make?

-You mean to be-- afterwards?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Mm-hm.

-To be cremated and come home to my house,

be around the people that love her.

Why would she want to stay in Florida?

Hmm-mm.

She's coming home to Michigan.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen's ex-lawyer

made a last minute plea to stop the execution.

But Jeb Bush was not going to be stopped.

-Based on his concerns, uh, we're going to, um,

ask three psychiatrists to, um, analyze her to make sure

that she's fit for the execution,

which is a duty that I have.

And I intend to do it.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Jeb ordered a stay of execution,

but guess what?

His psychiatrists examined Aileen for just 15 minutes,

and then gave the thumbs up to go ahead.

-Lynn Gordon is in our newsplex now with the latest details.

Lynn.

-Laurie, we have just learned that Governor Jeb Bush has

lifted the stay of execution for serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

She has been found to be mentally competent.

That means she will be executed next Wednesday.

NICK BROOMFIELD: Aileen's given up the opportunity

to do a mass press conference and has

asked me to do her last interview.

I'm sure that's because she wants me to communicate

her ideas about what she calls the crooked cops.

The last interview, dumb rules like I've

got to stand behind this rope.

There'll be 15 guards, including the warden, in attendance.

And Aileen, for no good reason, will

wear shackles throughout the interview.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: She-- is he on her way?

-Pardon?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Is she on her way, or?

-Not yet.

NICK BROOMFIELD: It's been proven that the death

penalty is absolutely no deterrent.

States without the death penalty, in fact,

have lower murder rates.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hi, Aileen.

Hi.

-Hi.

You know, I already told you everything,

so you know, you just go ahead and ask me questions.

And if I want to answer them, I'll answer them, OK?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK.

So-- so I-- I guess, you know, I was just wondering how you're

going to be, you know, at 9:30 tomorrow morning?

Are you prepared?

-I'm prepared.

I'm all right.

I'm all right with it.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And how--

-I'm all right with it.

But, like I said, remember and tell--

let them know that I know that the cops knew who

I was after Richard Mallory died.

I left prints everywhere and they covered it and let me kill

the rest of those guys to turn me into a serial killer.

I know they did because I was no professional serial killer

or anything, murderer or whatever you want to call it.

Wasn't specialize, what I was doing.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So, Aileen, how--how--

-Did some sloppy work, you know, and I left prints.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: -how have you prepared

yourself for tomorrow morning?

-How?

I'm all right with it.

Hey, I'm ready to go.

Hey, I was tortured at BCI.

They had-- they had the intercom on in the room

and they kept lying that it wasn't on.

And they were using sonic pressure on my head since 1997.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Sonic pressure?

-And every time I was trying to write something,

they-- and I think they had some kind of eye in the cell,

I'm not sure.

But every time I started writing something, it went up higher.

So I'm thinking that they probably had the TV rigged.

The TV or the mirror or something was rigged.

They got a huge satellite on the compound.

After they put the huge satellite on the compound,

it could have been either rigged to the TV set or the mirror

or something, because the electrician, when he put

the mirror on the wall, he said, doesn't that

look like a computer?

The back of it, and he stuck it to the wall.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And do you-- did that affect your mind,

do you think?

-Huh?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Did that affect

your mind in some way, the sonic?

-It was crushing i my head in.

They were using sonic pressure continually.

Then when I had three meetings with Miss Villacorta on it,

every meeting I had she increased

the pressure of the volume of the com,

increased the harassment on the floor,

increased the trays being inedible.

Just increased every bit of my complaints

and trashed all grievances.

They're trying to make it look like I was crazy at all times,

rig up the room with torture.

If I said anything about-- their whole--

I think their whole plan was to try and make it look like I was

totally crazy and so nobody wouldn't believe anything

I had to say about anything.

And then drive me there, if they could.

I suffered so bad.

I was really struggling to survive.

Had a lot of trays that were attempted

murder and everything.

I had to wash all my food off.

And then one day, I didn't wash my food off

and I was sick for three weeks, almost died.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But you're OK now?

-I'm OK.

I'm OK.

God is going to be there.

Jesus Christ is going to be there.

All the angels and everything.

And, you know, whatever-- whatever's on the beyond.

I think it's going to be more like "Star Trek,"

beaming me up into a space vehicle, man.

Then I move on, recolonize to another planet or whatever.

But it's-- whatever's beyond, I know it's going to be good

because I didn't do anything as wrong as they said.

I did the right thing.

And I saved a lot of people's butts

from getting hurt and raped and killed, too.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So are you saying that you killed

in self-defense or in-- in cold blood?

What do-- what do-- because you've changed your story.

I'm just trying to--

-What are you ta-- talking about?

Changed the story on what?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: No, about whether it

was self-defense or not.

-I'm not going to say in-- I'm not

going to get into depth about my cases, Nick.

I'm on my way to the chamber.

Nothing's stopping it.

You can believe it or you don't have to believe it.

That's up to you, man.

Put a big question mark on your film.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Just before we came here,

we met with your-- with your mother, Diane.

-You met with my brother and Diane?

I could give a--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Your--your mother.

-Oh.

My mother, Diane, let me tell you something.

She plopped me out of her belly, left me with my grandparents,

and we never knew her.

So tell that damn whore I could give a fuck if she even had me.

She had me and left to Texas.

And my mom, my dad, Barry, Keith, Lori, all of us

never saw her ever again, accept at funerals.

My mom's funeral, my dad's funeral,

and my brother's funeral.

And if she's at mine, sp-- I'll probably be spitting on her.

I could care less.

I don't give a damn about that whore.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Well, she-- she ask you--

-I don't know her!

I never even knew her.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: She asked you for your forgiveness.

-She can go to hell.

She doesn't have any of my forgiveness.

I don't know-- I don't even know her,

don't even want to know her.

My only interview concerns are about cops letting me kill.

So if you don't ask me about that,

I'm going to cut this interview.

Ask me about the cops.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: What do-- I mean, what more is there

to-- what more is there to say about the cops?

What more do you want to say about the cops?

-A lot of stuff.

Did you know that they were surveilling me before I killed,

and that I knew it?

And that was covered up.

Did you know there was helicopters dropping down

from the sky, deputy sheriff with decoys picking me up four

or five months before my arrest?

It was covered up?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But nonetheless--

-Nobody ever asked me these questions.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: -whether the cops were following you or not,

Aileen--

-Oh, whether the cops were following me or not,

Aileen, what?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: OK, let's say--

let's say the cops were following you.

-Yeah.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Let's say they were following you--

-Uh-huh.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: -and they did everything that

you're-- you're saying they did.

-Uh-huh.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Nonetheless, you killed seven men.

-Yeah, sure did.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And I'm asking you

what got you to kill the seven men?

-And I'm telling you because the cops let me keep killing them,

Nick.

Don't you get it?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Not everybody is killing seven people,

so there must have been something in you

that was getting you to do that.

-Oh, you are lost, Nick!

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: So explain.

-I was a hitchhiking hooker!

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Right.

-Running into trouble, I shoot-- shoot

the guy if I ran into trouble.

Physical trouble.

The cops knew it.

When the physical trouble came along,

let them-- let her clean the streets

and then we'll pull her in.

That's why.

JUDGE [OFFSCREEN]: But how come there

was so much physical trouble and just--

because it was all in one year.

Seven people in one year.

-Oh, well.

Oh, well.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: But why not say now?

-Because I'm-- out of retaliation for taking my life

like this and getting rich off it all these years

and-- and total pathological lying.

Yeah, thanks a lot.

I lost my fucking life because of it.

Couldn't even get a fair trial.

Couldn't even get a fair investigation or nothing.

Couldn't even have my appeals right.

You sabotaged my ass, society, and the cops and the system.

A raped woman got executed and was

used for books and movies and shit.

Ladder climbs, re-election, everything else.

I got to flip the finger in all your faces, thanks a lot.

You're inhuman-- you're an inhumane bunch of fucking

living bastards and bitches, and you're

going to get your asses nuked in the end.

And pretty soon it's coming.

2019, Iraq's supposed to hit you anyhow.

You're all going to get nuked.

You don't take fucking human life like this

and just sabotage it and rip it apart like Jesus on the cross

and say, thanks a lot for all the fucking

money I made off of ya.

And not care about a human being and the truth being told.

Now I know what Jesus was going through.

I've been trying to tell the truth

and I keep getting stepped on, concerned about if I was raped,

if I-- I'm not giving you m-- book and movie info.

I'm giving you info for investigations and stuff

and that's it.

We're going to have cut this interview, Nick.

I'm not going to go into anymore detail.

I'm leaving, I'm glad.

Thanks a lot society for railroading my ass.

OK, let's go.

You dirty son of a bitches.

Took a raped woman and sent her to-- well, you sent her to God.

But you're going to get your nuke someday soon.

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: Hey, Aileen?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

-Nice try, Nick.

And thanks a lot.

NICK BROOMFIELD: It was really pretty incredible

that Aileen had just sailed through the psychiatric tests

the day before.

It makes you wonder what you would have to do to fail.

Later that night, Dawn met Aileen for her last meal,

Kentucky Fried Chicken and french fries.

She was limited to a $20 budget.

-She's sorry, Nick, that she-- she didn't give you the finger.

She gave the media the finger, and then

the attorneys the finger.

She didn't give you the, uh, finger.

And she knew if she said much more that it could make

a-- make a difference on her execution tomorrow.

So she just decided not to.

OK?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: They thought-- she thought they

might not execute her if she said--

-Yeah.

She's afraid-- she's afraid of something

jeopardizing her ex-- you know, execution in the morning.

OFFICER [OFFSCREEN]: Keep going, ma'am!

Don't stop!

[muffled pa announcements]

-At 8 o'clock, time ticking away for serial killer Aileen

Wuornos.

-Her date with death set for about 90 minutes from now,

7's Patrick Fraser is live in Raiford

as her sentence is about to be carried out.

Good morning, Patrick.

-Christina, in an hour and a half

exactly Aileen Wuornos will be injected with a poison.

Within about two minutes, she will begin to stop breathing.

Now, it's tough to say who will be happier that she is dying,

the families of the victims she brutally murdered

or Aileen Wuornos.

-We did wake her up at 5:30.

She, uh, um, requested a towel and wash cloth

to wash her face and freshen up.

And she is very calm this morning.

Not-- not as talkative as she has been in the past.

NICK BROOMFIELD: It was hoped Aileen would confess all

to a priest before execution, but she remained

angry and defiant to the very end.

Aileen sent the priest packing, and then knelt down

and prayed for her victims, believing

they might be too evil to be accepted by God.

--talk about dying and--

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: She did talk about dying at all.

REPORTER [OFFSCREEN]: What about remorse?

NICK [OFFSCREEN]: And it was ver-- all she wanted to do

was talk about the police.

And I--I-- you know, I just formed the impression that here

was somebody who is-- has obviously lost her mind,

has totally lost touch with reality,

and we're executing a person who's mad.

And I don't really know what kind of message

that-- that gives.

I found it very disturbing.

[background conversations]

-We're going to have a briefing.

We're going to have a briefing then the witnesses.

-Is everybody ready?

-Good.

-At 9:47 this morning, the case of "The State of Florida

versus Aileen Wuornos" was carried out at Florida State

Prison in a very professional and humane manner.

During Aileen Wuornos' brief one-minute final statement,

she alluded to the fact of-- that she

would be sailing away with the Rock.

She'll be back with Jesus Christ like on "Independence Day,"

on June 6, just like the movie, on the big mothership.

I'll be back.

I'll be back.

[MUSIC -- NATALIE MERCHANT, "CARNIVAL"]