Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 39

Jeffrey Dahmer - Early life, Later murders, Capture, Trial and imprisonment, Victims, Pop culture references, Literature

Convicted murderer, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He confessed to 17 killings, committed in the USA over several years, and was found guilty in 1992 of 15 of these murders. His insanity plea having been rejected by the jury, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was killed in prison by a fellow prisoner.

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer
Born May 21, 1960
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Died November 28, 1994
Portage, Wisconsin, USA

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer.

Early life

Dahmer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After drinks, Dahmer killed him, because Dahmer "didn't want him to leave."

Dahmer attended Ohio State University, but he dropped out after one term.

Later murders

One of Dahmer's victims escaped, only to be returned to him by police.

John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish, the two police officers who returned Sinthasomphone to Dahmer, were terminated from the Milwaukee Police Department after their actions were widely publicized, including an audiotape of the officers making anti-gay statements to their dispatcher and laughing about having reunited the "lovers."

By the summer of 1991, Dahmer was murdering approximately one person each week. Matt Turner was killed on June 30, Jeremiah Weinberger on July 5, Oliver Lacy on July 12, and finally Joseph Brandehoft on July 19, just three days before Dahmer was finally arrested.

University of Phoenix

Capture

On July 22, 1991, Dahmer lured another black man, Tracy Edwards, into his home.

Edwards led police back to Dahmer's apartment, where Dahmer at first acted friendly to the officers, only to turn on them when he realized that the officers suspected something was wrong. As one officer subdued Dahmer, the other searched the house and was horrified to uncover multiple photographs of murdered victims and human remains including three severed heads.

The story of Dahmer's arrest and the gruesome inventory in his apartment quickly gained notoriety: several corpses were stored in acid-filled vats, severed heads were found in his refrigerator, and implements for the construction of an altar of candles and human skulls were found in his closet.

Trial and imprisonment

Jeffrey Dahmer was officially indicted on 17 murder charges, which were reduced to 15.

The judge found Dahmer guilty and sane on 15 counts of murder and sentenced him to 15 life terms, totaling 943 years in prison, one of the harshest prison sentences ever imposed in Wisconsin's legal history.

Dahmer served his time at the Columbia Correctional Institute in Portage, Wisconsin, where he became more and more religious over time and ultimately declared himself a born-again Christian. Much controversy surrounded both the decision to allow Dahmer such a privilege as work detail, as well as the pairing of Dahmer with Scarver, a man with a history of brutality who was in for murder.

The families of Dahmer's victims are continuing to struggle with their grief, but after Lionel Dahmer published his book A Father's Story, the majority of the family members reached out to him and his wife Shari.

Victims

Name Photo Age Date of Death
Stephen Hicks 19 June, 1978
Steven Tuomi 24 September, 1987
James "Jamie" Doxtator 14 October, 1987
Richard Guerrero 23 March, 1988
Anthony Sears 26 February, 1989
Raymond Smith
(aka Ricky Beeks)
33 May, 1990
Eddie Smith 27 June, 1990
Ernest Miller 22 September, 1990
David Thomas 23 September, 1990
Curtis Straughter 19 February, 1991
Errol Lindsey 19 April, 1991
Tony Hughes 31 May 24, 1991
Konerak Sinthasomphone 14 May 27, 1991
Matt Turner 20 June 30, 1991
Jeremiah Weinberger 23 July 5, 1991
Oliver Lacy 23 July 12, 1991
Joseph Bradeholt 25 July 19, 1991

Attempted victims

Name Photo Age Date of Abduction
Tracy Edwards 32 July, 1991

Pop culture references

References in film

The movie Jeffrey Dahmer: The Secret Life was released in 1993, starring Carl Crew as Dahmer. In the movie Demolition Man (1993), the criminal Simon Phoenix (played by Wesley Snipes) discovers Dahmer's name in a list of cryogenically frozen people and decides to release him, declaring, "Jeffrey Dahmer? In the film The Ringer Johnny Knoxville's character is named "Jeffy Dahmor" In the film Phone Booth, a reference is made to "Jeffrey Dahmer" and how he is well known for being a serial killer.

References in music

The Canadian grindcore band Dahmer is named after Jeffrey Dahmer. The song Lord Abortion by popular British based Black Metal band Cradle of Filth chronicles the actions and life of a modern day Jack the Ripper, and references Dahmer with the line "I know I'm sick, as Dahmer did," The song "Jeffrey Dahmer's Cookbook" by death/grind band Fuck...I'm Dead is a reference to Jeffrey Dahmer. In Dr. Dre and Ice Cube's song Natural Born Killaz, there is a reference to Dahmer The song "213" by the thrash metal band Slayer is about Jeffrey Dahmer. The song "Fearless" by Insane Clown Posse contains the lyric "I'll meet Jeffrey Dahmer at some kinda of bar let him take me home and eat me" The song "Hazy Shade Of Criminal" by Public Enemy contains the lyric "Jeffrey Dahmer enter the room without cuffs"

References in television

Featured in a South Park episode in which he, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy work together to pick up a Ferrari cake for Satan. On an episode of the FOX legal drama, Justice, attorney Ron Trott states "Mrs. Dahmer probably thought Jeffrey was innocent even after they found a head in his freezer" in an effort to explain how mothers are naturally trusting.

IN "who's on the microphone" Notorious BIG say "Cannabilistic like that nigga Jeffery Dahmer"

Literature

Pincus, Jonathan H.: "Base Instincts - What Makes Killers kill?";

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