Few modern serial killers have elicited as much curiosity as Aileen Wurornos, perhaps because there are relatively few female serial murderers. Most know Aileen from the 2003 film Monster, in which she was portrayed by Charlize Theron (who won an Oscar for the role). Wuromos had a horrific childhood, experiencing repeated instances of sexual abuse and rape, culminating in a pregnancy at age 14 through a rape by a family friend. After being thrown out by her grandfather she began to work as a prostitute. Throughout the 1980s she continued to provide herself through prostitution, and was in and out of trouble with the law.
In the late 1980s she met Tyria Moore, and the pair became a couple, subsisting off of the earnings Aileen made from turning tricks. In November 30, 1989, Aileen committed her first murder. The victim was a john named Richard Mallory, who Aileen claimed she murdered in self defense after he attacked her. Over the next year, she subsequently murdered six additional clients: David Spears, Charles Carskaddon, Peter Siems, Troy Burress, Charles “Dick” Humphreys, and Walter Jeno Antonio. She was arrested in January 1991 and eventually confessed to all seven murders. In 1992 she was put on trial for the murder of Mallory.After a trial in which she received representation that many considered inadequate, Wurornos was sentenced to death. She later pled guilty or no contest to five additional murders, and received a total of six death sentences. (She was not charged with the murder of Siems, as his body was never found). She was executed on October 9, 2002 at the Florida State Prison.
THE LAST RESORT BAR
Outside The Last Resort bar in Port Orange, FL
Many of the bricks are painted in honor of customers. Aileen has a four-brick array.
A mural of Aileen graces the outdoor patio at The Last Resort
Wuornos liked to drink at The Last Resort, a biker bar in Port Orange, FL. In fact, it is where police arrested her in 1991.Thebar looks much the same today as it did when she occupied a bar stool. We visited on a quiet Sunday, and had the place to ourselves. The owner was tending bar and more than happy to talk about Aileen and her time spent at The Last Resort. He said they had no idea what she turned out to be capable of, but was fairly quiet and largely kept to herself while drinking. The bar has in some ways become a shrine to Aileen, with several memorials (and even their own “Crazy Killer Hot Sauce” that they bottle and sell). It’s a fun place to stop in for a beer (beer only, no liquor), and hear some first-hand stories about one of America’s most notorious killers.
THE SCOOT INN
Just down the road from The Last Resort, is the Scoot Inn, a roadside motel where Aileen was living at the time of her arrest. She lived in Room #9, which has been renumbered 7 after a renovation.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Port Orange, FL is just south of Daytona Beach. The Last Resort is located at. 5812 S Ridgewood Ave. (U.S. 1/Rte. A1A). The Scoot Inn is located at 5964 S Ridgewood Ave.