“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” draws a strong line between the titular character and the infamous American serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who lived a century later, but what does the show get right?
Wuornos is played in the Netflix series by Ryan Murphy staple Sarah Paulson to completely captivating effect (Wuornos also previously appeared in an episode of Murphy’s “American Horror Story: Hotel,” then played by Lily Rabe). The show paints the future character as a serious fan of Borden and a student of the case. But the “Monster” series has always been a bit flighty when it comes to nailing down the straight facts of its stories, and there are some inconsistencies.
What did Wuornos do to end up with her own death penalty? Was she really as obsessed with Borden as the show implies, and did she visit the infamous Lizzie Borden house? Here’s the real history behind Wuornos.
Who was Aileen Wuornos?
Aileen Wuornos was one of the first prominent female serial killers in America. She was born in 1956, and the early years of her life were marked by one hardship after the next. Her father went to prison for rape nine years after her birth and later died there. At 4, she and her brother were sent to live with their grandparents after being abandoned by their mother. Wuornos later alleged that her grandfather physically and sexually assaulted her.
Wuornos ran away from home at 15, according to archival interviews with the killer, and her life continued its turbulent trajectory. She hitchhiked and worked as a sex worker, briefly married a 68-year-old man when she was 20, and in 1978 tried to commit suicide by shooting herself in the gut.
Following that, she began a relationship with a Florida maid named Tyria Moore. Wuornos continued to help support the couple through sex work.
What did she do?
In 1989, Wuornos killed her first victim. She shot Richard Mallory three times after he picked her up for sex. Six more men were later killed and their deaths attributed to Wuornos over the next year. The bodies of all seven men were left on the side of the road, and their cars were taken.
Wuornos was arrested in January 1991, and Moore was offered immunity in exchange for helping investigators obtain a confession from her. Wuornos claimed self-defense in the killings, saying the men had assaulted her. In 1992, she was sentenced to death for Mallory’s murder. It wasn’t until after the trial that it was revealed Mallory had previously been arrested for attempted rape. She pleaded no contest to five more murders and was put to death by lethal injection in 2002.
Did Aileen Wuornos Have a Connection to Lizzie Borden?
There’s no evidence of a connection between the two in real life, neither that Wuornos was an admirer of Borden’s, and certainly not that she visited the Borden house.
There are no interviews or writings that Wuornos felt inspired by Lizzie Borden and the axe murders she became infamously known for. Further, Wuornos was apprehended in 1991, and she remained behind bars until her death in 2002, but the Borden House wasn’t turned into a bed and breakfast until 1996.
In the show, Wuornos not only spends a night in the Borden House, but is plagued by visions of the bodies of Andrew and Abby. She also talks with Lizzie in the dining room about her hard life and being appalled that she once tried to kill herself rather than take revenge on the men who had hurt her.
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