Aileen Wuornos was born on February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan, to teenage parents. Her father, Leo Dale Pittman, was incarcerated at the time of her birth and later committed suicide in prison. Her mother, Diane Wuornos, abandoned Aileen and her brother, leaving them in the care of their grandparents. 

Aileen's upbringing was tumultuous; she faced physical and sexual abuse from her grandfather and began engaging in sexual activities at a young age, reportedly exchanging sex for food, drugs, and cigarettes. She became pregnant at 14, and the child was given up for adoption. By 15, she was homeless, supporting herself through prostitution and petty crime.

Between 1989 and 1990, Wuornos murdered seven middle-aged men along Florida highways. Her victims were:​

Richard Mallory (51) – Electronics store owner, killed November 30, 1989.​ 
Spears (43) – Construction worker, killed May 19, 1990.​
Charles Carskaddon (40) – Part-time rodeo worker, killed May 31, 1990.​
Peter Siems (65) – Retired merchant seaman, disappeared June 1990; body never found.​
Troy Burress (50) – Sausage salesman, killed July 31, 1990.​
Charles Humphreys (56) – Retired Air Force major and former police chief, killed September 11, 1990.​
Walter Antonio (62) – Truck driver and security guard, killed November 19, 1990.​

Wuornos claimed that all the killings were in self-defense, alleging that the men had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute. However, evidence suggested that robbery was a motive, as she was found in possession of her victims' belongings and had pawned some of their items. She was arrested on January 9, 1991, at a biker bar in Port Orange, Florida. Her lover, Tyria Moore, cooperated with the police and persuaded Wuornos to confess to the murders.​ Wuornos was convicted of six of the murders and received six death sentences. She was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.