Examining the details surrounding Aileen Wurnos (1965-2002), a serial killer of American origin, indicates that her formative years greatly influenced her psychological well-being, ultimately driving her to engage in prostitution. During her time as a sex worker in Florida, USA between 1989 and 1991, Wurnos mercilessly killed and looted seven individuals. She argued that these men either raped or attempted to rape her, using this as justification for committing the acts under the premise of self-defense.
Aileen Wurnos, who experienced neglect and abuse during her early life, was given the death penalty on six occasions in August 2002. Following twelve years spent on death row, she was executed by the state of Florida, USA. Aileen’s parents married at the age of fifteen in 1954, leading to the birth of Keith Pittman (born in 1955) and Aileen Carol Pittman (born in 1956).
Due to her parents’ divorce and her father’s imprisonment for child molesting and attempted murder, Aileen never had the chance to meet him, Leo Dale Pittman. Sadly, when she was just six months old, her mother left her and her brother Keith. Thankfully, their grandparents Lori and Britta Wurnos stepped in to provide them with a home and officially adopted them in 1960.
Throughout her early years, Aileen Wurnos suffered deeply traumatic incidents, enduring sexual exploitation from strangers as well as potentially being abused by her own brother and grandfather. Sadly, in 1970 at the age of thirteen, Aileen was raped by an unidentified man which resulted in a pregnancy. Society’s disapproval of having children outside of marriage made it rare, forcing Aileen to give up her child for adoption. Adding to her anguish, she also experienced the loss of her grandmother shortly after this ordeal.
Following her eviction at the age of fifteen by her grandfather, Aileen Wurnos resorted to prostitution as a means to support herself and lived in the woods for four years. Throughout this period, she faced multiple arrests and occasional charges related to criminal activities. In 1976, Aileen married Lewis Gratz Fell, who was notably much older at 69 years old.
