It is 1:00 a.m. on Interstate 75. The thick Florida humidity looks like smoke in the high beams. You pull over on the dark shoulder because you think you’re in charge. You’ve got the car, the cash, and you’re twice her size. But the power dynamic vanishes the second you hear the click of the hammer.

In the series premiere of Documented 187, we dive into a case that shattered FBI profiles and flipped the predator-prey dynamic on its head. When investigators relied on textbooks to find a male drifter, they completely missed the lethal threat hiding in plain sight on the Florida highways.

Ayana breaks down the psychology of a war-zone childhood, the pawnshop paper trail that broke the case, and the ultimate betrayal that sent a killer to death row.

Slide into the shadows.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This episode utilizes dramatic storytelling rooted in true events and is not a verbatim historical record. The views expressed are solely those of the host. Contains descriptions of violence and sensitive material. Listener discretion is advised.

Sources:

• Anne Rule (Monster: The True Story of Aileen Wuornos)
• Sue Russell (Lethal Intent), Christopher Berry-Dee (The Selling of a Serial Killer)

• Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer(1992)
• Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
• Publicly available court records.