These Were Aileen Wuornos' Final Words And Last Meal
In 2002, Aileen Wuornos was executed by Florida authorities via lethal injection for killing at least six men. Wuornos was suspected in the death of another man, but his body was never found, nor was she officially charged with the crime. Per standard procedure, Wuornos was offered one final meal before her execution, as well as a chance to say her final words before she died. The meal that Wuornos chose and the words that she said before her death reflect the troubled mind frame and the mental challenges Wuornos lived with all throughout her life (via CNN).
Despite her conviction, Wuornos was a tragic figure. Some might be familiar with Wuornos' story from actress Charlize Theron's Oscar-worthy portrayal of the convicted murderer in the 2003 movie, "Monster." Wuornos came from a broken home. She grew up with her grandparents, and when her grandmother died, her grandfather — whom Wuornos alleged had abused her — threw her out. Wuornos also alleged an incestuous relationship with her brother. At that time, Wuornos was left to live alone in the woods. As an adult, Wuornos led a vagabond life of sex work and hitchhiking, only crossing paths with the law on occasion (per Biography).
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Wuornos' brief marriage was annulled
At one point, Aileen Wuornos almost managed to break her vicious cycle when, in the mid-1970s, she married a rich yachtsman named Lewis Fell. Wuornos soon reverted to her darker instincts, and after a physical altercation and a later arrest for yet another fight, Fell annulled the marriage, and Wuornos was left living rough in Florida, committing crimes to survive. Shortly after that, Wuornos met a hotel maid called Tyria Moore, and that relationship became romantic. At this point, things took a turn for the worse, and Wuornos' illegal activities escalated from assaults and petty crimes to full-on serial killings.
From late 1989 to the fall of 1990, Wuornos and Moore left a trail of six murdered men behind them. A sex worker who picked up men only to then shoot and rob them, Wuornos pled guilty to killing one man, Richard Mallory, claiming at first it was self-defense. She later recanted that statement. Wuornos went on trial for killing five more men and admitted to that seventh murder for which she was never charged (via Biography). As law enforcement caught up with Wuornos and Moore, authorities convinced Wuornos' partner to lure a confession from Wuornos. Wuornos assumed full responsibility for her crimes, and she was sentenced to death.
Wuornos' conviction was controversial
As The Guardian writes, though she confessed to killing at least seven men, Aileen Wuornos' death sentence in 1992 was controversial for a number of reasons. Not least of which was her apparent ongoing challenges with mental illness, according to her defense attorneys. Then Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who was up for reelection, had also just recently lifted a stay on executions in the state, and observers believed he had done so for political reasons. Still, Wuornos remained resolute that she wanted to die.
Via the Guardian, Wuornos wrote, "I'm one who seriously hates human life and would kill again ... I have hate crawling through my system." And during her trial, Wuornos said, "I am as guilty as can be ... I want the world to know I killed these men, as cold as ice. I've hated humans for a long time. I am a serial killer. I killed them in cold blood, real nasty." Speaking later, her former defense attorney, Billy Nolas said Wuornos was the most mentally unwell person had ever represented. A documentary filmmaker Wuornos spoke with before she died said, "My conclusion from the interview [with Wuornos] ... we are executing someone who is mad."
Coffee and a sci-fi reference
Aileen Wuornos' strange last words definitely seemed to fit her defense attorney's assessment: "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," Wuornos, in her final words, stated, on October 9, 2002, before she died by lethal injection. 'Independence Day' was an apparent reference to the 1996 Will Smith sci-fi movie. Wuornos' final meal, reportedly just a cup of coffee, was no less unusual, CBS News reports.
Wuornos herself appeared to be at ease with her impending death. In fact, she seemed to be excited to depart the world of the living. In his notes, a prison guard who interacted with Wuornos while on death row wrote, "Wuornos is very angry at the media and corrupt institutions, and says she can't wait until Wednesday at 9:30 [the day of her execution] so she can be with her God and punish all the evil-doers for the way they treated her." Wuornos was 46 years old when she died.