Monster or Victim?

The movie’s horrific rape scene is grueling to watch. In a car, a terrified prostitute is bound at the wrists and tied to one of the door handles. Already bloodied and beaten, she is viciously sodomized by the man who picked her up by the side of the highway. Somehow, she breaks free and, wild with rage, bravely turns the tables on her attacker. She grabs a gun from her bag and fires bullet after bullet into his chest. The audience, watching breathlessly, feels a rush of sympathy for her. The only problem is, it’s not true.

The movie is MONSTER, which chronicles the one year killing spree by America’s first female serial killer, Aileen Warnous. Actress Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Warnous

“With the movie’s sympathetic take, Hollywood has put its boot print on a piece of history. I find the movie’s distortions disturbing.”

Those words come from Sue Russell, Aileen’s biographer, and author of the book “Lethal Intent.”  Ms. Russell joins me now on Murder Most Foul.