CHILDHOOD
- Born Aileen Carol Pittman on February 29, 1956 in Rochester, Michigan
- Wuornos' biological father, Leo Arthur Pittman, was a diagnosed schizophrenic who was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 7-year-old girl, and later took his own life while in prison on January 30, 1969. Aileen never met her biological father, because her parents divorced before her birth.
- Lauri and Britta Wuornos, the children's grandparents, legally adopted Lee and her brother Keith on March 18,1960, after their legal mother, 17 year old Diane Wuornos, abandoned them. Diane Wuornos was only 14 when she eloped with Leo Pittman, and just 17 when she gave birth to Lee.
- Wuornos reportedly was performing sexual acts with members of her peer group in exchange for money by age 11, and was allegedly also sexually active with her brother.
- Lee was often the brunt of cruel treatment at the hands of her peers, and had no friends until high school. She was the social outcast in every facet of her life.
- Reports of Lee's behavior during childhood described her as volatile and quick to anger. She did not socialize well with others her age, and was prone to unpredictable outbursts of anger, resulting in alienation from her peer group.
- Around the age of 9, Lee started to steal from her family and friends, and also began to exhibit fire-setting behaviors.
- Early drug use and excessive alcohol consumption also became a part of Wuornos' life. She ran away from home often, and fought intensely with her grandfather.
- Childhood friends stated that the children's grandmother was an emotionally abusive alcoholic, and that the grandfather would beat and also emotionally abuse them.
- At 14, Lee became pregnant. Various stories of the father's identity included an older friend of her grandfather's, Keith, a neighbor boy, her grandfather, and an Elvis Presley look-alike, but his true identity was never confirmed. The child was given up for adoption after birth and, despite requests to see the baby, Lee was not even allowed to hold the child before it was taken away.
- Around age 15, Lee began running away from home, hitchhiking, and making money by panhandling or prostituting. She would return home for short periods of time, but ran away frequently.
- A short time later, Wuornos' grandmother died as a result of her long-term alcoholism, and Wuornos' grandfather kicked her out of the house. Having nowhere to go, Lee spent time living in the woods near her old home before hitchhiking around the country and becoming involved in prostitution in order to make a living.
EARLY ADULT LIFE AND CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT
- May 27, 1974: Jefferson County, Colorado: Wuornos was arrested for driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, and firing a handgun from a moving vehicle, but did not show up in court and was charged with a failure to appear.
- Wuornos hitchhiked to Florida in 1976, where she met a 69-year-old yacht club president Lewis Gratz Fell. The two were married within a year, but Wuornos repeatedly involved herself in disputes at the local bar, leading to assault charges, and also hit Fell with his own cane, driving him to seek a restraining order against her. Wuornos was not able to change her behavior in the way that was needed to live in a way closer to normal life, and the marriage was over after just nine weeks. Lee claimed that Fell was abusive towards her as well.
- March 12, 1976: Wuornos' grandfather killed himself in his son Barry's garage.
- July 14, 1976: Antrim County, Michigan: Wuornos got into another dispute at a bar, and threw a cue ball at a bartender's head.
- Within the same year, Lee's older brother Keith died of cancer at the age of 21, and she received $10,000 from his life insurance.
- 1978: At just 22 years old, Lee attempted suicide by shooting herself in the abdomen with a 22-caliber pistol after she was rejected by a lover. She survived the attempt, but received very little psychological counseling. Just a short week after being discharged from the hospital, Lee again attempted suicide, this time with by overdosing on tranquilizers. Again, she survived. Between the ages of 14 and 22, she attempted suicide 6 times.
- At age 25, Wuornos entered a relationship with a 52-year-old man named Jay Watts. This relationship represented the closest thing Lee ever had to a boyfriend, but the relationship lasted only two months.
- May 20, 1981: Edgewater, Florida: Wuornos was arrested on charges of armed robbery when she stole two packs of cigarettes and $35 from a convenience store. She served a sentence in prison for this crime from May 4, 1982- June 30, 1983. Lee claimed that she had robbed the store in order to find out if Watts loved her, if he would stand by her side. Watts, however, did not love Lee, and broke contact with her shortly after she began her prison sentence for the robbery.
- May 1, 1984: Key West, Florida: Wuornos was arrested after being caught trying to pass forged checks at a local bank.
- November 30, 1985: Miami, Florida: Wuornos was charged with grand theft auto, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice (for attempting to use her aunt's name to identify herself). Police found a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition in the stolen car.
- June 2, 1986: Volusia County, Florida: Police detained Wuornos for questioning after a male companion claimed that she pulled a gun on him and attempted to rob him of $200. Police found a .22 pistol and ammunition under the seat where Wuornos had been sitting.
- 1986: South Daytona, Florida: Wuornos met Tyria Moore and the two fell in love, moving in together shortly after meeting. This relationship would last 4.5 years, and be the closest thing to a real connection that Lee would have. Badly wanting love and attention, Wuornos was desperate to keep Moore in her life.
- July 4, 1987: Daytona Beach, Florida: Wuornos and Moore were detained and questioned by police regarding an incident in which they were alleged to have used a beer bottle to commit an assault and battery.
- Money troubles were always a part of the relationship; Moore's meager income from cleaning hotel rooms and Wuornos' prostitution money were not enough to keep the pair ahead of the bills. A hard life on the streets was beginning to catch up to Wuornos, and she was no longer able to get as many clients.
- Lee claimed to have been raped and beaten many times during the course of adolescence and her young adult life as a prostitute. Her anger seemed to intensify over time, and her unresolved psychological issues continued to permeate every aspect of her life.