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A storeowner in Palm Harbor, Florida named Richard Mallory took a ride with Wuornos on November 30, 1989 and became her first victim. Six of the victims were found dead, one other has never been found. She was eventually caught when she and a friend drove off a road in a victim's car. During the time of the trial, she was adopted by Arlene Pralle and her husband after Pralle had a dream in which she was told to take care of Ms. Wuornos. Despite her help, in 1996, her appeal to the US Supreme Court was denied.
Her life has been portrayed in several films and television shows. Nick Broomfield has directed two documentaries about her: Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992), and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003). Jean Smart portrayed Wuornos in the made-for-television movie, Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story broadcast in 1992. The 2003 movie Monster, starring Charlize Theron, tells Wuornos' story from the moment she met the first person in her life who shows some kindness to her (named "Selby" in the movie, possibly based on Wuornos' known lover Tyria Moore), recounting her career of murder.