Sarah Paulson plays Aileen Wuornos in Netflix's fourth Monster season. Wuornos is not a historical participant in the 1892 Borden case; she appears decades later as part of the anthology's thematic structure.
Who was Aileen Wuornos?
Wuornos was a real American woman convicted of multiple murders in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She was executed in Florida in 2002.
Why does she appear in the season?
Netflix Tudum explains that Wuornos is connected to Lizzie's story through the cultural legacy of the Borden case. The season uses Wuornos to extend its exploration of women accused or convicted of extreme violence.
Is there a real connection between Lizzie and Wuornos?
No direct historical relationship between the two women is documented. The connection is a storytelling device created for the series.
Why Sarah Paulson?
Paulson is a recurring Ryan Murphy collaborator and brings a separate true-crime figure into the season's later timeline.
Quick answer
Aileen Wuornos is in Monster because the series uses her later story as a thematic continuation of Lizzie Borden's legacy. She was not connected to the real Borden murders.
Source
Fact-check note
This article distinguishes the Netflix dramatization from documented history. Lizzie Borden was acquitted in 1893; claims about guilt, private relationships, motives and events not established by surviving records are described as fictionalized or disputed rather than settled fact.
Netflix Tudum: The True Story · Netflix Tudum: Ending Explained · PEOPLE: Fact vs Fiction · PEOPLE: Emma/Lizzie Fact Check
Related: Why Monster Connects Aileen Wuornos to Lizzie Borden — What the History Says
Related: Monster Finale Ending Explained: Lizzie, Bridget and Aileen's Final Connection
