What actually happened to Aileen Wuornos' girlfriend Tyria Moore who featured in Netflix's Monsters
Netflix viewers have been left with plenty of questions after spotting serial killer Aileen Wuornos and her girlfriend, Tyria Moore, appearing as part of a side storyline in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
The latest instalment in Ryan Murphy's anthology series only landed on the streaming platform last week, but it has already climbed Netflix charts and sparked conversations online about the real-life figures referenced throughout the show.
Among them are Wuornos and Moore, whose relationship became one of the most talked-about elements of the infamous murder case that gripped America in the early 1990s.
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In the series, Aileen Wuornos is portrayed by actress Sarah Paulson, while Moore is replaced by a fictionalised counterpart named Shelby, played by Jessie Lee.
Although both women appear in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, their inclusion is separate from Borden's own historical case.
Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted over the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother, lived nearly a century before Wuornos' crimes took place. Instead, Murphy’s anthology uses the pair as part of its broader exploration of notorious women in American crime history, rather than directly connecting them to Borden’s story.
The appearance of Wuornos and Moore has renewed interest in what happened between the couple in real life - and where Moore ended up after she testified against the woman she once loved.
Who was Aileen Wuornos?
Wuornos became one of America's most notorious serial killers after she was convicted of murdering seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.
Born in Michigan in 1956, Wuornos had a difficult childhood marked by instability, abuse and periods of homelessness. As an adult, she worked as a sex worker and drifter, travelling around Florida.
Her victims - Richard Mallory, David Spears, Charles Carskaddon, Peter Siems, Troy Burress, Charles Humphreys and Walter Antonio - were all men she encountered while working on highways across the state.
Wuornos admitted to the killings but claimed she had acted in self-defence after being assaulted or threatened by the men. Prosecutors argued the murders were motivated by robbery.
She was sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection in Florida on 9 October 2002 at the age of 46.
Before her execution, Wuornos gave a final statement in which she said: "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."
How was Tyria Moore involved?
Moore met Wuornos in 1986 at a bar in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the pair quickly began a relationship.
According to multiple reports, the couple lived together for several years, with Wuornos financially supporting them through sex work.
As investigators closed in on Wuornos following the murders, Moore became a key figure in the case.
Police traced stolen items linked to the victims and eventually connected them to Wuornos and Moore. Authorities then persuaded Moore to help their investigation.
Moore agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and travelled to Pennsylvania, where Wuornos had been arrested. During a series of recorded telephone calls, Moore urged Wuornos to confess.
In one conversation, Moore told Wuornos: "Honey, I can’t go on with my life until I know what happened."
Wuornos eventually admitted responsibility for the killings.
In exchange for her cooperation, Moore was granted immunity from prosecution and testified against Wuornos during legal proceedings.
In footage included in the documentary Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, Wuornos reflected on Moore's role in the case, saying: "She sold my soul to the devil."
The relationship ended following Wuornos' arrest, and the two never reunited.
Where is Tyria Moore now?
Unlike Wuornos, whose story has been retold through documentaries, films and television dramas - including Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning portrayal in 2003 film Monster - Moore has largely remained out of the public eye.
After receiving immunity and testifying, Moore stepped away from media attention and has rarely spoken publicly about her relationship with Wuornos.
Reports suggest she returned to Pennsylvania and later built a private life away from the spotlight.
According to PEOPLE, Moore has since remarried and has continued to avoid interviews about the case.
Little else is publicly known about her current life, with Moore appearing to have intentionally maintained her privacy since Wuornos' arrest.
That decision has only fuelled public curiosity whenever Wuornos' story returns to screens, whether through documentaries, films or now Netflix's latest Monster instalment.
Topics: True Crime, Crime, US News, Netflix, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson