The horrific crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer have been brought to light in the Ryan Murphy Netflix miniseries, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Emmy-winning actor Evan Peters portrays the sadistic killer, who murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Across 10 episodes, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story follows the timeline of Dahmer's murders from the perspective of his victims, the people who tried to stop him, and those who knew him.
The series also shows the several systematic failures that allowed Dahmer to carry out his crimes for more than a decade.
Following his arrest on July 22, 1991, after his intended next victim Tracy Edwards escaped from Dahmer's home, Dahmer confessed to investigators the most gruesome of details about his killings.
At trial, Dahmer pleaded guilty, but insane, to 15 counts of murder. He was found sane by the jury and convicted of all 15 murders, receiving 15 consecutive life sentences.
In his final interview before his death on November 28, 1994 (he was murdered by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver), Dahmer reflected on his crimes.
Speaking to MSNBC News, Dahmer said after growing up being fascinated with the insides of dead animals, killing "became a compulsion."
He added at the age of 14 or 15: "It switched from animals to humans. I still don't understand it, I don't know why."
At 18 years old, Dahmer committed his first murder, killing hitchhiker Steven Hicks at his parent's home.
Dahmer shared with MSNBC News when he saw Hicks walking on the road near his family home, that the "nightmare became a reality."
He added: "It just seemed so bizarre to me this obsession that I had been thinking about and wanting...all the parts are there and they make it possible to make it happen."
For six years, Dahmer didn't kill again, but that changed in 1984. A frequent visitor to Milwaukee's gay bars, Dahmer met Steven Tuomi one evening at a local bar. He took Tuomi back to the Ambassador Hotel to "get drunk," but unfortunately his life came to an end at the hands of Dahmer.
Dahmer told MSNBC News he had no memory of killing Tuomi and claimed he had "no intention" of hurting him, but when he woke up to to find him dead and beaten, that is when it "all started again."
Dahmer would go on to kill 15 more young men and boys over the next seven years, until he was finally caught on July 22, 1991.
He shared: "Killing wasn't the objective. I just wanted to have the person under my complete control to do with as I wanted."
In a separate interview with Stone Phillips on Dateline NBC, Dahmer further explained: "The killing was a means to an end.
"That was the least satisfactory part. I didn't enjoy doing that. That's why I tried to create living zombies with uric acid in the drill [to the head], but it never worked. No, the killing was not the objective. I just wanted to have the person under my complete control, not having to consider their wishes, being able to keep them there as long as I wanted."
When police raided Dahmer's home, they found over 70 Polaroid pictures, which featured images of naked men and dead bodies in various stages of dismemberment.
They also found items that suggested Dahmer had committed multiple murders as well as a human head in the refrigerator, two plastic bags in the freezer containing a human heart, and another containing a set of male genitalia.
They also found five human skulls, knives, hammers, and saws in the bedroom. There was also a complete human skeleton in one drawer and a 57-gallon vat, filled with acid and three torsos, as well as other body parts.
Dahmer shared with investigators that he engaged in necrophilia and cannibalism and speaking to MSNBC, Dahmer explained the acts of cannibalism made him feel "like they were a permanent part of me beside the just mere curiosity of what it would be like it gave me a sexual satisfaction to do that."
Across over 60 hours of interview time, Dahmer confessed to his crimes, admitting to killing 17 young men and boys.
Jeffery Dahmer's victim's names are listed below:
- June 18, 1987: Steven Hicks, 18
- November 20, 1987: Steven Tuomi, 24
- January 16, 1988: Jamie Doxtator, 14
- March 24, 1988: Richard Guerrero, 25
- March 25, 1989: Anthony Sears, 26
- May 20, 1990: Raymond Smith (also went by "Ricky Beeks"), 33
- June 1990: Edward W. Smith, 28
- September 1990: Ernest Miller, 22
- September 24, 1990: David C. Thomas, 23
- February 18, 1991: Curtis Straughter, 18
- April 7, 1991: Errol Lindsey, 19
- May 24, 1991: Anthony "Tony" Hughes, 31
- May 27, 1991: Konerak Sinthasomphone, 14
- June 30, 1991: Matt Turner, 20
- July 5, 1991: Jeremiah Weinberger, 23
- July 15, 1991: Oliver Lacy, 23
- July 19, 1991: Joseph Bradehoft, 25
Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is streaming on Netflix now.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
