In this chilling second episode of Mind of a Killer, host Anneliese Chase unravels the story of Aileen Wuornos—dubbed “America’s first female serial killer”—and asks how a deeply abused child became a cold-blooded murderer on Florida’s highways. You’ll hear the harrowing details of Aileen’s childhood: abandonment by her teenage mother, sexual and physical abuse at the hands of her grandfather, and a life on the margins where survival meant drug use, sex work, and petty crime. As she drifted from motel to roadside, Aileen developed a profound distrust of men—one that she later claimed justified her brutal killings in self-defense. Through eyewitness accounts, court testimony, and the voices of psychologists like Todd Grand, we explore each highway slaying—from Richard Mallory to Steven Nesson—and how ballistic evidence, stolen property, and Tyra Moore’s betrayal finally brought Aileen to justice. Along the way, we delve into nature vs. nurture debate: Were her violent impulses born from a genetic predisposition and neurological differences, or forged by decades of trauma and neglect? This episode paints a nuanced portrait of a woman shaped by both her biology and her brutal upbringing.

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In collaboration with Assumption University. This content is used for educational purposes.

About the Project: For our second Student Podcast Collaborative series, Communication & Media majors will produce an all-new, three-episode, 90-minute podcast capstone. These students move from theory to practice—pitching ideas, writing scripts, recording and editing episodes, and finally publishing their original shows. Each series tackles both personal and societal topics, allowing hosts to flex their storytelling, research, and production muscles. By working in a long-form audio format—one of the fastest-growing areas in media—students gain first-hand experience with the creative possibilities and practical challenges of communication technology.