Yet another based-on-fact movie has touched off a firestorm of debate over its accuracy in advance of the Academy Awards. ABC’s 20/20 on Friday maintained that there is no evidence that serial killer Aileen Wuornos was ever attacked by any of her victims, as depicted in the movie Monster, and that it in fact defames those who died at her hand. Interviewed by 20/20 co-host John Stossel, family members of Wuornos’s victims denounced the film. Mike Humphreys, whose father was robbed and killed by Wuornos, commented: “I don’t think that [the filmmakers] ought to do this to the victims out there.” Letha Prater, the sister of another of Wuornos’s targets, remarked: “This movie is portraying her as a victim. She isn’t. She was not a victim. My brother was a victim.” The film was also condemned by the Florida state attorney who prosecuted Wuornos and who said he was never consulted by the filmmakers. John Tanner called their depiction of what occurred “a total lie.” In response, film producer Brad Wyman did not defend the accuracy of the film, telling Stossel, “It’s not a documentary. … It is a dramatic portrayal searching for a greater truth than a factual truth.”

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Now I have total sympathy for the victims families and I do believe that no human being deserves to be killed for a chance encounter, to act like these guys were angels sounds a little ridiculous. They were paying this woman for sex. In my mind taking advantage of a woman like that is just as wrong as killing someone. There are enough serial killers out there who have taken advantage of prostitutes and killed them, and yet little respect is ever given out to those women. Do I really feel bad for a guy that had to pay for sex? No, not really.