Who is Jeffrey Dahmer? Horrifying true story behind My Friend Dahmer film
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Some serial killers are known worldwide for their diabolical actions, from the likes of Jack the Ripper to John Wayne Gacy, to Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.
One who has ignited a huge degree of interest, however, is Jeffrey Dahmer.
Responsible for a whole host of crimes upon young men in Ohio and Wisconsin, Dahmer is now the focus of a critically acclaimed biopic to be released in the UK in June, My Friend Dahmer.
The film will examine the younger years of Jeffrey Dahmer's life.
As the film is soon released in cinemas, we take a look back at the horrifying life of Jeffrey Dahmer, and how he became one of the most infamous serial killers in history.
Warning: The content below may distress some readers.
His early obsession with animals
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21 1969 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. Jeffrey's parents was chemistry student Lionel Dahmer and teletype machinist Joyce Annette.
In his early years, Dahmer was described as a happy child, but notably became more subdued after a double hernia surgery.
Jeffrey's home life was tense, as his mother Joyce suffered from severe anxiety and her troubles often brought her into conflict with Lionel. Joyce also attempted suicide with an overdose of medication that she was addicted to.
In elementary school, Jeffrey became more shy and timid, whilst taking a keen interest in animals and dismembering them, sometimes with friends. His main obsession was with bones.
On one occasion, Jeffrey decapitated a dog's carcass and nailed the skull to a tree.
Jeffrey's obsession was encouraged by Lionel, which he took for scientific curiosity, showing him how to dissolve chicken bones in bleach when Jeffrey asked him at the age of 8.
Dahmer's alcoholism - and hidden sexuality
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In high school, Jeffrey was something of an outcast and had developed alcoholism by the age of 14. Dahmer got average grades, despite being noted for his high intelligence.
During these years, Dahmer realised he was homosexual, but concealed this from his family.
Dahmer had a a brief relationship with another boy, but this was never consumated.
Jeffrey also began to have rape fantasies, with elements of dominance and sadism, along with the mutilation interest he had with animals. Jeffrey first contemplated enacting this on an attractive jogger who he occasionally spotted and became obsessed with.
Jeffrey's parents separated with plans to divorce not long before Jeffrey graduated. Lionel moved out and Joyce was awarded custody of Jeffrey's younger brother, David.
An adult Jeffrey moved in with Joyce and his brother into their new home with her relatives, but not before a period of living alone in their old family home.
Who was his first murder victim?
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An 18 year-old hitchhiker named Steven Mark Hicks. Not long after he graduated in 1978, Dahmer picked up Steven and lured him back to his now empty family home under the pretext of drinking.
When Steven tried to leave, Dahmer bludgeoned him with a dumbbell and then strangled him to death with it.
Dahmer then masturbated over his corpse, before dissecting his body and burying it in a shallow grave in the garden.
Jeffrey returned weeks later to cut the flesh from the bones, which he later dissolved in acid, while smashing the bones and scattering them in the nearest woods.
His time in the army
After dropping out of Ohio State University in part due to his alcoholism, Dahmer joined the army at his father's request.
Initially, Jeffrey was deemed as having a good performance in the military as a combat medic, but his issues soon resurfaced.
Jeffrey is reported to have raped two soldiers in his time at Baumholder in West Germany, one repeatedly over the year and a half he was there.
Dahmer was discharged from the military in 1981, as he was deemed unfit for service due to his alcoholism.
Not wanting to face his disappointed father, Jeffrey travelled to Miami Beach in Florida, but when his alcoholism drained his funds, he eventually called his father for help and went to live with him and his new wife in Ohio.
Dahmer's first arrest
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he was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour in Ohio in 1981, which resulted in an unsuccessful attempt by Lionel and his wife to get him off alcohol. Eventually Jeffrey was sent to live with his Grandmother in Wisconsin, who he loved dearly and initially everything went well.
Before losing his job as a phlebotomist in Wisconsin, Dahmer was arrested for indecent exposure in a public park in 1982.
In 1985, Dahmer began to explore the gay scene in Wisconsin.
Dahmer was not arrested, however, for the drugging and raping of patrons of bathhouses that he had begun to frequent. Dahmer was banned for 12 inappropriate instances, but continued to do this in hotels, lacing drinks with sleeping pills to rape his victims while unconscious, as he disliked their movement during sex when his partners were conscious.
In 1986, Dahmer was caught masturbating near two young boys and charged with disorderly conduct, but received one year's probation.
The Ambassador Hotel
On an evening in 1987, Dahmer took home a 25-year-old Steven Tuomi from a bar in Wisconsin and persuaded him to return to the Ambassador Hotel with him, where he planned to drug and rape him.
The morning after, Dahmer claimed to have woken up to find Toumi beneath him with his chest crushed and badly bruised. Dahmer says he had no memories of killing him, but knew from his fists that he had.
Dahmer transferred Toumi's corpse in a large suitcase to his Grandmother's house, where he proceeded to sever the body and place pieces into plastic garbage bags, once again snapping the bones.
Dahmer kept the skull for a fortnight as a stimulus for masturbation, but eventually disposed of that too in the trash.
Steven Tuomi's remains were never found.
Who were Dahmer's victims?
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Dahmer began actively seeking out victims to kill in 1888 onwards. These are his other known victims:
James Doxtator
In 1988, Dahmer lured the 14-year-old male prostitute to his Grandmother's home under the pretext of taking paid nude photos of him. Dahmer drugged and strangled the boy to death. His body was later dismembered and disposed of in the trash, but Dahmer kept the skull for a while before disposing of it. No remains were ever found.
Richard Guerro
In 1988, Dahmer lured the 22-year-old bisexual to his home for paid company, before drugging and strangling Guerro to death. His body was dismembered and disposed of in the trash, but, once again, Dahmer kept his skull for a period of time. No remains were ever found.
Anthony Sears
In 1989, Dahmer lured the 24-year-old aspiring model to his Grandmother's home, after briefly being kicked out by her for his returning late at night with young men and for the foul smells from the basement. Dahmer moved back after he had been convicted to molesting a 13-year-old boy. Dahmer and Sears engaged in oral sex, before Sears was drugged and strangled. Dahmer disposed of his body in similar fashion, but kept his head and genitalia in acetone. The authorities would later find these in a filing cabinet.
Raymond Smith
In 1990, Dahmer drugged and strangled the 32-year-old male prostitute in his new apartment after being released from his year in prison due to his molestation offence. Dahmer retained his skull.
Edward Smith
In 1990, Dahmer drugged and strangled the 27-year-old acquaintance in his home, but failed to preserve his skull and accidentally damaged it - leading to all of his remains being disposed of. No remains were ever found.
Ernest Miller
In 1990, Dahmer lured the 22-year-old dancer to his home, where he said he'd pay him for listening to his internal organs. Dahmer attempted to perform oral sex on him before slashing his carotid artery. Once he was dead, Dahmer took photos of his posed naked corpse, before dismembering his body. Dahmer spoke to his decapitated head as he worked on the rest of the body, before storing his skeleton in a draw. Dahmer stored flesh - including Miller's heart - in his fridge for later consumption.
David Thomas
In 1990, Dahmer lured the 22-year-old to his home to pose for paid nude photographs. Dahmer drugged Thomas and strangled him, taking photos of the dismemberment process. Due to a lack of attraction to Thomas, Dahmer kept no body parts and all were disposed of. No remains were ever found.
Curtis Straughter
In 1991, Dahmer lured the 17-year-old from a bus stop to his apartment, promising payment for nude photos and sex. Dahmer drugged, handcuffed, and strangled the boy, and dismembered his remains. Dahmer retained his skull, hands and genitals.
Tony Hughes
In 1991, Dahmer lured the deaf-mute 31-year-old to his home with handwritten notes for paid nude photographs. Dahmer strangled him and left his body dead on the floor for days before dismembering him and keeping his skull.
Konerak Sinthasomphone
In 1991, Dahmer lured the younger brother of the boy he had gone to prison for molesting in 1988 back to his home for paid nude photographs. Sinthasomphone was drugged and Dahmer drilled a hole in his skull to inject hydrochloric acid into his brain. Dahmer left the apartment for beer, but returned to find a disoriented and naked Konerak on the street outside, being attended to by a group of women who had called the police. The police believed Dahmer's story of Konerak being his drunk boyfriend, despite the protestations of the women present, and Konerak was left in Dahmer's care. Dahmer administered another injection to Konerak, killing him. Dahmer retained his head only.
Matt Turner
In 1991, the 20-year-old was picked up from a bus stop at the Chicago Pride Parade,with promises of a paid photo shoot. Lured back to Wisconisn, Dahmer drugged, strangled, and dismembered Turner. Dahmer retained his head, internal organs, and torso.
Jeremiah Weinberger
In 1991, the 23-year-old agreed to spend the weekend with Dahmer in Wisconsin after meeting in Chicago. At Dahmer's home, Weinberger had holes drilled into his skull and was injected with boiling water. Daher later dismembered him and kept his torso. Dahmer remembered this kill very well due to the fact he was the only victim to die with his eyes open.
Oliver Lacy
In 1991, the 24-year-old bodybuilder was lured to Dahmer's apartment with promises of a photoshoot. Dahmer drugged and strangled him, before dismembering him. Lacy's head and heart were kept in the refrigerator, and Dahmer began building a shrine from Lacy's bones.
Joseph Bradehoft
In 1991, the 25-year-old father of three became Dahmer's final victim. Joseph had been looking for work, but was strangled and left on Dahmer's bed under a sheet for days before being dismembered, keeping the head in his refrigerator.
The majority of Dahmer's victims were people of colour.
How was Dahmer caught?
On July 22 1991, Dahmer approached some men to pose for paid nude photographs. Tracy Edwards agreed and went back to Dahmer's apartment, where he noticed boxes of hydrochloric acid and a foul smell . Dahmer proceeded to handcuff one of Edwards' wrists and lead him to his bedroom for the photos.
Inside Edwards noticed nude male posters, the film The Exorcist III playing on the TV, and gallon drum with a foul smell emanating from it. Dahmer threatened Edwards with a knife, but Edwards persuaded Dahmer to calm down and said he was his friend.
They moved into the living room at Edwards' suggestion where he then went to use the bathroom. On a second request to use the bathroom, when noticing Dahmer's attention lapse momentarily, Edwards punched Dahmer in the face and fled the apartment where he flagged down two police officers and told them his story.
The police investigated Dahmer's apartment, and found his Polaroid photos of his dismembered bodies taken in the apartment. Caught out, Dahmer attempt to flee but was over-powered and arrested. The police then discovered a severed head in Dahmer's fridge, before soon finding all of his preserved vicitms' body parts - including seven skulls.
Pinned down, Dahmer exclaimed, "For what I did, I should be dead."
Dahmer was interrogated by authorities for weeks, and admitted to killing 16 victims, and dismembering their bodies and performing necrophilia on some of their bodies.
Dahmer reasoned that he had been "swept along" with an obsessive desire to be with someone at whatever cost. He also described how he was keeping the bones of victims to create a shrine on a black table beneath his window with black curtains, where he would sit in a throne of black leather. He said it would have been a place of meditation, for him to draw power from.
His trial
(Image: Getty)
Dahmer pleaded guilty but insane to 15 counts of murder. He was tried on in 1992 to determine whether he suffered from a mental health disorder or if he had enough ability to resist his impulses.
Both cases were argued, with the defence laelling him as having borderline personality disorder, schizoypal personality disorder, necrophilia, alcoholism, and psychotic disorders.
The prosecution argued he was rational, not a sadist, and new the difference between right and wrong.
Dahmer was diagnosed by many psychologists and experts, with some viewing him as mentally ill but sane and with full awareness and preparation for what he did.
In the end, the court ruled that he was legally sane and not suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the 15 murders. Dahmer was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 80 years, with all sentences added. He was not sentenced to death due to Wisconsin abolishing the death penalty,
Dahmer was tried separately in Ohio for his first murder of Steven Hicks, with an extra term of life imprisonment given to him.
What was his life in prison like?
Dahmer began to devote himself to Christianity and became a born-again Christian. Dahmer was baptized in prison, and debated if he was sinning by staying alive.
Dahmer kept regular contact with his father and stepmother, and also his mother Joyce, from whom he had been estranged since 1983. He told Joyce that he felt indifference to his fate in prison.
In July 1994, Dahmer survived an attempt by a fellow inmate to slash his throat, receiving only superficial wounds.
How did he die?
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Dahmer was on cleaning duty on November 28 1994 when he was murdered by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver, along with another inmate, Jesse Anderson. Dahmer had been bludgeoned with a metal bar and his head struck repeatedly against a wall in the showers he was cleaning. He was rushed to hospital, but died from his wounds. Scarver said that Dahmer made no noise as he was attacked.
Scarver claimed that the altercation arose after the men had poked and laughed at him, but then cornered Dahmer with a newspaper clipping of his crimes before killing him. Scarver claimed Dahmer was not repentant for his crimes and was detested by the other inmates and prison staff - who knowingly left him alone with Scarver, who they knew hated him.
Dahmer had no service for him and was cremated, as per his wishes.
Aftermath
Dahmer's estate was awarded to the families of most of his victims, with an auction taking place in 1996. His possessions were destroyed and buried.
The apartments where Dahmer committed his murders were demolished in 1992. The site is now a vacant lot.
Lionel Dahmer and his second wife Shari have stood by their love of Jeffrey and released a book on his life, giving the proceeds to the families of the victims.
Joyce Flint was furious after her son's death, exclaiming to the media, "Now is everybody happy? Now that he's bludgeoned to death, is that good enough for everyone?"
Joyce later attempted suicide, before eventually dying of cancer in 2000.
David Dahmer, Jeffrey's younger brother who he named, now lives in anonymity under a new name.
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How accurate is the film My Friend Dahmer?
The new film by director Marc Meyers will specifically tackle the adolescent years of Jeffrey Dahmer, and is based on a graphic novel by John Backderf, Dahmer's schoolmate.
The film stars former Disney star Ross Lynch as Jeffrey, as we see him attend high school in Ohio and develop his obsessions with animal mutilation, that passing jogger and the impulse to rape and perform necrophilia.
The film does not depict Dahmer's killing spree, but shows what leads up to it.
Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts appear as Joyce and Lionel Dahmer, respectively. While Alex Wolff portrays Backderf as Dahmer's closest friend, and Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser stars as the jogger that Dahmer is obsessed with.
The film has already received critical acclaim but also controversy, with some accusing it of being too sympathetic to the serial killer.
Viewers will have to decide for themselves.
My Friend Dahmer is released in the UK on June 1 2018.