Aileen Wuornos was executed because she was convicted of murdering seven men between 1989 and 1990. Although she claimed the killings were acts of self-defense against men who tried to sexually assault her while she worked as a prostitute, prosecutors argued that they were premeditated robberies and murders.
Her case drew massive attention because it blurred the line between victim and killer — many believed her traumatic past, years of abuse, and mental illness drove her actions. Despite this, the courts sentenced her to death for six murders. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002 at age 46.
