Aileen Wuornos and the System That Failed Her The Execution of Aileen Wuornos On October 9, 2002, Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s most infamous female serial killers, was executed by lethal injection in Florida. Convicted of murdering seven men between 1989 and 1990, Wuornos claimed her actions were acts of self-defense against clients who had assaulted her during sex work. Her case drew intense public fascination and raised enduring questions about trauma, gender, and justice. Media portrayals