The debate over Aileen Wuornos’ jurisdiction is one that is still open due to how controversial the case is. What accounts a person as a criminal is a person who is well aware of the actions he/she is committing. A criminal has a clear intentions and is aware of the consequences ahead. Whereas, a victim is one who under astounding circumstances can be excused for their heinous actions. An in depth look into Aileen Wuornos’ life can lead to viewing her as a truly a criminal who is responsible for all of her crimes. In explaining Aileen’s innocence, one would first take a look at her upbringing and childhood. From the moment of her birth, Aileen had a troubled upbringing in a dismantled home. Her mother left her and her brother, Keith, when Aileen was a young girl; leading her to grow up under the assumption that her grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wournos, were her parents. On several occasions, Aileen encountered severe beatings from her grandfather, Lauri. Lauri made evident that Aileen was worthless and unworthy of anything. Arrigo says, “… she was required to lay face down, naked, and spread eagle on the …show more content…
Aileen was a pathological liar who’d claim that her acts of murder were often in self defense, where she believed her life was in danger and murder was to protect her life. As Aileen is a female prostitute, one can argue that she is a easy target for men to take advantage, being automatically vulnerable as a woman. Aileen took this presumption to her advantage often claiming that her murders were in an act of self defense. With the case of her first victims, Richard Mallory, Aileen allegedly claimed that he raped her yet her allegation proved to be inconsistent with the forensic evidence given. “Aileen reported that she would fight wither victims about sex and that when they became abusive, demanding that she have intercourse with them, she endeavored to protect herself from being raped.” (Arrigo