According to psychologists, serial killers are usually white males in their 20s or 30s. Aileen Wuornos may be an exception. In De Land, Fla., last week the 35-year-old drifter was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of electronics repairman Richard Mallory. He was one of at least seven male motorists who authorities believe have been lured to their death since 1989 by a man-hating prostitute.
During a three-hour videotaped statement, Wuornos admitted killing Mallory and six other men who had picked her up on interstate highways. According to police, she posed as a motorist in distress to get her middle-aged victims to stop, persuaded them to go to a secluded spot with the promise of sex, then robbed and killed them. Her lawyers argued during the trial that Wuornos had struck back in self-defense after her clients became abusive. But both her adopted brother and lesbian lover took the stand to dispute her account. Wuornos must now stand trial on four other murder charges across north central Florida, and she faces charges in two other slayings.