VICE’s Sofia Barrett-Ibarria recently decided to take a closer look at why some people regard convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos as a cult heroine:

The woman dubbed "the first female serial killer" has devoted fans. https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 19, 2019

"Her story speaks to the experience of sex workers in this country who are constantly in danger from clients, societal stigma, and the punitive state." https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 19, 2019

How serial killer Aileen Wuornos became a cult hero. https://t.co/6lofCo255A — VICE (@VICE) September 20, 2019

Barrett-Ibarria seems to think it’s encouraging that Wuornos is so revered. Because it “offers hope” to victims of serial sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein and … Brett Kavanaugh?

So this @vice article… the author is saying Brett Kavanaugh DESERVES TO BE MURDERED BY A SERIAL KILLER?! Were all the responsible editors left in journalism killed in a purge night or something? https://t.co/NxIzqiy2HR pic.twitter.com/RdULPepoy2 — Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 20, 2019

The author may not be saying that in so many words … but it seems fair to say that she’s concluding that Brett Kavanaugh deserves to pay dearly for crimes that no one has been able to prove he committed.

Seriously, this is messed up.

At some point, VICE appended a correction, saying that “This story has been updated to correct the date Wuornos died, and to clarify the context of a quote.” Here’s their attempt at a clarification:

As reports of powerful men who abuse vulnerable women continue to surface, it’s hard to deny that survivors are craving stories of revenge—stories where victims not only live to survive the abuse, but fight back. “I think part of her appeal to me personally, in this cultural moment, is that Aileen Wuornos was a woman that men feared,” said Bailey. At a time when we are constantly inundated with stories like that of Jeffrey Epstein and Brett Kavanaugh, her story is an example of men facing repercussions for their actions. “A prostitute hunting men instead of being hunted is a deeply comforting story.”

That’s only barely an improvement over the original.

I see that the story was changed/toned down. But the change isn't really much better. It still explicitly compares him to Epstein, and repercussions is still unconscionably vague. pic.twitter.com/mMMo4uuh3Z — Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 20, 2019

Ugh.