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Florida Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos Executed

Aired October 09, 2002 - 14:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We are left with some haunting final words from convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Just before she was executed today by lethal injection, the so-called "highway hooker" threatened she would return.
CNN's John Zarrella with more on this story.

John, what did she say? Sounds a little spooky.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that was always her m.o. anyway. She did say some pretty bizarre things over the last dozen years or so.

But we're actually two miles south of Ocala -- of Ocala in north central Florida. We're live from the side of Interstate 75, which is behind me here. And this is where, 12 years ago, between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos posed as a stranded motorist. The six men who stopped to help her out ended up dead. She murdered them and stole their money. Well, this morning, Aileen Wuornos, at 9:47 a.m. Eastern time, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida state prison in Stark, which is about an hour and a half northeast of here.

The white hearse, about 20 minutes after that, carried Aileen Wuornos' body back to the medical examiner's office for the mandatory post-execution autopsy. But before she died, Wuornos did have a very bizarre final statement. She said, "I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus June 6th. Like the movie, on the big mothership and all, I'll be back. I'll be back."

Now, the state attorney who helped to prosecute her said that was not out of character for her. Again, she did say lots of bizarre things. The daughter of one of her victims said to us that she didn't feel that the lethal injection way of dying was painful enough for Aileen Wuornos. But she also said that her dead father was with her as she witnessed Wuornos' execution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY GRIFFITHS, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: I spent 12 years, and my dad has been with me every single day. And he was sitting there beside me, just as sure as he'd been with me every day. I think about my father every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: Wuornos said about a year or so ago at a hearing that if she were ever freed she would kill again. She did not take a last meal last night. She did read the Bible, we are told by prison officials. But she would not accept any visits from any members of the clergy.

Wuornos was found to be competent to be executed by three psychiatrists appointed by the state. And then Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, signed her death warrant, which led to her execution today.

Wuornos had volunteered to be executing -- executed, having dropped all of her appeals -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, how did police finally track her down and link her to these murders?

ZARRELLA: That's quite an interesting story. They got some leads that, you know, Wuornos had a lesbian lover. And that woman had gone back to her home in Ohio. And police tracked her down. They actually wiretapped her. She told police that it was Wuornos who had committed the murders. They wiretapped her. She called Aileen Wuornos on the phone and said, Hey, they're trying to pin this on me.

So, they got a confession that way. Then, they actually tracked her down in a bar and arrested her just south of Daytona Beach -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Pretty kooky. Pretty freaky.

John Zarrella, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 9, 2002 - 14:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We are left with some haunting final words from convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Just before she was executed today by lethal injection, the so-called "highway hooker" threatened she would return.
CNN's John Zarrella with more on this story.

John, what did she say? Sounds a little spooky.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that was always her m.o. anyway. She did say some pretty bizarre things over the last dozen years or so.

But we're actually two miles south of Ocala -- of Ocala in north central Florida. We're live from the side of Interstate 75, which is behind me here. And this is where, 12 years ago, between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos posed as a stranded motorist. The six men who stopped to help her out ended up dead. She murdered them and stole their money. Well, this morning, Aileen Wuornos, at 9:47 a.m. Eastern time, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida state prison in Stark, which is about an hour and a half northeast of here.

The white hearse, about 20 minutes after that, carried Aileen Wuornos' body back to the medical examiner's office for the mandatory post-execution autopsy. But before she died, Wuornos did have a very bizarre final statement. She said, "I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus June 6th. Like the movie, on the big mothership and all, I'll be back. I'll be back."

Now, the state attorney who helped to prosecute her said that was not out of character for her. Again, she did say lots of bizarre things. The daughter of one of her victims said to us that she didn't feel that the lethal injection way of dying was painful enough for Aileen Wuornos. But she also said that her dead father was with her as she witnessed Wuornos' execution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY GRIFFITHS, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: I spent 12 years, and my dad has been with me every single day. And he was sitting there beside me, just as sure as he'd been with me every day. I think about my father every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: Wuornos said about a year or so ago at a hearing that if she were ever freed she would kill again. She did not take a last meal last night. She did read the Bible, we are told by prison officials. But she would not accept any visits from any members of the clergy.

Wuornos was found to be competent to be executed by three psychiatrists appointed by the state. And then Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, signed her death warrant, which led to her execution today.

Wuornos had volunteered to be executing -- executed, having dropped all of her appeals -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, how did police finally track her down and link her to these murders?

ZARRELLA: That's quite an interesting story. They got some leads that, you know, Wuornos had a lesbian lover. And that woman had gone back to her home in Ohio. And police tracked her down. They actually wiretapped her. She told police that it was Wuornos who had committed the murders. They wiretapped her. She called Aileen Wuornos on the phone and said, Hey, they're trying to pin this on me.

So, they got a confession that way. Then, they actually tracked her down in a bar and arrested her just south of Daytona Beach -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Pretty kooky. Pretty freaky.

John Zarrella, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com