When evaluating the case of the
murders carried out by Aileen Wuornos the fundamental errors that occurred
throughout this case in respect of the collection and analysis of forensic
evidence and the liaison between the various county police departments must be
considered.
The murder of her first victim,
Richard Mallory, raises the question of why the fingerprints Wuornos admitted in
her interview with detectives would have been present in his vehicle, as she
had made no attempt to clean them up, were not recovered by the scene of crimes
officer/s (SOCO’s) during their examination of the vehicle. Items that were pawned by Wuornos, under the
alias Cammie Marsh Green, required a thumbprint on documentation which would
have identified Wuornos as the person who pawned the items as her fingerprints
would have been on file due to her criminal record had the police checked local
pawn shops.
The discovery of David Spears vehicle
and body showed clear similarities to that of Richard Mallory, both having been
shot to death with the same .22 calibre weapon and their vehicles stolen. Evidence found at both the scenes of the car
and the body does not appear to have been analysed successfully which may have
been down to environmental factors for evidence found by and near the body
however the evidence found in the vehicle cannot be identified in any relevant
documentation.
Charles ‘Chuck’ Carskaddon’s body
revealed he had been shot with the same calibre of bullet as Richard Mallory
and David Spears. However his murder
showed an escalation in the violence used as Carskaddon was shot nine times which
revealed Wuornos would have had to reload the .22 calibre pistol. His vehicle was later discovered and
identified however there is no mention of any forensic evidence gathered only
items stolen from the car are recorded which were; .45 calibre pistol with a
pearl handle, stun gun, Mexican blanket, lighter, watch and tan suitcase.
Although Peter Siems body has never
been recovered his vehicle was following an accident where it was later abandoned. As Wuornos had been injured in the crash and
was bleeding the bloody fingerprint/s left in the vehicle would have identified
her through her criminal record, it was never followed up on. The fact that Rhonda and Jim Bailey’s account
of the crash and its exact location was not known by the homicide detectives
until two months after the crash also highlights police failing as evidence
that Wuornos and Moore were seen to throw into the woods which could have led
to an earlier arrest was not recovered.
In the case of Eugene ‘Troy’ Burress similarities
to the previous victims are apparent. He
was shot with a .22 calibre pistol, robbed and his vehicle taken. Although the vehicle was recovered there is
no documentation in respect of forensic evidence.
Charles ‘Dick’ Humphreys, a former
Alabama police chief, found shot dead the day after he disappeared could be linked
to the previous crimes as he had also been shot with a .22 calibre pistol and
robbed. When his vehicle was later
discovered a beer can found within it was not analysed which could have led to
the identification of Wuornos although an EMRO Store receipt was followed up on
which revealed that Wuornos and Tyria Moore were present at the store/truck
stop and left with Humphreys. The
attendant believed that they were prostitutes.
The final victim, Walter Gino
Antonio, was shot with a .22 calibre pistol and discovered by a police officer
out hunting game. His vehicle was later
found locked in a wooded area and beer cans found near the car were analysed
but revealed no fingerprints as they had been wiped clean. A number of items were stolen including;
handcuffs, reserve deputy badge, a police billy club, flashlight, Timex
wristwatch, suitcase, toolbox and baseball cap.
However only his cloths were recovered and there is no forensic
documentation regarding them.
In conclusion the identification and
subsequent apprehension of Aileen Wuornos was able to take place as a result of
the successful liaison of the law enforcement officers from different Counties. The correlation of the multiple murders led
the Detectives working on the criminal investigations to the conclusion that
one individual was responsible for all the murders. Therefore the communication between the
County departments assisted with the conclusion of the criminal investigation
as vital information was shared that enabled evidence to be collated in order
for the perpetrator to be identified.
However, although the liaison between the law enforcement officers from
the various Counties did take place it was not until the death of the final
victim, Walter Gino Antonio, which brings into question why couldn’t the links
between the multiple murders have been identified sooner as lives could have
been saved.
Although a task force was eventually
set up by the police to catch what they believed was a ‘hooker killer’ it was
Steve Binegar who eventually linked Wuornos to the murders, it was obvious that
opportunities had been missed to apprehend Wuornos earlier through both
forensic evidence and a lack of cross county liaison between the various police
departments.
The evidence obtained by the Police,
particularly the eyewitness statements, assisted in the criminal investigation
as the eyewitness will have been requested to attend the Police Department in
order for a sketch to be produced that will of in turn been displayed for the
general public to see. In the case of
Aileen Wuornos the sketch that was presented to the general public, via the
television, led to multiple calls being received that ultimately assisted with
the progress of the criminal investigation.
There is no defence for the crimes
committed by Aileen Wuornos however one has to wonder about what mitigating
factors there were for her behaviour. Abandoned,
abused and bullied as a child with a father who was a paedophile who hung
himself in prison, raised by allegedly strict grandparents Wuornos’s start in
life was hard to say the least. Although
she claimed self defence for all the murders claiming they all were going to
rape her, it is possible that her first victim, Richard Malllory, was the
trigger for all the murders as he had a criminal record for such behaviour
which was never revealed to the jury at the trial. Wuornos was portrayed in the media both pre-trial,
trial and post trial as a monster who was a cold blooded killer, yet did
Richard Mallory bring to the surface all the feelings she had bottled up since
a childhood. The defence attorney for Wuornos, Billy Nolas,
stated that in his opinion Wuornos was “the
most disturbed individual I have represented”.
It should also be noted that although
Tyria Moore escaped prosecution for any of the above crimes as an accomplice
before or after the fact, it was apparent that she was aware of them and living
off the money stolen by Wuornos during the crimes as well as items stolen from
the victims some of which were found in her possession. Moore also spent three days talking to
Wuornos whilst she was in custody trying to get her to confess to the
murders. She also conspired with three
police officers; Bruce Munster, Dan Henry and Steve Binegar, to get a TV movie
deal about the murders prior to Wuornos’s trial.
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