Just weeks after the gruesome release of Monster: The Ed Gein Story and the heartbreaking The Perfect Neighbor, Netflix has given us a new true crime documentary to obsess over. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers digs into the life of Aileen Wuornos, unpacking her tragic upbringing, interviewing investigators from her case, and even showing clips of the murderer from prison.
In the doc, we briefly hear the convicted killer talk about her girlfriend, Tyria Moore—but is there more to the story of their relationship? Scroll on for details on how the pair met, and an update on where Wuornos' girlfriend is now.
Who is Tyria Moore?
Tyria Moore was Aileen Wuornos' girlfriend at the height of her killing spree, although she has always denied any involvement. We see and hear from Moore in Netflix's newest true crime documentary, Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers.
How did Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore meet?
Aileen Wuornos grew up in Michigan, but after an alleged rape at 15, which resulted in her getting pregnant and forcibly giving the baby up for adoption, she was kicked out of her home. Wuornos turned to sex work to support herself but, in 1976, hitchhiked down to Florida to start a new life.
There, she married Florida yacht club president Lewis Gratz Fell, who was 50 years her senior, in a desperate bid "for security" per the Los Angeles Times. That marriage, however, was short-lived and was annulled after just a month, forcing Wuornos once again back into sex work.
Some time later, in 1986, Wuornos met Tyria Moore at a gay bar in South Daytona, Florida, called Zodiac. Wuornos, who was 30 at the time, was still in sex work, while Moore was in her mid-20s and worked as a motel maid. The pair quickly hit it off and had moved in together within weeks, with Wuornos describing her girlfriend as "the love of my life," according to the L.A. Times.
"I loved her so bad," Wuornos is heard saying in a clip shown in Netflix's new documentary. "[She's the] only reason I carried that darn gun," the killer added of why she committed several murders. "I wanted to make sure that I got home alive—so I'd be another day breathing with her."
What was Aileen Wuornos and Tyria Moore’s relationship like?
Although Moore initially had a job when she met Wuornos, she later quit this and relied on her girlfriend's support. "The only reason I hustled so hard all those years was to support her," Wuornos said of Moore to police, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I did what I had to do to pay the bills, because I didn't have another choice."
"The problem was I wasn't supporting her as richly as she wanted," Wuonos claimed, adding that Moore wanted a nice apartment and new clothes. "I brought home about $300 every two weeks, but it wears you out, constantly talking to all those men, staying up."
While she was still with Moore, and funding their lifestyle through sex work, Wuornos committed her first known murder in November 1989. Shortly after this, she allegedly confessed to Moore but, per the L.A. Times, Moore did not engage in this conversation. As time went on, however, Moore became suspicious of Wuornos and suspected her of killing further victims. She ended their romance in 1990 and moved back home to be with her parents.
Did Tyria Moore help police catch Aileen Wuornos?
As police investigators began tying Wuornos to a string of killings—with one eyewitness claiming to have seen two women, one matching Wuornos' description, driving a missing man's car—they tracked down Moore and asked her to convince her ex-girlfriend to confess in exchange for her immunity.
In a recorded phone call, Wuornos is heard telling her ex-girlfriend: "I’m not gonna let you go to jail. Ty, I love you. If I have to confess everything just to keep you from getting in trouble, I will."
In addition to securing Wuornos' confession, Moore also testified against her in court, telling the jury about the night she learned of her ex-girlfriend's first known murder. "I didn't believe it," Moore said at the time, according to United Press International. "I know I didn't like to hear about her work. So I'm sure I didn't want to hear something like that."
During Wuornos' investigation and trial, Moore denied having any involvement in Wuornos' crimes and was never charged in connection to them. Speaking about why she helped police, she said she wanted to prove she had "nothing to do" with the murders.
Where is Aileen Wuornos’ girlfriend, Tyria Moore, now?
After being thrust into the spotlight in 1992 during Wuornos' highly publicized trial, Moore has tried to stay out of the public eye. The last time she made any public comment about Wuornos was during a Dateline special episode in August 1992. In the episode, she said of her ex-girlfriend: "She was a great person and I did fall in love."
Since then, Moore has not made any public appearances or discussed the case, and she is not believed to have had any input on the 2003 film, Monster. In the hit film, Wuornos is played by Charlize Theron (who won an Academy Award for her performance) and Moore is played by Christina Ricci.
Some outlets have shared unconfirmed reports that Moore entered the witness protection program after testifying against Wuornos, while others suggest she now lives a quiet life in Pennsylvania.
Stream Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers on Netflix now.
