Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “Damsel of Death” Aileen Wuornos Pt. 2

Episode Date: August 20, 2020

In the late ‘80s, Aileen trolled the highways outside of Daytona, Florida looking for johns. But these days, she was interested in more than sex work. Her johns had always treated her as disposable. Now, armed with a .22 caliber handgun, she was ready to return the favor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. When 24-year-old Tyra Moore first met Eileen, she felt a rush of excitement, like a roller coaster tipping over the first big hill. The two of them took the plunge together, their stomachs churning with butterflies. But over the past year, those butterflies had slowly turned to nausea. In fact, Tyra's stomach nodded every time Eileen walked through the door. Especially on nights when she came home with valuables, cameras, necklaces, the occasional wedding band.

Tyra knew better than to ask where they came from. In her heart of hearts, she knew. Somewhere across the state, another body lay discarded off the highway. But one night, Eileen didn't come from. home with her typical stash. Instead, she had a velvet jewelry box. A small diamond ring. Modest, but the most expensive thing Eileen had ever bought. Tyra knew it was a mistake. Everything inside of her told her to run, except her stomach. The butterflies were back, fluttering in an all-new way. She couldn't help, but say yes. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is

Serial Killers, a Parcast Original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we finish our look into the life of Eileen Warnos, often credited as the first modern female serial killer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers for Free killers in the search bar. Last time, we discussed the sexual and physical abuse Eileen suffered as a child, likely causing her to develop borderline personality disorder. Unable to function by the typical rules of society, she lashed out at everyone around her. Eventually, her rage led her to kill a client after he attacked her. This episode will dive into the aftermath of this murder and the disturbing year to follow. We've got all that and more coming in.

up. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up. for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find

any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So if you're hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list.

They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ziprecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session.

And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. On the night of November 30th, 1989, 33-year-old Eileen Warnos was attacked by one of her clients, 51-year-old Richard Mallory.

She was able to escape him long enough to grab the gun she kept in her purse, then shot him in the chest four times. A few days later, while Mallory's corpse decayed in a junkyard, Eileen was at a pawn shop getting what she could for his valuables. The big ticket item was his cat. which she hoped would fetch a decent sum. The pawn shop owner told Eileen he'd need to see her ID and take her thumbprint, just in case the camera turned up stolen.

She agreed. Then she took the cash home to Tyra Moore, her 27-year-old girlfriend. On the whole, we don't know much about Tyra and Eileen's relationship. An investigator would later suggest that Tyra wanted everything in the world and Eileen wanted to give it to her. From the outside, it did seem like Eileen bent over backward to provide for Tyra. And Eileen seemed to think that if she didn't make enough money, Tyra would leave. That said, it's hard to tell whether Tyra made specific demands of Eileen or whether Eileen was simply projecting her own deep-seated fears and insecurities.

Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. As a reminder, she is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Last week, we spoke in depth about Eileen's mental health. Many medical health professionals have suggested that she suffered from borderline personality disorder, a mood disorder that is oftentimes rooted in childhood trauma. Essentially, children from emotionally volatile families grow up believing that this lack of stability is normal.

As they become adults, they struggle with feelings of worthlessness. They also come to expect instability in all of their relationships. When that instability is absent, they assume their partner has lost interest, and because they fear abandonment, they act out so that their partner must prove their love. Essentially, people with BPD spend half their time lashing out at their partners and the rest of the time trying to please them so they won't leave. As such, it's hard to know whether Tyra actually would have left, or whether Eileen simply convinced herself that money was the only thing keeping her. her around. Either way, when that money began to run out, Eileen might have panicked and someone had to pay. On the morning of June 1, 1990, a surveyor named Matthew Cocking called the police station in Brooks County, Georgia, just across the Florida State Line. He'd found a body, white guy, mid-40s,

completely naked except for a baseball hat. Cocking counted six bullet wounds in his chest. Police knew cocking. He wasn't a frequent flyer or anything, but he'd had a few run-ins with the law. They also knew he carried a gun and was generally hostile. Before police headed out to the crime scene, they wondered aloud whether cocking had perhaps shot someone in the woods, then pretended to find the body. But when they got there, the body had already started to decay, not likely the product of a run-in earlier that morning.

And though cocking swore at police for even, suggesting he might be to blame. He was angrier than he was defensive. A good sign he was innocent. But that still left the police with an unidentified body on their hands. Then a few days later on June 6th, another John Doe turned up in Pascoe County just north of Tampa. This body was so badly decomposed that police couldn't obtain fingerprints. The coroner couldn't even estimate a time of death. However, they were able to determine that the nine bullet holes in his chest were from a 22-caliber pistol, as had been the case with Richard Mallory, the previous November. Pascoe County Detective Tom Muck notified investigator Marvin Padgett,

the detective assigned to Mallory's case, noting the similarities, the two men agreed to keep in touch. On a hunch, Detective Muck also called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in the hopes of tracking down another lead. When he heard about their own John Doe, he knew he was onto something. Three bodies lying within a few hours' drive of one another, all riddled with bullets from a 22. Detective Muck didn't have enough information for a full investigation just yet, but he resolved to keep an ear to the ground. The next day, June 7th, police in Brooks County, Georgia, identified their John Doe,

43-year-old David Spears of Bradenton, Florida. he'd been missing since May 19th. But police still couldn't explain how Spears' body ended up across state lines, three hours north of his home. Of course, at the time, they had no idea that Eileen had driven him there in his own car, dumped his body along the highway, picked his pockets, and driven off. Police believed they were looking for a male killer, and that Spears' murder was a possible robbery gone wrong.

They never guessed he was simply one of Eileen's, unlucky clientele. But while police concerned themselves with who these men were, we might ask why these men specifically. After all, Eileen was servicing about seven Johns a day. What did these men do to land on the receiving end of her 22? We must remember that in addition to potentially having a personality disorder of some kind, Eileen Wernos was a survivor of rape, not only at the hands of Richard Mallory, but also her grandfather, Lowry, his friend who impregnated her at age 14, and potentially other Johns. She was almost certainly struggling with the trauma that follows sexual assault. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, victims can experience

a myriad of reactions, including depression, anxiety, and mood swings. But a big underlying factor in these behavioral shifts is a fear of recurrence. For this reason, many victims of sexual violence are unable to return to activities or places that trigger memories of the assault. Which, at least for a while, is considered a healthy method of self-care. But Eileen didn't do that. Just weeks after being attacked by Richard Mallory, she was back on the highways waving down clients, some of whom became her next victims. In an interview with Vanity, Fair, psychologist Phyllis Chesler tried to explain Eileen's mindset. She said, perhaps these men were especially violent in some way. It could be something they said or did,

or something they reminded her of. In other words, she may have chosen her victims impulsively, after they unknowingly triggered her. In Eileen's mind, she was likely attacking them before they had the chance to turn on her, although as she became more confident in her, killing, she also grew sloppy and didn't trouble to keep a low profile. That year, Independence Day was hot and muggy. Rhonda Bailey could feel the hair sticking to the nape of her neck as she sat on the porch sweating. Down the street, neighborhood kids were playing with fireworks. One of them was bound to lose a finger by the end of the night. As she sat enjoying the otherwise peaceful evening, something caught Rhonda's eye. A gray Pontiac Sunbird, thundering down

the street. It wasn't swerving, but something about the driving made her take notice. The car went careening off the road in front of Rhonda's house, only stopping once it crashed into the thick brush. Two women scrambled out of the car mid-fight, Tyra and Eileen. Eileen's arm was bloody, clearly an injury from the crash. She did most of the talking, berating Tyra for some infraction. Both Eileen and Tyra had beers in their hands, and chugged them before throwing the empty cans into the woods. Then the women got to work pushing the damaged car out of the brush and back onto the road. The Pontiac was in bad shape. The windshield was so smashed you couldn't see out of it.

Not that Eileen much cared. She and Tyra jumped back in the car and floored it. They made it about 100 yards before the sunbird gave a death rattle and broke down completely. From her porch, Rhonda watched just long enough to see the women flee the car and jog down the road and out of sight. Rhonda called the police immediately. A member of the Orange Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Hubert Hewitt, responded to the call. On his way to the accident, he spotted Eileen and Tyra walking away from the crash. He stopped and rolled down his window, asking if they were the women from the accident. Eileen snarled at him, so he rolled up his window and drove on.

Hewitt found the abandoned car a short way up the road. He had expected the smashed windshield and dented exterior, but was surprised to find blood stains all over the inside. He called in the vehicle identification number immediately. Police learned that the car was registered to a man named Peter Sims, a 65-year-old retiree who worked as part of a Christian outreach ministry. He had been missing for almost a month. It was clear to the authorities that there had been some foul play.

Hewitt correctly assumed that the women who cursed at him were behind it, though by the time he connected the dots, Eileen and Tyra were long gone. When forensics combed the smashed-up car for clues, they were able to lift a palm print from the driver's side door. It didn't pull up any matches, but it was ready for the next time someone ran those prints. Finally, a teletype description of Eileen and Tyra was sent to every police station in the country.

For now, they were wanted in connection with the disappearance of Peter Sims, but soon they'd have to answer for a great deal more. In a moment, pieces of Eileen's puzzle begin falling into place. Hi, it's Greg. Have you heard the newest Spotify original from Parkast? It's called Very Presidential with Ashley Flower. and it uncovers the most damning details surrounding history's most high-profile leaders. Every Tuesday through the 2020 election, host Ashley Flowers shines a light on the darker side of the American presidency.

From toward love affairs and contemptible corruption to shocking cover-ups and even murder, she'll expose the personal and professional controversies you may never knew existed. You'll hear some wildly true stories about presidents such as Richard Nixon, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt and more. Very Presidential highlights the exploits you never learned in history class, but probably should have. Family drama, personal vices, dirty secrets. These presidents may have run, but they most certainly can't hide.

Follow Very Presidential with Ashley Flowers free on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavatheater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

You in? Must be 21 to enter. Now back to the story. On July 4th, 1990, 33-year-old Eileen Warnos crashed one of her victim's cars, while driving drunk. She and her girlfriend, Tyra, were spotted by two different witnesses who gave police detailed descriptions. Now, Eileen and Tyber were wanted in connection with the disappearance of Peter Sims. At the time, police suspected Peter might be dead, but had no reason to assume his disappearance was connected to several other murders across the state. For her part, Eileen didn't suspect that law enforcement was on to her at all. She and Tyra carried on,

business as usual. Which usually meant blowing off steam at their favorite dive bar, the last resort. Eileen was a regular. Everyone regarded her as a wild character, but she wasn't without her charms. Eileen would play her favorite songs on the jukebox and buy drinks for her fiancée, her idea of a romantic date night. But it's hard to say whether Tyra still felt that tenderness. The bloom was off the rose, and Tyra was pulling away.

As we explained previously, Eileen had a strong fear of abandonment, strong enough that she sought ways to manipulate Tyra into staying. Because people like Eileen are so controlling, they tend to gravitate towards partners with a poor sense of boundaries, someone who will lose themselves in a relationship. Given Eileen's extremes, it's reasonable to believe that Tyra also suffered from attachment issues, even if she was beginning to recognize Eileen's violent and dangerous,

She may not have been emotionally ready to leave. Meanwhile, Eileen likely took her partner's compliance as a sign of encouragement to continue her killing spree. From there on out, her kills were fast and scattered. On the morning of July 30th, 50-year-old Troy Burris set out from Gilchrist's sausage, where he worked as a delivery man. He should have been back that afternoon, so when he didn't show, his manager worried. Fearing he'd bet in a car accident, she called around and discovered that Troy never made it to his last few stops.

Around four the next morning, Marion County Sheriff's deputies found Troy's truck abandoned along State Road 19. Eileen would later confess to his murder, claiming she killed him in self-defense, though this seems suspect. It's possible Troy solicited Eileen for sex on his lunch break, but more than likely, he saw her hitchhiking and decided to help. For his good day, Indeed, she killed him. His body was found on August 4th, already badly decomposed. He was so unrecognizable that his wife was only able to ID his wedding band, which Eileen

left on his corpse. Like the rest of Eileen's victims, Troy was shot with a 22-caliber pistol. But for whatever reason, Marion County Police didn't make the immediate connection to Richard Mallory's murder, as Detective Muck had over in Pascoe County. While police searched for Troy's murderer, Eileen struck again. This time her victim was 56-year-old Charles Dick Humphreys, a retired Air Force major and former police chief. His body was found in Marion County on September 12th, the morning after his disappearance. Eileen had shot him in the head and torso seven times with her trustee 22 caliber.

Until now, one could argue that all of Eileen's victims were clients. who became aggressive. But Dick's family has railed against any suggestions that he picked up Eileen for sex. They argue that he wasn't that kind of person. In fact, he worked for the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, specializing in helping abused and injured children. Of course, someone's job has no bearing on the kind of person they are in off hours. In fact, our assumptions about what someone is capable of, based on their social standing,

oftentimes enables killers and abusers. But in this case, it really didn't seem like Dick had it coming. Rather, something else was going on with Eileen. More than likely, relationship woes were causing her to unravel, and they would lead her to make one final kill. On November 17th, Eileen found yourself about three hours northwest of Daytona. Earlier that night, she and Tyra had a blowout fight, and Eileen left in a huff.

Tyra was going to leave her. She knew it. And that thought terrified her. She needed to get away for a couple of hours. Before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself riding shotgun next to a John who had picked her up for a quickie. That was hours ago. Now that same John was lying on the floor of his car, naked and dead. Eileen was behind the wheel, driving into the floor to Panhandle. Eventually, she pulled over on a dark logging road and dumped 60-year-old Walter Gino Antonio into a ditch. Police found his body the following morning. From the moment Antonio's case landed on Captain Steve Bineger's desk,

he knew that this was the work of the same killer who scattered bodies across Florida, as well as in Southern Georgia. He just wasn't sure who that killer was yet. Wasting no time, he formed a multi-agency task force. He also cracked the first piece of, of a complicated puzzle. It had been long assumed that all of these victims were killed by a hitchhiker, but because the killer was strong enough to dump the bodies far back from the road, they assumed the killer was a male. But something about that felt odd to Binniger.

After all, nobody stopped for hitchhikers anymore. They were dangerous, which meant that whoever was thumbing for a ride must have seemed non-threatening. It was then that Binniger remembered the teletype description of the two women who crashed Peter Simms' car. Peter was still missing, and Binniger was willing to bet that these two women might know a little something about that. So he set out to track them down. Binniger made a few calls to the press. By the end of November, newspapers across the state had published police sketches of Eileen and Tyra asking the public for tips on their whereabouts. When Eileen saw the sketches, she felt nauseous. She didn't know what to do except to suppose.

of the murder weapon, so she threw her 22 caliber off the Rose Bay Bridge, never to be seen again. By mid-December, police were inundated with leads. The most helpful of these came from a man in Homa Sassa Springs, who rented a trailer to Eileen and Tyra a year prior. He was able to give police Tyra Moore's full name, though he only remembered the blonde woman as Lee. On December 13th, Vinegar received a call from police in Port Orange, Florida. They'd been tracking Eileen and Tyra since September, and they knew where the couple was staying, the Fairview Motel. Or rather, where the women used to stay. After the police catches hit the papers, Tyra's tethered to Eileen snapped. She fled to her sister's home in Pennsylvania,

leaving a heartbroken Eileen behind. Eileen left the Fairview on the same day Bineger received the tip. With Eileen in the wind, the task force was back at Square One. Until Bineger got another brilliant idea. Since all of the victims had been robbed, he decided to check the pawn shops around Daytona. Binniger struck gold. He found Richard Mallory's camera, the one Eileen pawned almost a year prior. The pawn shop still had her thumbprint on file, and an hour later, it was matched to the palm print lifted from Peter Sims Sunbird. Binniger finally had a name. Eileen Carol Warnos. Now all they had to do was track her down. On the evening of January 8th, 1991, 34-year-old Eileen Warnos was drowning her sorrows at the Port Orange Pub.

She wasn't doing well since Tyra left. She was alone, too depressed to work, and once again homeless, sleeping on an abandoned car seat in the parking lot at the last resort. That night, two drug dealers showed up to the pub and made polite conversation. They introduced themselves as bucket and drums and seemed like nice. enough guys, especially after they bought Eileen a beer. Of course, she might not have been so friendly had she known they were undercover cops. They chatted her up for roughly an hour, leaving shortly before midnight. They reported back, confirming they'd made contact with Eileen Warnos. Tomorrow, they'd make their arrest.

Eileen woke up a few hours after sunrise on the morning of January 9th, then lounged around in her car until 11, when the last resort opened. She ordered her first beer of the day, then started hitting up the other patrons for quarters. She wanted to play her favorite song on the jukebox. Around 11.30 a.m., Eileen was surprised to see bucket and drums walk through the door. Of course, they'd had her tailed, but Eileen just figured it was a happy coincidence. She liked them. Sure, they were a little cagey, but that's drug dealers for you. They bought her another beer and gave her a quarter for the jukebox.

As far as Eileen was concerned, they could stick around, so long as they kept buying her drinks. The threesome chatted at the bar for a while. At one point, Drums stepped away to make a phone call. As Eileen sipped on the beer he'd bought her, drums put his sting operation into motion. Twenty minutes later, Bucket and Drums invited Eileen outside for a cigarette. She chugged the last beer she would ever have. Then followed them out to the door. The moment she stepped into the parking lot,

six officers swarmed and pendered to the ground. In a moment, Eileen Warnos unravels. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right. So I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.

Taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band teas, but on Deepop, people are searching for exactly what you've got. You once paid a small fortune for them at merch stands.

Now, a teenager who calls them vintage will offer that same small fortune back. Sell them easily on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. Who knew your questionable music? Music Taste will be a money-making machine. Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes Taste.

Now, back to the story. On the morning of January 9, 1991, police took 34-year-old Eileen Warnos into custody. The next day, two officers from the task force flew up to Pennsylvania to interview Eileen's ex-fiancee, 27-year-old Tyra Moore. Tyra confessed that she knew the murders happened. but didn't know any of the details. She'd asked Eileen to never tell her about them. Anytime Eileen began to hint, Tyra cut her off.

Of course, this glossed over her involvement covering up Richard Mallory's murder. But police didn't care much about that. Tyra didn't have a record, so they knew she would never commit these acts on her own. If she agreed to testify against Eileen and convince her to confess, they'd give her full immunity. Tyra accepted the deal and accompanied police back to Daytona where they put her up in a motel. From there, Tyra called Eileen. At that point, Tyra was the last person Eileen expected to hear from. She figured Tyra was long gone, just like everyone else she ever loved.

So Eileen was unnerved to hear her ex-girlfriend sounding distraught over the phone. Tyra told Eileen that the police were after her, that she didn't know what to do. Eileen started to comfort her former lover, but stopped short. Hey, Tyra, she asked suspiciously, is there somebody else in the room with you? Tyra denied it, but Eileen seemed to know better. She said, just go ahead and let them know what they want to know or anything, and I will cover for you because you're innocent. I'm not going to let you go to jail.

Listen, if I have to confess, I will. The next day, she did exactly that. Eileen confessed to all seven murders, including that of Peter Sims, even though police still hadn't found his body. Over the next year, as state prosecutors prepared for trial, Eileen reached a level of national infamy for her crimes. Soon, producers and publishers came knocking. She sold her life story rights in the hopes of making millions, but learned that Florida prohibits prisoners from profiting from their crimes. That law didn't stop certain police officers. officers from Eileen's task force making money off of their experience working the case.

The same producers paid them handsomely for their life rights. Meanwhile, Eileen finally had the attention she craved as a young girl, and she loved it. She told her story to anyone who would listen. The only problem was that in each retelling, her details varied wildly. Sometimes she shot the men in cold blood. Other times, she killed them moments before they attacked her. It would be easy to assume that she was lying, recasting herself as the victim. But as always, the truth is more nuanced.

Remember, Eileen's first murder was almost certainly committed in self-defense. The rest were likely the result of having been triggered by her victims. Whatever the motive, it's fair to say Eileen was not in her right mind during any of the shootings. As we mentioned earlier, victims of sexual trauma fear a recurrence of their ordeal. It's worth noting then that the majority of Eileen's victims were around the same age as not only Richard Mallory, but her grandfather, Lowry, the first man to ever rape her. Of course, this is conjecture, but seems like more than coincidence. Even though Eileen confessed to all seven murders, police only had enough physical evidence to tie her to the murder of Richard Mallory. Nevertheless, by the time the case went to trial on January 14, 1992, there wasn't a person.

person in the country who hadn't heard Eileen's full confession. The media had dubbed her, the damsel of death. Eileen's trial lasted about two weeks, each day more depressing than the last. The prosecution painted a picture of a wicked, vile woman who killed a middle-aged man in cold blood. Oddly, the jury was never told that Richard Mallory was a convicted sex offender, so Eileen's claim of self-defense was easily overlooked. Things only got worse when the state called their star witness to the stand. Tibermore avoided eye contact as she testified against her former lover. She told the jury that Eileen was dangerous. Tibera claimed

she had lived in fear of her. Eileen was in shock. It was a brutal way to discover that the love of her life had utterly betrayed her, that she had feared her. For the entirety of Tibera's testimony, Eileen stared down at her hands. It's hard to describe how despondent Eileen was by the time she took the stand on January 27th. She was devoid of hope. She had little to tell the jury other than to say she hated people

and would absolutely kill again. Two hours later, that jury convicted her. Five days after that, Judge Euryl Blount sentenced her to death. Later that year, Eileen, Eileen recanted her initial testimony, saying she had never been assaulted, and that all seven of her kills were robbery motivated. She waived her rights to any appeals. Eileen just wanted to die. She spent the next 10 years on death row, depressed and angry, as reality slowly slipped away.

During this time, she spouted troubling conspiracy theories that made her warden wonder whether she was having a psychotic break. Because of these concerns and those of Eileen's lawyer. Her execution was delayed. Three psychiatrists examined Eileen for mental competency. All three agreed that she was legally able to be executed. So in 2002, Governor Jeb Bush lifted Florida's temporary stay of execution and signed her death warrant. Eileen was interviewed the morning before her death. Initially, she seemed in high spirits and repeatedly told the interview that she was, quote, okay with it. But as the interview progressed,

it became clear that the woman before the camera was emotionally drained and completely lost. When asked if she'd been betrayed by everyone she had trusted, she said, that's right, I was. That's why I don't care if I'm executed and leave this planet. She then went on to further explain her frustration. Eileen told her interviewer that she'd been set up. She launched into a theory that police knew who she was after her murder of Richard Mallory. She'd left fingerprints all over his car.

How could they not know it was her, she wondered? She decided they did know and had hatched a plan. She believed that police allowed her to continue killing so that she would clean up the streets for them. Once she'd offed a few bad guys, they'd arrest her as a serial killer. Then they'd make money off her life rights. She also claimed that police had tortured her for the past five years, not through conventional means, but through sonic pressure, released into herself through the mirror on the wall.

The sonic waves were squeezing her skull and sending shockwaves through her system when she tried to tell the truth. All this from a woman who supposedly passed a psychiatric evaluation less than 24 hours earlier. The next morning, 46-year-old Eileen was led from her jail cell to a part of the prison she'd never been before. A stark white room furnished only with a gurney and a black wall-mounted telephone.

Eileen was strapped to the gurney. The few guards and the executioner waited for the black phone to ring with news of another stay of execution, but no call ever came. Eileen's last words were perplexing and mirrored the chaos that she felt in this life. She said,

I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the rock, and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6th, like the movie, Big Mothership and All, I'll be back. By 9.47 a.m., Eileen Carol Warnos was dead. Eileen is often seen as a monster, and for good reason, she was. But in recent years, she has also garnered a cult following of those who believe she had no choice in her actions. For many survivors of sexual assault, Eileen holds a certain allure, a manifestation of a forbidden revenge fantasy,

an unlikely anti-hero. Even as recently as September 2019, Eileen Warnos was glorified by rap artist Cardi B in the cover art for her single, Press. Of course, this narrative is problematic for a number of reasons, but it also speaks to the rage felt by many victims of abuse and frustration over the lack of resources available to economically disadvantaged people. Eileen's story is both heartbreaking and fearsome.

She's by no means a hero, but she is certainly a cautionary tale, one we would all do well to learn from. After her execution, Eileen was cremated by the state. Then her ashes were sent back to Troy, Michigan, to her childhood friend, Don Botkins, who scattered Eileen beneath a walnut tree. in her backyard. It was a small gathering of one.

Eileen left the world, much as she had moved through it. Thanks again for tuning it to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other parcast originals for free on Spotify. Not only does Spotify already have all of your favorite music, but now Spotify's making it easy for you to enjoy

all of your favorite parcast originals, like serial killers, for free. from your phone, desktop, or smart speaker. To stream serial killers on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers in the search bar. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler

and is a parcast studio's original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Nick Johnson, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Aaron Larson. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Aaron Lan, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. Hi again, it's Greg.

Before I go, I wanted to remind you to check out the new Spotify original from Parcast, Very Presidential with Ashley Flowers. Every Tuesday through the 2020 election, host Ashley Flowers shines a light on the darker side of the American presidency, exposing wildly true stories about history's most high-profile leaders. There's Torrid Love Affairs, shocking blackmail schemes, and even murder. I can't recommend the show enough. To hear more, follow Very Presidential with Ashley Flowers free on Spotify,

or wherever you get your podcasts. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixed. You might listen to a lot of... true crime podcast this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among

Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like, lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide. Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.