Aileen Wuornos’ death row letters, from sharing a keg with Jesus to calling her girlfriend ‘ugly’

Over a ten-year period, serial killer Aileen Wuornos wrote letters to various pen pals, but she wrote hundreds to her childhood friend Dawn Botkins. 

After many years of compiling said letters, editors put together a book titled Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in Her Own Words. Inside, the book included a vast array of letters exchanged between Dawn and Aileen; some make sense, but others not so much.  

Following the release of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Aileen’s own story has recieved increased attention. 

Aileen Wuornos’ very first letter was in 1991

Credit: Netflix

On April 1, 1991, Aileen penned her very first letter to childhood friend Dawn Botkins. 

She wrote: “Dear Dawn, Believe it, its me! Even though this letter is being written on April fools day. I am quite amazed you still care. The last time we seen each other was Keiths[2] funneral, but our last hang out together was a snowy day, cold windy and wet, when all my 45s and other personnel belongings were trashed out at an Apartment . . .

“Yea! that set me off! that was the day I decided I never wanted too see you again. Sorry! But its true. While I’m glad our teenage escapades hasn’t left an embedded complete embitterment, back in black and the heart forever, with good memories do still preside…

“I’d love to tell ya whats going on. Here, me in jail and the case. But I would Jeopardize a very severe matter (or) matters if I did. All I can say is that I’ve got great support and a very dear friend[3] to me now, thats helping me in my peril. I’d like to ask you a few questions . . . How old are ya now? How many little ones or big ones do you have? Are you still married to him? I forgot his name? When is the last time you’ve seen my dumb sister? Yea Lori if I should even call her ‘that’.

“Lori lost me, so has Barry. They treated me like shit through childhood and haven’t bothered to write (or) contact me in my horrendous state. So I’ve disowned them “completely”. This will never be reconsidered either 

“As for what really went down. The world will be surprized to learn at trial time . . .Take care of yourself too now. And hope there’ll be a chance I hear from ya . . . For now, me. Lee.”

Some of the letters are quite jarring

Credit: Netflix

Considering the breadth of her crimes, Aileen Wuornos joked and laughed in quite a lot of the letters. She seemed chill, even facing certain life in prison or death. 

In a letter written August 19, she urged Dawn to spend more time with her mum and make time count. She also wished to be sharing a keg with Jesus – yes, that Jesus. 

“And Remember sis – When its all over – Party Down Man. Cause thats exactly what I’m going to be doin. Hopefully with a leg of lamb and a keg of wine – With Jesus,” she said. 

Her interest in Christianity warped along the way, and she soon began talking about impending apocalypses and aliens. 

“I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the Rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day with Jesus… big mothership and all. I’ll be back,” she wrote. 

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And some are incredibly normal 

Though it’s too easy to think of these famous serial killers as fictional characters, letters like these show just how human they are. 

In this one, she complained about the prison food: “How about some real food, got any? I’m tired of cold eggs with no salt, (or) pepper, coffee that taste like mudd, Oatmeal brown that looks like dog vomit. (or) grits that look like seagull shit, leaving out green speckles, theres black ones! I think those are knatts, (or) maybe maggot eggs ha! ha! I know one thing It aint pepper! This coffee I swear, they put ex-lax in it. Then giggle there little ass’s off while we poop the deck . . .”

She gossiped about her other inmates 

Credit: Sipa/Shutterstock

On August 29, 1992, Aileen Wuornos talked about her cellmates and their various crimes. 

She penned: “My neighbors are DR #2 and #3. theres also #4 and #5 . . . Theres Deidra hunt, shes in for killing an 18 year old (tied to a tree.) Was videoed of it. There’s Andrea Jackson (killed a cop) Ann Cordona – (killed her little boy with a baseball bat) and Judi Buenoano “the Black Widow” (she poisoned her husband with arsenic in 1971, and drowed her paralyzed son in 1980).

“This room seems to be about 15 feet high. Theres a window that can be cranked open, no bars, except one inch and a half heavy metal strip running down the middle. I’d say its about 10 inches wide. So we do get fresh air though.”

Her final letter 

In Aileen Wuornos’ final letter from death row, dated seven days before her execution, she thanked Dawn for being a good friend. 

A portion of her lengthy final thoughts reads: “So again – Would like to “THANK YOU” for helping me through it all!.

And from the “DEBTS OF MY SOUL” . . . sis ‘THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!’ ‘THANK YOU SOOOO MUUUUCH!’ ‘SOOOO SOOOO VERY MUUUUCH.’ Will Love ya buddy. ‘FOREVER – MAN!’

And with that good thought ‘SOOOO MEEEAANNT.’ ‘SOOOOO FOR REAL!’ I’ll close here and find a way to relax a little more before the end. I’ll see ya at Starke, and again someday on the other side. Love ya buddy, and take good care ‘My FRiEND.’ You’ll be ‘FOREVER REMEMBERED BY ME.’ Love
Aileen

“P.S. I’d like to also ‘THANK YOUR FAMILY’ for all the support and Understanding they gave in our friendship too., and how they stood by it. Was definetly cool., and., brave. Thanks a million Dawn!. And you too, you guys in the family. Will Love ya. ‘FOR EVER!.’

The book includes hundreds of letters, which you can also view here. 

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Featured image credit: Sipa/Shutterstock and Netflix