Netflix’s Monster leaves out how Aileen Wuornos was finally caught, so here’s what happened

Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story mentions how Aileen Wuornos was sentenced to death, but not how she was finally caught. So, here’s what happened.

Aileen Wuornos had spent more than a year killing men along Florida’s highways before police finally caught up with her. Between November 1989 and November 1990, Aileen shot seven men while working as a s*x worker.

So, here’s exactly how Aileen Wuornos was finally caught.

Police first linked Aileen to Peter Siems’ abandoned car

One of the biggest breaks in the investigation came after the disappearance of Peter Siems, a 65-year-old man whose body was never found. In July 1990, Siems’ car was involved in a crash in Marion County, Florida, and witnesses reported seeing two women leaving the vehicle.

According to records from the Florida Supreme Court, the two women were later identified as Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore. A palm print found on the inside of the driver’s door was also matched to Aileen.

Police were already investigating a series of killings of middle-aged men whose bodies had been found along Florida roads. So, finding Aileen’s palm print inside Siems’ abandoned car gave investigators an important link to the case.

Police also traced belongings belonging to some of the murdered men back to Aileen. Investigators searched a storage unit she had rented under an alias and found a camera and other property belonging to Richard Mallory and other victims.

The Washington Post reported in January 1991 that property belonging to seven men who had been killed was found in a storage unit rented by Aileen. At the time, Marion County sheriff’s Capt. Steve Binegar described Aileen as “a killer who robs, not a robber who kills.”

Tyria Moore had already left Aileen

By late 1990, investigators were publicly looking for two women in connection with the murders. It was also reported that police had distributed composite drawings after witnesses came forward.

By this point, Aileen’s relationship with Tyria Moore had also fallen apart. Tyria became frightened after hearing reports about two women being sought in connection with the murders and eventually left Aileen.

In an affidavit later reported by the Ocala Star-Banner, Tyria said, “We lived together until approximately Dec. 3, 1990, at which time I feared for my life and went to my parents’ home in Ohio.”

Tyria also explained that she had started to realise some of the cars she and Aileen had been travelling in could have been connected to crimes.

On January 9, 1991, police finally found Aileen. She was arrested at The Last Resort, a bar in the Port Orange area of Florida.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Aileen was arrested that day on an outstanding concealed-weapons charge. Authorities already suspected her of involvement in the murders, but the warrant gave them a way to take her into custody.

The following day, investigators located Tyria in Pennsylvania.

Tyria helped police get Aileen to confess

Tyria cooperated with investigators because she wanted to clear herself of any involvement in the murders. Police contacted her on January 10, 1991, and she returned to Florida with law enforcement. She remained in their custody until January 16, when she was allowed to return to Pennsylvania.

Investigators then arranged for Tyria to speak to Aileen over the phone. Tyria was worried that she could be implicated in the killings, and she agreed to encourage Aileen to confess.

Tyria “encouraged Aileen to confess”, partly because she was afraid of being prosecuted as an accomplice.

Police put Tyria in a Daytona Beach motel and recorded 10 telephone conversations between the former couple. The Los Angeles Times reported that Tyria later admitted in court that she lied, cried and pleaded with Aileen in an effort to get her to talk about the killings.

On January 16, 1991, Aileen confessed to all seven killings, although she continued to claim that she had acted in self-defence.

The Los Angeles Times later reported that a jury was shown a condensed version of a videotaped confession in which Aileen described killing Richard Mallory. In the recording, she said, “When I grabbed the pistol out, I just shot him in the front seat.”

Aileen was eventually charged with six murders. She was not charged over Siems because his body was never found.

She went on trial for Mallory’s murder in January 1992. Aileen maintained that she had killed him in self-defence, but the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to death.

She later pleaded guilty or no contest to the other five murders for which she was charged and ultimately received six death sentences.

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