UNDERSTANDING AILEEN WUORNOS: A DOCUMENTARY’S PERSPECTIVE

Megan Grobler

@megan.gro_bler

 

Aileen Wuornos: Queen of the Serial Killers is a documentary released on 30 October 2025, directed by Emily Turner. It examines the life and crimes of Aileen Wuornos, a convicted serial killer who spent six years on death row before being executed on 9 October 2002 at the age of 46.

 

Wuornos, who had been working as a prostitute on Florida’s highways, shot, killed, and robbed seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990, making her one of the most prolific female serial killers.

 

While the case may seem straightforward, the documentary presents a more complex story than many may have believed. Wuornos is interviewed by Australian filmmaker Jasmine Hirst, said to be the first person to capture her full account. Through these interviews, viewers learn about the childhood trauma and abuse that may have influenced her later actions.

 

Archival material and Wuornos’ own words reveal that she suffered abandonment and abuse throughout her childhood, moving through a series of foster homes before hitchhiking to Florida in her early twenties. It was in Florida that her years of prostitution and petty crime began, culminating in the killings of seven men, which she claimed were acts of self-defense.

 

Throughout her trial, Wuornos maintained that she killed those who had abused or sexually assaulted her. Court footage shows how the prosecution portrayed her as a cold-blooded murderer, even using Wuornos’ girlfriend, Tyria Moore, as a key witness to secure a conviction. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1992. In the documentary, Wuornos explains that she had made peace with her fate and eventually pleaded no contest to expedite the process, influenced by the support and guidance of her foster mother and newfound faith.

 

Years after her execution, an interview with John Tanner, the lead prosecutor in Wuornos’ case, brought new evidence to light that supported her claims of self-defense. The interviewer presented Tanner with records of previous sexual assault convictions of one of Wuornos’ victims, which Tanner claimed he had not known about.

 

The documentary leaves viewers questioning the justice system. While Wuornos’ crimes warranted punishment, her case continues to spark debate over the ethics and fairness of her death sentence.

 

 

Edited by Simoné de Witt