Male and Female Serial Killers

Part 2

By 1991 Wuornos' record included arrests for illegal possession of a firearm, forgery, assault, and robbery, among other felonies and misdemeanors. Police officers described her as "erratic and easily angered"(The Case of Aileen Wuornos). "Attitude POOR" was commonly written on the majority of her arrest records. Together, Wuornos and Moore would steal and then sell the items that they had stolen to pawn shops around Florida. When Wuornos was arrested on an outstanding warrant in a biker bar located in Harbor Oaks, Florida, the police tracked down Moore and used her to get Wuornos to confess to her crimes. Volusia County police found items that belonged to Richard Mallory, Wuornos' first victim, in a local pawnshop during the investigations. The items had a receipt that depicted Wuornos' thumbprint. Afterward, police traced more of Mallory's missing possessions back to Wuornos. A camera from Mallory's car was also found. The camera was discovered in a rented warehouse, which could only be opened with a key, which was being rented by Wuornos under an alias. The key was taken, by police, out of Wuornos' possession. Other items of Mallory's, most of which were from his car, was traced by the police to people and/or pawn shops with which Wuornos had made contact.

Wuornos' defense team were adamant about having her plead guilty to the six murder charges, as this would most likely result in her getting six consecutive life sentences rather than the death penalty, yet the prosecution had other plans. They were adamant about Wuornos receiving the death penalty. The prosecution first tried her for the murder of Richard Mallory, as they believed that murder had the most concrete evidence pointing to Wuornos being the killer. The trial for the murder of Richard Mallory began on January 14, 1992(Aileen Wuornos). The judge for this trial was Judge Uriel Blount. Using the Floridian law Williams Rule that is allowed to be used in all courts, the prosecution was able to bring forth evidence of the other five murders in front of the judge and jury. To no one's surprise, not many bought Wuornos' self-defense claims as to that being her motive for murder. This disbelief in self-defense is the true motive, was even further solidified when she testified in her own defense. Which was against the advice given to her by her own legal counsel. She took the Fifth Amendment many times in response to questions and events about which she was asked.

The jury took less than two hours to find her guilty of the first-degree murder of Richard Mallory on January 27 of the same year. The entire jury also unanimously suggested for Wuornos to receive the death penalty, in spite of her claiming to be mentally ill and a victim of a rough upbringing. Judge Blount sentenced Aileen Wuornos to die via electric chair on January 31, 1992. On March 31, of the same year, three additional death sentenced was added when she pleaded guilty to the murders of Troy Burress, Charles Humphreys and David Spears(Aileen Wuornos). Around four months later, she also pleaded guilty to the murder of Charles Carskaddon, tacking on another death sentence to the seemingly growing number. In February 1993, a little over a year later than her original trial date, she pleaded guilty to another murder. That of Walter Antonio, which added on Wuornos' last death sentence. When putting together she wound up with a total of six death penalties. She was never tried or charged for the murder of Peter Siems, whose body still has never been found.

Even though she was initially sentenced to death by the electric chair, she wound up with being able to decide how she wanted to die. She opted for that of lethal injection. On October 9, 2002, she declined a last meal, taking only a cup of black coffee. It has been reported that her last words were as follows: "I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mother-ship and all. I'll be back"(Aileen Wuornos). Her execution took place close to ten in the morning. She was the tenth women in the United States to receive the death penalty and to be executed, as capital punishment had been reinstated in 1976. Her remains were cremated and buried in Rochester, Michigan, her hometown.