What Was Aileen Wuornos' Last Meal? Know The 'Damsel Of Death's Chilling Statement Before Execution

Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s most notorious female serial killers, was sentenced to death in October 1992 after being convicted of murdering six of the seven men she killed over the course of a single year. A decade later, she was executed by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison, ending yet another notorious chapter of America’s true crime history.

Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary, Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, revisits the chilling case of Aileen Wuornos, notoriously dubbed the ‘Hooker from Hell’ and the ‘Damsel of Death’. The 1-hour-43-minute film features never-before-seen footage, including Wuornos’ own statements from death row and her eerie final words before execution: words as disturbing as her crimes.

What was Aileen’s final day like?

Aileen Wuornos was the tenth woman to be executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, after being convicted of six counts of first-degree murder. On October 9, 2002, Aileen’s death row ended at age 46. Her final day was one of eerie calm and a bizarre final statement that only reflected her mental decline. 

Aileen’s time of death was recorded as 9:47 a.m. at the Florida State Prison. Before facing execution, she was offered the customary ‘last meal’ within a budget of USD 20, a long-standing ritual for death row inmates. However, just like serial killer Ted Bundy, Aileen declined her last meal. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, she skipped a final meal altogether, except for only a single cup of black coffee. Unlike other notorious killers and their elaborate meal requests, Aileen chose to face death with the same cold defiance that had long defined her public image.

Aileen Wuornos’ chilling last words before execution

Wuornos’ eerie smile and cold defiance never fail to send chills down one’s spine. And in her final moments also, she delivered one of the most haunting farewells. Before registering the lethal injection, when asked if she had any final words, Aileen’s smile returned faintly as she delivered her chilling statement:

“I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the Rock, and I’ll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I’ll be back, I’ll be back.”

Her reference to the 1996 sci-fi film Independence Day left witnesses and journalists in stunned silence as she took her last breath. While some interpreted her last words as nothing but delusion, others saw it as the ‘American Boogeywoman’s final act of rebellion, ensuring that she asserts power even in her last seconds alive.

Questions about Aileen’s mental state- she demanded the execution

While tales of the ‘Damsel of Death’ are well-known, did you know, that it was Aileen who had demanded she be killed? Yes, that’s right. Even after she was given a death sentence, in the days leading up to her execution, Wuornos’ lawyers had repeatedly raised concerns about her psychological condition. According to The Guardian, one of her lawyers insisted she was not of sound mind, adding he saw ‘clear evidence of mental illness’ when speaking to her.

Billy Nolas, another attorney, described Aileen as ‘the most disturbed individual’ he had ever represented. Still, it was Wuornos who insisted on ending her appeals and demanded she be executed. She asserted her decision, urging the state to put her out of her misery and describing the delay of her fate as a ‘waste of taxpayers' money’ and that she would ‘kill again’ if she got the chance. Aileen’s July 2001 statement was:

"There is no point in sparing me. It's a waste of taxpayers' money. I killed those men, robbed them. And I'd do it again, too. There's no chance in keeping me alive or anything, because I'd kill again. I have hate crawling through my system."

Aileen talked about her girlfriend in her final days

In her final days, Wournos remained fixated on her former lover, Tyria Moore, her own true love, and the woman who had ultimately helped police secure her confession through a taped phone call, which Aileen had no knowledge of. Her childhood friend, Dawn Botkins, paid her a visit before the execution and later recalled:

“She said she was definitely a serial killer. It was all the years of the abuse, and then she started drinking. Plus Ty [Moore]. Aileen kept saying that to me: ‘That was quite the love, wasn’t it? It was fatal.’”

Even after such a betrayal, Aileen continued to love and miss her until her final moments. In Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, Wuornos can be seen reflecting on her relationship with Tyria, remembering how Moore had to do nothing except relax and rest, while Aileen did all the work, including cooking for them and arranging their finances. When asked if she still loved her after everything, she said, the pain evident in her eyes:

"I loved her so bad. She did not have to move a muscle... I haven't seen or heard from Ty since 1992, I think... [I] miss her a lot. I alwats miss her. And I'll always love her. And I'll be thinking about her the day I'm executed... I loved her so bad. And the only reason I carried that darn gun is 'cause I loved her so much. I wanted to make sure that I got home alive, in one piece, so I'd be another day breathing with her."

Netflix revisits the darkness that engulfed Aileen Wuornos

Picture Credit: Netflix Tudum

Netflix’s Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, released October 30, 2025, explores not just her crimes but the trauma that shaped her. Featuring rare jailhouse tapes and interviews with those who knew her best, the documentary peels back the layers of the woman, the very human soul behind the ‘monster’.

Aileen insisted not to be labelled a 'serial killer' as her murders didn't fit that profile. Even after confessing to the crimes, she kept insisting the men were murdered for 'self defence'. Through rare archival footage and Wuornos’ own words, the film forces viewers to confront an uncomfortable truth: monsters aren’t always born; sometimes, they are made.

More than two decades after her death, Aileen Wuornos remains a haunting figure in American criminal history- a woman who lived, loved wholly, killed in cold blood, and even in her death, she was on her own terms. Her eerie final words continue to fascinate and disturb.

Read Next: What Happened To Aileen Wuornos' GF? All About Tyria Moore, Who Made The Serial Killer Queen Confess

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