How This Child Turned Into One of History’s Most Notorious Figures

Any hope of stability vanished quickly. Wuornos later alleged her grandmother drank heavily and her grandfather physically and sexually abused her throughout childhood. Fear, instability, and secrecy defined her early years—a breeding ground for tragedy.

At fourteen, she became pregnant after being raped. Rumors swirled that the father might have been her own brother. She gave birth to a son and placed him for adoption, believing it was his only chance at a decent life. By the time most teenagers were learning to drive, she had already endured more trauma than many face in a lifetime.

When her grandmother died, Wuornos dropped out of school and survived by selling sex on the streets. Arrests for disorderly conduct, assault, shoplifting, and prostitution filled her record throughout the 1970s. Her brother died in 1976; her grandfather soon took his own life. Each loss pushed her further into despair.

Seeking escape, she hitchhiked to Florida. Instead of finding stability, she sank deeper. In 1982, she was arrested for armed robbery. By then, she had attempted suicide six times. Poverty, untreated mental illness, and relentless trauma carried her toward a breaking point.

The Murders

Florida became the stage for her violent turn. Working as a prostitute along highways, she met Richard Mallory, a 51-year-old electronics store owner. They ended up in a wooded area outside Daytona. Wuornos shot him three times.

She first claimed they argued over money. Later, she testified Mallory had beaten and raped her, and she killed him in self-defense. Mallory’s own history of sexual violence only came to light after her conviction, but by then the narrative was fixed: a dangerous drifter had murdered a man.

What no one yet realized was that Mallory was only the beginning.

Between December 1989 and November 1990, Wuornos killed seven men across Florida—construction workers, a rodeo hand, a retired police chief, a truck driver. Each time, she claimed they tried to assault her. Each time, she shot them.

But the sheer number of victims overwhelmed her defense. Ballistics and stolen property tied the murders together. Her confessions—emotional, contradictory, and erratic—sealed her fate.

She was charged with six counts of first-degree murder. One victim’s body was never found, though she admitted to killing him. Ultimately, she received six death sentences.

The “Damsel of Death”