The Life and Crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer

Early Childhood -

Jeffrey Daher was born on May 21, 1960, in West Allis, Wisconsin, the first of two sons born to Joyce Annette and Lionel Herbert Dahmer. Dahmer's mother worked as a teletype machine instructor whereas his father was a student at Marquette University, working towards a degree in chemistry. His father was of German ancestry and his mother was of Welsh ancestry.

Although Dahmer was doted upon as an infant and toddler by both parents, his mother was known to be tense, greedy for attention and argumentative with both her husband and her neighbors. Lionel's university studies kept him away from home much of the time, when he was home, Joyce demanded constant attention. She reportedly would work herself into a state of anxiety over trivial matters simply to achieve appeasement from her husband. On one occasion, Joyce attempted suicide from an overdose of the Equanil pills to which she had became addicted. Dahmer himself recalled his early years of family life as being of "extreme tension" which he noted between his parents, whom he observed to be constantly arguing with each other.

From an early age, Dahmer manifested an interest in animals. Friends later recalled Dahmer initially collected large insects, and dragonflies which he placed inside jars. Later, Dahmer would collect animal carcasses from the roadside, these animals Dahmer would dismember either at home or in an expanse of woodland behind the house. In one instance, he is known to have imapled a dog's head upon a stake behind the house.

Dahmer's fascination with dead animals might have begun when, at the age of four, he noted his father removing animal bones from beneath the family home. According to Lionel, his son was "oddly thrilled" by the sound the bones made and instantly developed a fixation for playing with and collecting animal bones.

The Dahmer family relocated to Bath, Ohio in 1966. Two years later, over a family dinner of chicken, Dahmer asked his father what would happen if the bones of the chicken were placed in a bleach solution. Lionel Dahmer was by this stage, concerned with his eldest sons placid and lethargic attitude and his solitary existence, therefore, he was delighted at the initiative displayed by his son towards what he believed to be scientific curiosity. He willingly demonstrated to his son how to safely bleach and later, preserve animal bones. This knowledge would later be used by Dahmer upon many of the animal remains he would continue to collect.

Adolescence -

When Dahmer reached puberty, he discovered that he was homosexual. He did not divulge his sexual orientation to his parents, although in his early teens he did engage in a brief relationship with another male youth, although the pair never had intercourse. By his own later admission, as he began to fantasize sexually, issues of dominance and control over a completely subservient partner were prevalent in his thoughts. These thoughts gradually became intertwined with dissection.

On one occasion, when he was approximately 16-years old, Dahmer conceived a fantasy of rendering a particular male jogger he found attractive, unconscious, Dahmer concealed himself in bushes on the route the jogger normally took, baseball bat in hand, and lay in wait for the jogger. On this particular day, the jogger did not pass him and, although Dahmer never attempted this plan again, he later stated this was his first attempt to attack another individual.

In early 1978, following the decision of filing for a divorce, Lionel Dahmer moved out of the family home. In May 1978, Dahmer graduated from high school. A few weeks before graduation, a teacher observed Dahmer in the school parking lot, drinking several cans of beer. When the teacher threatened to report the matter, Dahmer informed him of the issues he was facing at home. Shortly after this encounter, Joyce was granted custody of her younger son and vacated the family residence. Dahmer, having just turned 18, was legally an adult and therefore was not subject to court custodial considerations and continued living in the family home.

First Murder -

Dahmer committed his first murder in the summer of 1978, at the age of 18, just three weeks after graduating high school. At the time, he was living alone in the family home. On June 18, Dahmer picked up an 18-year old hitchhiker named Steven Hicks. Dahmer lured the youth back to his house on the pretext of the pair getting drunk together. After several hours of drinking and listening to music, Hicks wanted to leave. In response, Dahmer bludgeoned Hicks with a 10-pound dumbbell. When Hicks fell unconscious, Dahmer strangled him to death with the bar of the dumbbell, then stripped the clothes from his body before masturbating as he stood above the corpse.

The following day, Dahmer dissected Hicks' body in his crawl space, he later buried the remains in a shallow grave in his backyard before, several weeks later, unearthing the remains and paring the flesh from the bones. He then dissolved the flesh in acid before flushing the solution down the toilet, he crushed the bones with a sledgehammer and scattered them in the woodland behind the home. Six weeks after the murder of Hicks, Dahmer's father, and his fiancé, returned to the home and found Dahmer was living alone at the house. That August, Dahmer enrolled in Ohio State University , hoping to major in business. Dahmer's sole term at the university was unproductive, largely because of his persistent alcohol abuse throughout the majority of the term. Despite his father having paid in advance for the second term, Dahmer dropped out of University after just three months.

In January of 1979, upon his father's urging, Dahmer enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he trained as a medical specialist at Fort Sam Houston before July 13, 1979, when he was deployed to Baumholder in West Germany where he served as a combat medic. Two soldiers attest to having been raped by Dahmer while in the army, one of whom stated in 2010, that while stationed at Baumholder, Dahmer had raped him repeatedly over a 17-month period. While another solider believes he was drugged, then raped by Dahmer inside an armored personnel carrier in 1979. In March 1981, Dahmer was deemed unsuitable for service and later formally discharged from the army.

When discharged, Dahmer was provided with a plane ticket to any location of his choice, within the country. Dahmer, feeling as though he couldn't return home and face his father, went to Miami Beach, Florida. There, Dahmer found employment and rented a room in a nearby motel. Dahmer was soon evicted from the motel for nonpayment. In September 1981, Dahmer phoned his father and asked to return to Ohio.

Return To Ohio -

Upon his return to Ohio, Dahmer initially lived with his father and insisted on being delegated numerous chores to occupy his time while he looked for work. However, he continued to drink heavily and, just two weeks after returning to Ohio, Dahmer was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct for which he was fined $60 and given a suspended 10-day jail sentence. Dahmer's father tried, unsuccessfully, to wean his son off of alcohol. In December 1981, Dahmer was sent to live with his grandmother in West Allis.

Initially, Dahmer's living arrangements with his grandmother were harmonious, he attend church with her, willingly undertook chores, actively sought out work and abided most of her house rules, although he did continue to drink. This new influence in his life initially brought results and, in early 1982, Dahmer found employment at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center. He held this job for over two years.

Shortly before loosing his job, Dahmer was arrested for indecent exposure on August 7, 1982, at Wisconsin State Fair Park. Dahmer was observed exposing himself to a crowd of 25 women and children. For this incident, he was convicted and find $50 plus court costs. In January 1985, Dahmer was hired as a mixer at the Milwaukee Ambrosia Chocolate Factory, where he worked 6 nights a week. By late 1985, Dahmer began to regularly frequent bathhouses, but during his sexual encounters became frustrated at his partners moving during the acts.

In August 1986, Dahmer was arrested for masturbating in front of two 12-year old boys as he stood near a river. Dahmer initially admitted to the offense and was again charged with indecent exposure, but quickly changed his stored and claimed he had been urinating, unaware that there were witnesses. The charge was changed to disorderly conduct and on March 10, 1987, Dahmer was sentenced to one year's probation, with additional instructions to undergo counseling.

Late twenties -

In November 1987, Daher encountered a 25-year old named Steven Tuomi at a bar and persuaded him to return to the hotel room Dahmer had for the night. According to Dahmer, he had no intention of killing Steven Tuomi, he only intended to drug him and have intercourse with his unconscious body. The following morning, Dahmer awoke to find Steven beneath him, his chest crushed in, and blood seeping from his mouth as well as bruises on Dahmer's own fists and forearm. Dahmer later stated he had absolutely no memory of killing Steven Tuomi. To dispose of Steven's body he purchased a large suitcase, in which he transported the body to his grandmother's house. There, one week later, he severed the head, arms and legs from the torso, the filleted the bones from the body before cutting the flesh into pieces small enough to handle. He then put the flesh into plastic trash bags and wrapped the bones in sheets before he pounded them into splinters with a hammer. The entire process took about two hours, and all of the remains, except the head, were disposed of in the trash. For two weeks following the murder, Dahmer kept the head wrapped in a blanket. After the two weeks, Dahmer boiled it in a mixture of Soilex and bleach in a effort to retain the skull which he then used for masturbation. Eventually, the skull was rendered too brittle from the bleaching process and was also pulverized and disposed of.

Following the murder of Steven Tuomi, Dahmer began to actively seek victims, most of whom he encountered in or near gay bars, and whom he would typically lure to his grandmother's house where they would be drugged shortly before or after engaging in sexual activity. Once he rendered them unconscious with sleeping pills, he would kill them by strangulation. Two months after the murder of Steven Tuomi, Dahmer encountered a 14-year old male prostitute named James Doxtator, Dahmer lured the youth to his West Allis residence, where the pair engaged in sexual activity before Dahmer drugged and strangled him on the floor of the cellar. Dahmer left the body in the cellar for one week before dismembering it the same way he had done with Steven Tuomi's.

On March 24, 1988, Dahmer met a 22-year old man named Richard Guerrero outside a bar. Dahmer lured Guerrero to his grandmother's house, drugged him with sleeping pills and strangled him with a leather strap, with Dahmer then performing oral sex upon the corpse. Guerrero's body was dismembered within 24 hours, with the remains again disposed of in the trash and the skull again retained before being pulverized several months later.

In September 1988, Dahmer's grandmother asked him to move out both because of his habit of bringing men over later at night and because of the foul smells emitting from the basement. Dahmer found a one bedroom apartment on North Twenty-fifth street and moved into his new residence on September 25. The following day, Dahmer was arrested for drugging and sexually assaulting a 13-year old boy who he had lured to his home on the pretext of posing for nude photographs. In January 1989, Dahmer was convicted of second degree sexual assault and for enticing a child for immoral purposes. Two months after this conviction, and two months prior to his sentencing, Dahmer killed his fifth victim. The victim was 24-year old Anthony Sears, whom Dahmer had lured to his grandmother's home where the pair engaged in sexual activity before Dahmer drugged and strangled him. The following morning Dahmer placed the corpse in the bathtub, where he decapitated the body before attempting to flay the corpse. He then stripped the flesh from it and pulverized the bones, which he disposed of in the trash. Sears was the first victim from whom Dahmer had permanently retained body parts, he preserved the head and genitalia in acetone and stored them in his work locker. When he moved to a new address the following year, he took the remains with him. On May 23, 1989, Dahmer was sentenced to 5 years probation and one year in the house of correction, with work release so he could keep his job, he was also required to register as a sex offender.

924 North 25th Street -

On September 25, 1988, Dahmer moved into 924 North 25th street apartment 213, taking Anthony Sears, skulls, scalp and genitals with him. Shortly after, Dahmer killed his 6th victim, Raymond Smith. Smith was a 32-year old male prostitute whom Dahmer lured to his apartment with he promise of $50 for sex. At the apartment, Dahmer gave Smith a drink laced with seven sleeping pills and manually strangled him. The following day, Dahmer purchased a polaroid camera which he used to take photos of Smith's body in suggestive positions before dismembering him in the bathroom. He boiled the legs, arms, and pelvis in a steel kettle with Soilex, which enabled him to then rinse the bones in the sink, he dissolved the remainder of the skeleton, excluding the skull, in a container filled with acid. Approximately one week after the murder of Raymond Smith, Dahmer lured another may to his apartment. On this occasion, however, Dahmer accidentally consumed the drink laced with sedatives. When he awoke the following day, he discovered his intended victim stole some of his clothing, $300 and his watch.

Dahmer never reported this incident to police, although, on May 29th, he divulged to his probation officer that he had been robbed. In June 1990, Dahmer lured a 27-year old acquaintance named Edward Smith to his apartment. He drugged and strangled Smith. On this occasion, rather than immediately acidifying the skeleton or repeating previous processes of bleaching, Dahmer placed the skeleton of Smith in his freezer for several months in the hope it wouldn't retain moisture. Freezing the skeleton didn't remove the moisture, later it would be acidified. The skull was destroyed unintentionally when placed in the oven to dry, a process which caused the skull to explode. Less than three months after Smith's murder, Dahmer encountered a 22-year old named Ernest Miller on the corner of North 27th street. Miller agreed to accompany Dahmer to his apartment for $50 and further agreed to allow him to listen to his heart and stomach. When Dahmer attempted to perform oral sex upon Miller, he was informed it would cost extra, whereupon Dahmer gave his intended victim a drink laced with two sleeping pills. On this occasion, two pills were all Dahmer had, therefore, Dahmer killed Miller by slashing his carotid artery with the same knife he used to dissect his other victims' bodies.

Dahmer then posed the nude body for various suggestive polaroid photographs before placing the Body in his bathtub for dismemberment. Dahmer repeatedly kissed and talked to the severed head while he dismembered the remainder of the body. He wrapped Miller's heart, biceps, and portions of flesh in plastic bags and put them in the fridge for later consumption. Dahmer boiled the remaining flesh and organs into a "jelly like substance" using Soilex, which again enabled him to rinse the flesh off the skeleton, which he intended to retain. To preserve this skeleton, he placed the bones in a light bleach solution for 24 hours before allowing them to dry upon a cloth for one week, the severed head was initially placed in the fridge before also being stripped of flesh, then painted and coated with enamel.

Three weeks after the murder of Ernest Miller, Dahmer encountered a 22-year old father of one named David Thomas at the Grand Avenue Mall and persuaded him to return to his apartment for a few drinks, with additional money on offer if he posed for photographs. In his statement to police after his arrest, Dahmer stated that after giving Thomas a drink laced with sedatives, he was no longer attracted to him, but was afraid to allow him to wake up in the case he would be angry over being drugged. Therefore, he strangled him and dismembered the body, intentionally retaining no body parts. Nonetheless, he did photograph the dismemberment process and retained the photos, which would aid in Thomas' eventual identification. Following the murder of David Thomas, Dahmer didn't kill for almost five months, although in a minimum of five occasions he unsuccessfully attempted to lure men to his apartment. He is also known to have regularly complained of feelings of anxiety and depression. On several occasions, he is known to have referred to harboring suicidal thoughts.

In February 1991, Dahmer observed a 17-year old named Curtis Straughter standing at a bus stop near Marquette University. According to Dahmer, he lured Straughter into his apartment with the offer of money for posing for photographs, with the added offer of sexual intercourse. Dahmer drugged and strangled him with a leather strap, then dismembered the body, with Dahmer retaining the skull, hands and genitals and photographing each stage of dismemberment. Less than two months later, On April 7, Dahmer encountered a 19-year old heterosexual named Errol Lindsey walking to get a key cut. Dahmer lured Lindsey to his apartment, where he drugged him, drilled a hole in his skull and poured muriatic acid into it. According to Dahmer, Lindsey woke after this experiment saying "I have a headache. What time is it?" In response to this, Dahmer again drugged Lindsey and strangled him.

He decapitated Lindsey and retained the skull, he then flayed Lindsey's body, placing the skin in a solution of cold water and salt for several weeks in the hope of permanently retaining it. Reluctantly, Dahmer disposed of Lindsey's skin when he noted it had become too frayed and brittle. By 1991, fellow residents of the apartment complex had complained of smells emanating from apartment 213, in addition to the sounds of falling objects and the occasional sound of a chainsaw. The manager of the complex did contact Dahmer, to which he initially excused the odors from his apartment being caused by his freezer breaking, causing the contents to become spoiled. On another occasion, he informed the manager that the reason for the resurgence of the odors was that several of his tropical fish had died.

On the afternoon of May 26, 1991, Dahmer encountered 14-year old Konerak Sinthasomphone on Wisconsin Avenue, he approached the youth with an offer of money to accompany him to his apartment to pose for photographs. According to Dahmer, the youth was initially reluctant before changing his mind and accompanying Dahmer to the apartment, where he was drugged. On this occasion, Dahmer drilled a single hole in the youth's skull through which he injected Muriatic acid into the frontal lobe. Before the youth fell unconscious, Dahmer led the boy into the bedroom, where the nude body of 31-year old Tony Hughes, who Dahmer had killed three days earlier, lay on the floor.

According to Dahmer, the youth did not react to seeing the body, likely because of the sedatives and acid. The youth soon fell unconscious, whereupon Dahmer left to drink at a bar, then purchased more alcohol. In the early morning hours of May 27th, Dahmer returned to his apartment to discover the youth sitting naked on the corner of 25th and state, talking to three hysterical young women standing near him. Dahmer approached the trio and explained to the women that the youth was his lover and attempted to lead him back to the apartment. The three women dissuaded Dahmer, explaining they had called 911. Upon the arrival of the two officers, Dahmer's demeanor relaxed. He informed the officers that the youth was his 19-year old boyfriend and that he had drank too much following a quarrel, and that he frequently behaved in this manner when intoxicated. The three women were exasperated and when one of the trio attempted to indicate to one of the officers that the youth was bleeding and that he seemingly struggled against Dahmer's attempts to walk him back to the apartment. The officer informed her to "Butt-out, shut the hell up and not to interfere" adding that it was a domestic dispute. Against the protests of the three women the officers simply walked the youth back to Dahmer's apartment where, in an effort to verify his claim that he and the youth were lovers, Dahmer showed the officers two semi-nude photos he had taken of the youth the previous evening.

The officers reported having noted a strange scent reminiscent of excrement inside the apartment. Dahmer stated that to investigate this, one officer simply "peeked his head around the bedroom but didn't really take a look." The officers then left, had they conducted a background check upon Dahmer, it would have revealed that he was a convicted child molester under probation. Upon the departure of the officers, Dahmer fatally injected muriatic acid into the youth's skull again. The following day, May 28th, Dahmer took off work to devote himself to the dismemberment of the bodies of Sinthasomphone and Hughes. He retained both skulls. On June 30, Dahmer traveled to Chicago, where he encountered a 20-year old named Matt Turner at a bus station. Turner accepted Dahmer's offer to return to his apartment for a photoshoot. Dahmer drugged, strangled and dismembered Turner and placed his head and internal organs in the freezer. Turner was never reported missing.

Five days later, on July 5, Dahmer lured 23-year old Jeremiah Weinberger to his apartment on the promise of spending the weekend with him. He drugged Weinberger into a coma from which he died two days later. On July 15, Dahmer encountered 24-year old Oliver Lacy, Lacy agreed to return to Dahmer's apartment. On this occasion, Dahmer intended to prolong the time he spent with Lacy, after unsuccessfully attempting to render him unconscious with chloroform, he phoned his workplace to request a day's absence. After strangling Lacy, Dahmer had sex with the corpse before dismembering him. He placed Lacy's head and heart in the refrigerator and his skeleton in the freezer. Four days later, Dahmer received word he had been fired. Upon receiving the news, he lured 25-year old Joseph Bradehoft to his apartment. Bradehoft was strangled and left lying on Dahmer's bed, covered with a sheet for two days. On July 21, Dahmer removed the sheets, decapitated the body and placed it in the refrigerator. He later acidified Bradehoft's torso, along with those of two other victims killed within the previous month.

Arrest -

On July 22, 1991, Dahmer approached three men with an offer of $100 to accompany him to his apartment to pose for nude photographs, drink beer, and simply keep him company. One of the men, 32-year old Tracy Edwards, agreed. Upon entering Dahmer's apartment, Edwards noted a foul smell and several boxes of muriatic acid on the floor, which Dahmer claimed to use for cleaning bricks. After some minor conversation, Edwards responded to Dahmer's request to turn his head and view his tropical fish, whereupon Dahmer placed a handcuff upon his wrist. When Edwards asked what he was doing, Dahmer unsuccessfully attempted to handcuff his wrists together, he told Edwards to accompany him to the bedroom to pose for photographs. While inside the bedroom, Edwards noted a videotape of the Exorcist 3 playing, he also noted a blue 57-gallon drum in the corner, from which a strong odor emanated.

Dahmer then brandished a knife and informed Edwards he intended to take nude photos of him. In an attempt to appease Dahmer, Edwards unbuttoned his shirt, saying he would allow him to do so if he would remove the handcuffs and put the knife away. In response to this promise, Dahmer simply turned his attention to the t.v. , Edwards observed Dahmer rocking back and forth and chanting before turning his attention back to Edwards, he placed his head on Edwards' chest, listened to his heartbeat and, with the knife pressed against his intended victim, informed Edwards he intended to eat his heart. In continuous attempts to prevent Dahmer from attacking him, Edwards repeated that he was Dahmer's friend and that he wasn't going to run away. When Edwards next stated he needed to use the bathroom, he asked if they could move to the living room, where there was air-conditioning, to which Dahmer consented, and the pair walked to the living room when Edwards exited the restroom. Inside the living room, Edwards waited until he observed Dahmer have a momentary lapse of concentration before requesting to use the bathroom again. When Edwards rose from the couch, he noted Dahmer was not holding the handcuffs, whereupon Edwards punched him in the face, knocking Dahmer off balance and ran out the front door. At 11:30pm on July 22, Edwards flagged down two police officers at the corner of North 25th street. The officers noted that Edwards had a handcuff on his wrist, whereupon Edwards explained that a "freak" had placed it upon him and asked if the police could unlock it.

When the officers own keys didn't fit the lock, Edwards agreed to accompany the officers to the apartment where Edwards stated, he had spent the previous five hours before escaping. When the officers and Edwards arrived at the apartment, Dahmer invited them in and acknowledged he had indeed handcuffed Edwards, although he didn't offer any explanation as to why. At this point, Edwards divulged to the officers that Dahmer had also brandished a knife upon him and that this happened in the bedroom. Dahmer made no comment on the revelation, indicating to one of the officers that the handcuff key was on the bedside table. As the officer entered the bedroom, Dahmer attempted to pass him to retrieve the key himself, whereupon the second officer told him to stay behind. In the bedroom, the officer noted there was indeed a large knife under the edge of the bed, he also saw an open drawer which, upon closer inspection, contained scores of polaroid pictures containing different stages of dismemberment. The officer noted the decor indicated the photos had been taken in the very apartment they were standing in. He walked into the living room to show the photos to his partner, uttering "These are real".

When Dahmer saw that the officer had some of his photographs, he fought with the officers in n effort to resist arrest. The officers quickly overpowered him, cuffed him and called a squad car for backup. At this point, one of the officers opened the refrigerator to reveal the freshly severed head of a black male on the bottom shelf. A more detailed search of the apartment, conducted by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, revealed a total of four severed heads in Dahmer's kitchen. A total of seven skulls were found, some painted and some bleached and kept in Dahmer's bedroom and closet. In addition, investigators discovered collected blood drippings on a tray at the bottom of Dahmer's refrigerator, plus two human hearts and a portion of arm muscle, each wrapped in plastic bags. In Dahmer's freezer, investigators discovered an entire torso, plus a bag of human organs and flesh stuck to the ice at the bottom.

Elsewhere in Apartment 213, investigators discovered two entire skeletons, a pair of severed hands, two severed and persevered penises, a mummified scalp and, in the 57-gallon drum, three further dismembered torsos dissolving in an acid solution. A total of 74 polaroid photographs were found. In reference to the recovery of body parts and artifacts at the apartment, the chief medical examiner later stated "It was more like dismantling someone's museum than an actual crime scene."

Confession -

Beginning in the early hours of July 23, 1991, Dahmer was questioned by Detective Patrick Kennedy as to the murders he had committed and the evidence found at his apartment. Over the following two weeks, Dahmer would be interviewed multiple times, when combined they would total over 60 hours. Dahmer waived his right to a lawyer, adding he wished to confess all as he had "created this horror and it only makes sense I do everything to put an end to it." Dahmer readily admitted to having murdered 16 young men in Wisconsin since 1978. Most of his victims, had been rendered unconscious prior to their murder, although some had died as a result of having acid of boiling water injected into their brain.

Almost all of the murders Dahmer committed after moving into his apartment had involved a ritual of posing prior to dismemberment. He readily admitted to performing necrophilia with several of the bodies. Having noted that much of the blood pooled inside his victims' chest after death, Dahmer would first remove internal organs, then suspend the torso so the blood would drain into the bathtub, before dicing any organs he wished to retain and paring the flesh from the body. The bones he wished to dispose of were acidified with Soilex and bleach. In addition, he confessed to having consumed the hearts, livers, biceps and portions of thighs of several victims killed within the previous year. Describing the increase In his rate of killing in the two months prior to his arrest, he stated that he had been "completely swept along with my compulsion to kill, it was an incessant and never-ending desire to be with someone at whatever cost. Someone good looking, really nice looking. It just filled my thoughts all day long."

Indictment -

On July 25, 1991, Dahmer was charged with four counts of murder. By August 22, he would be charged with a further 11 murders committed in the state of Wisconsin. On September 14, investigators in Ohio, having uncovered hundreds of bone fragments in the woods behind the address where Dahmer had admitted to killing his first victim, formally identified two molars and a vertebra with x-ray records of Steven Hicks. Three days later, Dahmer would be charged with the murder of Steven Hicks. Dahmer was not charged with the attempted murder of Tracy Edwards, nor with the murder of Steven Tuomi. He was not charged with Tumor's murder because the Milwaukee Count District Attorney only brought charges where murder could be proven beyond reasonable doubt and Dahmer had no memory of the murder. On January 13, 1992, Dahmer pleaded guilty but insane to 15 counts of murder.

Trial -

The trial of Jeffrey Dahmer began on January 30, 1992. He was tried in Milwaukee for the 15 counts of murder before Judge Laurence Gram by pleading guilty on January 13, to charges brought against him, Dahmer, had waived his right to an initial trial to establish guilt. The issue debated by opposing counsels at Dahmer's trial was to determine whether he suffered from either a mental or a personality disorder, the prosecution claiming that any other disorder did not deprive Dahmer of the ability to resist his impulses, the defense arguing that Dahmer suffered from a mental illness and was driven by obsessions and impulses he was unable to control.

Defense experts argued that Dahmer was insane due to his necrophilic drive, his compulsion to have sexual encounters with corpses. Defense expert Dr.Judith Becker, a professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, was the second expert witness for the defense, Bekcer also diagnosed Dahmer with necrophilia. The final defense expert to testify, forensic psychiatrist Dr.Carl Wahlstrom, diagnosed Dahmer with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, necrophilia, alcohol dependency, and a psychotic disorder. The prosecution rejected the defenses argument that Dahmer was insane.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr.Phillip Resnick testified that Dahmer did not suffer from primary necrophilia because he preferred live sexual partners devoid of rational thought and to whose needs he did not have to cater. Another prosecution expert, Dr.Fred Fosdel, testified to his belief that Dahmer was without a mental disease or illness or defect at the time he committed the murders. He described Dahmer as a calculating and cunning individual, able to differentiate between right and wrong, with the ability to control his actions. Although Fosdel did state his belief that Dahmer suffered from paraphilia, his conclusion was that Dahmer was not a sadist.

The final witness to appear for the prosecution, forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz, began his testimony on February 12, Dietz testified that he didn't believe Dahmer to be suffering from any mental disease of defect at the time he had committed the crimes, stating "Dahmer went to great lengths to be alone with his victims and to have no witnesses." He explained that there was ample evidence that Dahmer prepared in advance for each murder, therefore, his crimes weren't impulsive. He also felt that Dahmer's habit of becoming intoxicated prior to committing each of the murders was significant, stating " If he had a compulsion to kill, he wouldn't have to drink. He had to drink to overcome his inhibition, to do the crime which he would rather not do." Dietz diagnosed Dahmer with substance personality disorder. Two-court appointed mental health professionals were forensic psychiatrist George Palermo and clinical psychologist Samuel Friedman. Palermo stated that the murders were the result of "pent-up aggression." Palermo concluded that Dahmer was a sexual sadist with antisocial personality disorder, but legally sane.

The trial lasted two weeks, on February 14, both counsels delivered their closing arguments to the jury. Each counsel was allowed to speak for two hours. Defense attorney Gerald Boyle argued first, repeatedly harking to the testimony of the mental health professionals. Boyle portrayed Dahmer as a desperately lonely and profoundly sick individual. On February 15, the court reconvened to hear the veridic, Dahmer was ruled to be sane and not suffering from any mental disorder at the time of the crimes. On the first two counts, Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison plus 70 years. The death penalty was not an option as Wisconsin abolished it in 1853.

Upon hearing of Jeffrey's sentencing, his father Lionel and stepmother Shari, requested to be allowed a 10-minute private meeting with their son before he was transferred to the Columbia Correctional Institute to begin his sentence. This request was granted and the two exchanged hugs and well wishes before Dahmer was escorted away to begin his sentence. Three months after his conviction, Dahmer was extradited to Ohio to be tried for the murder of Steven Hicks. Dahmer again pleaded guilty and was sentenced to his 16th term of life imprisonment on May 1, 1992.

Imprisonment -

Upon sentencing, Dahmer was transferred to the Columbia Correctional Institute in Portage, Wisconsin. For the first year of his incarceration, Dahmer was placed in solitary confinement due to concerns for his safety. With Dahmer's consent, after one year in solitary confinement, he was transferred to a less secure unit, where he was assigned a two hour daily work detail cleaning the toilet block.

Shortly after completing his confessions in 1991, Dahmer requested that he be given a copy of the Bible. This request was granted and Dahmer became a born again christian. In May 1994, Dahmer was baptized in the prison whirlpool.

In July 1994, a fellow inmate, Osvaldo Durruthy attempted to slash Dahmer's throat with a razorblades imbedded in a toothbrush. Dahmer wasn't seriously hurt in this incident. Joyce Dahmer related that in her weekly phone calls with Dahmer he would say "It doesn't matter mom, I don't care if something happens to me."

Death -

On the morning of November 28, 1994, Dahmer left his cell to conduct his work detail. Accompanying him were fellow inmates Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver. The trio was left unsupervised for twenty minutes in the showers of the prison gym. At approximately 8:10am Dahmer was discovered on the floor of the bathrooms suffering from extreme head and facial wounds, he had been severely bludgeoned about the head and face with a 20-inch metal bar. His head was also repeatedly struck against the wall during the attack.

Although Dahmer was still alive and was rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead one hour later. Anderson had also been beaten with the metal bar and died two days later. Scarver, who was serving a life sentence for murder in 1990, informed authorities that he had attacked Dahmer first as he was cleaning the staff locker room. According to Scarver, Dahmer did not yell or make noise as he was attacked. Immediately after attacking both men, Scarver returned to his cell and informed a prison guard, "God told me to do it. Jesse Anderson and Jeffrey Dahmer are dead." Scarver was adamant he hadn't planned the attack in advance, although he would later divulge to investigators that he concealed the metal bar in his clothing before the attacks.

Upon hearing of his death, Dahmer's mother Joyce responded angrily to the media "Now is everybody happy? Now that he's bludgeoned to death is that good enough for everyone?" The response of his victims families were mixed, although it appears most were pleased with his death. The district attorney who prosecuted Dahmer cautioned against turning Scarver into a hero, noting that Dahmer's death was still murder. On May 15, 1995, Scarver was sentenced to two additional terms of life sentences for the murders of Dahmer and Anderson.

Dahmer stated in his will that he wished for no services to be held and that he wished to be cremated.

In September 1995, Jeffrey Daher was cremated and his ashes divided between his parents.

Aftermath -

Dahmer's estate was awarded to the families of 11 of his victims who had sued for damages. In 1996, Thomas Jacobson, a lawyer representing 8 of the families, announced a planned auction for the estate. A civic group, Milwaukee Civic Pride, was established to raise the funds to purchase the estate and destroy Dahmer's possessions. The group raised $407,225 and Dahmer's possessions were subsequently destroyed and buried in an undisclosed landfill somewhere in Illinois.

The Oxford Apartments at 924 North 25th Street were demolished in November 1992, a vacant lot remains.

Lionel Daher has since retired and now lives with his second wife Shari. Both have refused to change their surname and have repeatedly professed their love for Jeffrey in spite of his crimes. In 1994, Lionel published a book, A Father's Story, and donated a portion of the proceed's to the victim's families.

Joyce Dahmer died of breast cancer in November of 2000. Prior to her death, she had attempted suicide at least once since her sons arrest.

Jeffrey's younger brother, David, changed his surname and now lives in anonymity.

Photos -

*Author Note: Out of respect for the families and victims, no pictures will be shown of victims during or after the events that took place. *