How Many Victims Did Aileen Wuornos Actually Have?
Aileen Wuornos will forever live in infamy for robbing several men of their lives and possessions along Florida back roads and highways between December 1989 and September 1990. She claimed self-defense, but some believe she was a brutal misandrist and others believe her tragic childhood set the tone for her predatory future. Aileen's only trial was for her first homicide. They found 51-year-old Richard Mallory the way all of her victims were found, with no car and several bullet holes. She claimed he viciously raped her, but her profession — Wuornos was a sex worker — cast doubt on her story, and it was only after they sentenced her did Mallory's previous rape conviction come to light (via Orlando Sentinel).
Aileen's other victims were David Spears, a 43-year-old construction worker who was found June 1, 1990, nude and with six bullet wounds in Citrus County (via Clark County Prosecutor). Charles Carskaddon, a 40-year-old rodeo worker, soon followed in Pasco County on June 6, 1990, with nine bullets in his abdomen and chest. Law enforcement found Troy Burress, a 50-year-old sausage salesman on August 4, 1990, in Marion County. Charles "Dick" Humphreys was a 56-year-old retired Air Force major and former police chief who was shot six times and found in Marion County on September 12, 1990. Walter Jeno Antonio's 62-year-old body found half nude with four shots in the back and head in Dixie County on November 19, 1990.
The seven men murdered by Aileen Wuornos
And that's not the end of this grisly tale. Peter Siems disappeared in between the David Spears and Buress murders while traveling to New Jersey in June 1990. The 65-year-old was never found, but his vehicle was on July 4, 1990. A palm print and a witness linked Wuornos to his disappearance. Not wanting to go through another trial, Aileen confessed to the other six murders, but she wasn't charged in Siems' murder because law enforcement never found his body. According to the Investigation Discovery documentary, Aileen Wuornos: Mind of a Monster, she wrote her best friend Dawn Botkins letters detailing the murders and confided that Siems wasn't a customer but a good Samaritan who learned the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished.
Wuornos may not have been as prolific as some serial killers were with seven victims, but her crimes have gone down in history regardless.