Aileen Carol Wuornos was a serial killer from the United States, who lived between 1956 and 20002. She died at the age of forty-six by execution at the Florida State Prison as punishments for six of the seven murders she supposedly committed in self-defence . The seven murders she committed were within one year, between 1989 and 1990, and she shot them all at blank point range. She claimed they each attempted to rape her while she was working as a sex worker and she killed them in self-defence . The murders indicate someone bitter, who did not intend to stop shooting until she was sure they were dead.
The events in her life, especially childhood, are a contributing factor to Aileen’s lifestyle as a serial killer. She had a difficult childhood that showed her mostly the bad side of life. She had to fend for herself from age 15 as a sex worker, which exposed her to even more unpleasantness and all the negative energy humanity sometimes harbours . She had also failed at keeping relationships and might have taken pride in the work she did.
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Explaining Theories
Serial killers, unlike one-time murderers, show no remorse in their actions, which is why they repeat the crime. There have been theories from since the 1960s and before, trying to explain the reasons behind the serial killing. Discussed herein are two that seem relevant in Wuornos’ case.
Social Process Theory
This social theory explains why children with difficult childhoods can become serial killers or criminals in general. The lack of a familiar structure influences people to turn to crime (Fogel & Nwokah, 2018). For Aileen, the first contact with humanity showed her no mercy. Her father was abusive, due to his diagnosed schizophrenia. Therefore, she had to defend herself constantly . When her father died, her mother abandoned her, and she succumbed to sexual activities and drugs as a school girl. She became a sex worker, with no functional support system. The abuse she underwent as a sex worker count as child abuse since she was only fifteen. Her claim of self-defence makes sense since she might have felt like those men were threats, and no one was going to defend her.
Psychopathic Personality Theory
Wuornos scored 32 on the psychopathy checklist. The criterion in the USA is 30 cutoff score for psychopathy (Miller & Lynam, 2015). Her experiences in life led to the development of borderline personality disorder. She was unable to maintain friends because of the condition as well as the stimulation towards certain behaviours and sexual stimulation as well. In a video by Morton Bain a day before Aileen’s execution, she swerves from her claim of self-defence for a moment and claims she was simply doing what she knew was right. She also speaks about the hypocrisy of the police. She claimed they knew what she was doing, but they let her continue killing for them (Bain, 2013). Aileen also said she was proud she succeeded in saving other women from potential abuse from those men. Then, surprisingly, she said because she was doing right, she was not afraid of her fate. She knew God would be there, and Jesus Christ, and the Angels (Bain, 2013).
Male and Female Serial Killers
There are several differences between male and female serial killers. The motive differs. Men tend to kill to dominate their victims while for women; it is a crime of passion. For this reason, men can kill randomly while women kill people they know (Johnston, 2018). The victims of females are usually unsuspecting, making it harder for women to get caught than for men. Another difference is the circumstances leading to the behaviour . Men may have undergone abuse in the past, but for women, the abuse is sexual, in most cases (Johnston, 2018). However, every serial killer is unique in their motives and execution of the crime.
References
Bain, M. (2013, January 14). Aileen Wuornos - Totally Insane A Day Before Her Execution. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ytpB-lOBQ
Fogel, A., &Nwokah, E. (2018). Social process theory of emotion: A dynamic systems approach. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227764041_Social_process_theory_of_emotion_A_dynamic_systems_approach
Johnston, J. E. (2018, March 8). Five Myths About Female Serial Killers. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-equation/201803/five-myths-about-female-serial-killers
Miller, J. D., &Lynam, D. R. (2015). Psychopathy and Personality: Advances and Debates. Journal of Personality , 83 (6), 585-592. doi:10.1111/jopy.12145
