Jeffrey Dahmer

Case overview

Jeffrey Dahmer lived in Milwaukee and committed multiple murders in which he drugged, strangled, dismembered, and disposed of victims’ bodies. He kept some body parts as trophies, including skulls he painted, and he preserved genitalia in formaldehyde. He adjusted to prison life and was attacked and killed in jail.

Timeline

• May 21, 1960 — Jeffrey Dahmer was born in Milwaukee to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer.
• January 17, 1988 — Dahmer met Steven Hicks and murdered him at his grandmother's house in West Allis.
• January 18, 1988 — Doxtator's mother reported James Doxtator missing.
• March 27, 1988 — Dahmer encountered Richard Guerrero and killed him at his grandmother's house.
• September 25, 1988 — Jeffrey moved into an apartment on North 24th Street in Milwaukee.
• January 30, 1989 — Dahmer pleaded guilty, although he claimed that he thought that the boy was much older than he was.
• September 1986 — Dahmer was arrested for masturbating in front of two boys and was put on probation for a year.
• March 10, 1987 — Dahmer was convicted after his September 8, 1986 incident.
• September 1987 — Dahmer killed Steven Toumi.
• January 16, 1988 — Dahmer approached a young male prostitute, James Doxtator (age: 14), and offered him money to make a video with him.
• January 30, 1990 — Dahmer was found guilty.
• March 25, 1990 — Dahmer met Anthony Sears at La Cage.
• May 14, 1990 — Dahmer moved to 924 North 25th Street, Apartment 213.
• May 23, 1989 — Dahmer’s lawyer Gerald Boyle and Assistant D.A. Gale Shelton presented their arguments to Judge William Gardner.
• February 18, 1991 — Dahmer met Curtis Straughter.
• April 7, 1991 — Dahmer met Errol Lindsey (AKA Earl Lindsey) at a local bus stop.
• May 24, 1991 — Dahmer met Tony Hughes at club 219.
• May 27, 1991 — Dahmer met Konerak Sinthasomphone (age: 14).
• June 30, 1991 — Dahmer traveled to Chicago for Gay Pride Day and met Matt Turner at a bus depot.
• July 4, 1991 — Dahmer met Jeremiah Weinberger age 23 at a local gay watering hole.
• July 12, 1991 — Dahmer met Oliver Lacy.
• July 13, 1992 — Dahmer ignored his lawyer’s advice and changed his plea to guilty, but that he was insane.
• July 19, 1991 — Dahmer met Joeseph Bradehoft at a local bus stop.
• July 22, 1991 — Tracy Edwards was flagged down by Milwaukee police officers with a handcuff dangling from his wrist; officers escorted Edwards to Dahmer’s apartment at 924 North 25th Street.
• November 28, 1994 — Dahmer was killed in jail by Christopher Scarver.
• December 1991 — Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison in Ohio in May 1992 (this timeline entry is included only where the source links this period; the source also explicitly states May 1992 separately).

Background

Jeffrey Dahmer spent the day drinking at a gay bar named Club 219 and met up with a gay man named Steven Toumi. Dahmer and Toumi chatted with each other for a few hours and eventually left together. They went to a hotel and rented a room. Dahmer claimed he could not remember what happened once they got to the hotel, only that he drank a lot. Dahmer was not even sure if they had any form of sexual relations, but when he woke up Toumi was dead. It seemed Dahmer beat Toumi very badly and strangled him. After this Dahmer bought a large suitcase and stuffed the body inside. He caught a taxi back to his grandmother’s house, where he lived in the basement, then cut up the body, placed the pieces into garbage bags, and put them out by the curb with the rest of the days trash.

Dahmer’s neighbors started to complain about the putrid smell coming from his apartment. Dahmer explained to the landlord that his fridge was broken and he would get it fixed as soon as possible.

Dahmer adjusted very well to prison life at the Columbia Correctional Institute in Portage, Wisconsin. Initially, he was not part of the general population of the prison to avoid jeopardizing his safety. He was attacked on July 3, 1994, while attending a chapel service by a Cuban who he had never seen before.

The offence

Dahmer lured victims to his apartment and committed murders after drugging them and/or strangling them. He dismembered bodies, disposed of remains, and kept certain trophies such as skulls and preserved body parts.

Steven Toumi

Dahmer met Steven Toumi at a gay bar named Club 219, then left together. After Dahmer woke up, Toumi was dead. Dahmer seemed to have beaten Toumi very badly and strangled him. Dahmer later stuffed Toumi’s body into a large suitcase, returned by taxi to his grandmother’s house, cut up the body, placed pieces into garbage bags, and put them out by the curb with the rest of the day’s trash.

James Doxtator

On January 16, 1988, Dahmer approached James Doxtator (age: 14), offered him money to make a video with him, and Doxtator agreed. Dahmer took him home to his basement room and gave James a sleeping drug concoction. Once James passed out, Dahmer strangled him. Dahmer stripped the body of all flesh by using acid and smashed the bones up with a sledgehammer. He scattered the bone fragments.

Richard Guerrero

On March 24, 1988, Dahmer met Richard Guerrero at a bar called the Phoenix. Guerrero was broke, and Dahmer offered him some money if he would come back to his place and make a video. Guerrero agreed. After returning to Dahmer’s, they had oral sex. Dahmer offered Guerrero a drink, which Guerrero accepted. Shortly after passing out, Guerrero was strangled, dismembered, and disposed of.

Keison Sinthasomphone

Just 24 hours after moving into his new apartment at 808 North 24th Street, Dahmer was in trouble with police. He conned a Laotian boy, Keison Sinthasomphone, 13, into coming up to his apartment. Once there, Dahmer drugged and molested him, but the boy escaped. He reported the incident to police.

Anthony Sears

On March 25, 1990, Dahmer met Anthony Sears at La Cage, a gay bar. Dahmer took Sears back to his grandmother’s house. Dahmer assumed the police were watching his apartment. After sexual intercourse, Dahmer made Sears a drink. Dahmer murdered him and decided to keep the skull as a trophy.

Ray Smith

After serving time in the half way house, Dahmer rented a place at Oxford Apartments, Apartment #213. Just two weeks after moving into the apartment building (which had since been demolished), Dahmer met Ray Smith at Club 219. Ray was a newcomer to Milwaukee. Dahmer asked Ray back to his place to pose for some photos, Ray accepted, and Dahmer offered him a drink. Once Ray passed out, Dahmer strangled him, stripped the body, and had necrophelic sex with it. Dahmer dismembered the body and threw it out with the trash. Dahmer kept the skull, painted it to preserve it, and treated this as the beginning of his macabre collection of human souvenirs.

Eddie Smith

On June 14, 1990, Dahmer met Eddie Smith. Eddie accepted Dahmer’s advances and went back to Dahmer’s apartment where they had oral sex. Dahmer offered Eddie a drink. Soon after Eddie passed out, Dahmer strangled him, dismembered the body, and threw the remains out with the trash.

Attempted assault on a 15-year-old

On July 8, 1990, Dahmer varied his MO and did not bother drugging his victim. He had a 15 year old Hispanic kid posing for photos. Dahmer picked up a mallet and tried to hit the boy in the head. The kid fought back and eventually escaped. The kid went to police, but when he begged police not to tell his foster parents that he was gay, the police decided to leave it alone.

Ernest Miller

On September 3, 1990, Dahmer picked up Ernest Miller, took him home, had intercourse, drugged him, then changed his game plan. Dahmer did not strangle Miller; he cut his throat instead. Dahmer sliced off the biceps and put them in the freezer. After taking all the flesh from the bone, Dahmer decided to keep the entire skeleton.

David Thomas

In September/October 1990, Dahmer met David Thomas. Dahmer and Thomas were drinking in Dahmer’s apartment. Dahmer gave him his “special drink.” Dahmer did not want to kill Thomas, but was worried Thomas might be upset when he woke up. Dahmer drugged Thomas, then killed him. Dahmer filmed the whole dismemberment and took photos of David’s severed head in various positions in the apartment. These photos were later viewed by Thomas’s sister for identification purposes.

Curtis Straughter (and keeping trophies)

On February 18, 1991, Dahmer met Curtis Straughter. Curtis wanted to be a model and agreed to pose for photos. Curtis was strangled while giving Dahmer oral sex. Dahmer kept the skull and painted it to preserve it. Dahmer also decided to keep the hands and penis as well.

Errol Lindsey

On April 7, 1991, Dahmer met Errol Lindsey (AKA Earl Lindsey) age 19 at a local bus stop. Errol was paid by Dahmer to come back to the apartment. Dahmer offered him a drink and Errol accepted. Dahmer performed oral sex on his corpse. Dahmer kept the skull.

Tony Hughes

On May 24, 1991, Dahmer met Tony Hughes at club 219. Hughes was a deaf mute, so Dahmer wrote his offer on paper and handed it to Tony. The offer was $50 to pose for some photos and watch some videos. Dahmer drugged and strangled Hughes. Dahmer left the corpse laying around his bedroom for a few days before dismembering it.

Konerak Sinthasomphone

On May 27, 1991, Dahmer met Konerak Sinthasomphone (age: 14) at a local bus stop. Konerak was the younger brother of the guy who charged Dahmer with sexual assault, though Dahmer never knew it at the time. Dahmer got the kid into his apartment, drugged him, had sexual intercourse with him, drilled a hole in his head, injected acid, and then left to go get beer. Konerak woke up and made it out into the street where police found him wandering around dazed and nude. Police considered him just a drunk homosexual and left the situation without further escalation. Police made no further trouble for Dahmer after their interaction with Dahmer and concluded Konerak left with Dahmer. Dahmer added another skull to the collection and painted it to preserve it.

Matt Turner

On June 30, 1991, Dahmer traveled to Chicago for Gay Pride Day. Dahmer’s wallet was stolen at the events. While at a bus depot, he met Matt Turner, who wanted to be a model. Dahmer talked Turner into coming back to Milwaukee. Dahmer paid for Greyhound bus tickets for both and they traveled on a 90 mile ride. Once back in Milwaukee, Dahmer drugged and strangled Turner. Dahmer cut off Turner’s head, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and placed it in the freezer. Dahmer placed the torso in a blue 57 gallon barrel.

Jeremiah Weinberger

On July 4, 1991, Dahmer met Jeremiah Weinberger age 23 at a local gay watering hole. Jeremiah asked his roommate what he thought of Jeff and stated: "He seems all right". Jeremiah went back to Milwaukee with Dahmer. Dahmer paid for Greyhound bus tickets for the 90 mile ride back to Dahmer’s place. Once arrived, Dahmer and Jeremiah had mutual sex and Jeremiah spent the night. When Jeremiah got sick of having sex with Dahmer and said he was going home, Dahmer said fine and offered him a farewell drink. Dahmer strangled him. Jeremiah’s head was found in Dahmer’s freezer.

Oliver Lacy

On July 12, 1991, Dahmer met Oliver Lacy age: 23. They went back to Dahmer’s place, had a drink, and fooled around. Dahmer strangled Lacy. Dahmer for the first time decided to get into necrophelic sex and sodomized the corpse. Dahmer sliced the right bicep off and ate it. Dahmer placed Lacy’s head in the fridge next to an open box of Arm & hammer baking soda, and placed his heart in the freezer. Dahmer put other body parts in the freezer. Dahmer put the rest of the flesh into the trash and kept the entire skeleton.

Eddie Smith and job suspension and firing sequence

It was at this time that Dahmer was suspended from his job at the Ambrosia chocolate factory. Dahmer spent a few too many days at home with his “friends.” This upset him. On July 19, Dahmer was fired from the job.

Joeseph Bradehoft

On July 19, 1991, Dahmer met Joeseph Bradehoft at a local bus stop. It was pouring down rain and Joseph had a six pack of beer. Joseph decided to go back to Dahmer’s to party. They had oral sex and Dahmer drugged and strangled Joseph. Dahmer slept with the body for the next few days until the head became infested with maggots. Dahmer cleaned it and put it in the freezer along with the heads of Turner and Weinberger. Dahmer placed the torso in the 57 gallon barrol in the bedroom.

Tracy Edwards (handcuff discovery and interruption)

On July 22, 1991, Dahmer met Tracy Edwards age: 32. Dahmer picked him up and got him back to his place. Dahmer claimed to remember little of the evening. Edwards fought back and got away when Dahmer managed to get a handcuff onto one of Edwards’ hands. Officers Mueller & Rauth were on nightly patrol down Kilbourn Avenue in Milwaukee when they were flagged down at the corner of 25th Street by a black man with a handcuff dangling from his wrist. Edwards hysterically explained that he had been drinking with a man who handcuffed him and tried to kill him.

The officers tried to remove the handcuff but their keys would not fit. Mueller & Rauth escorted Edwards to Dahmer’s apartment at 924 North 25th Street. The door to apartment 213 was opened by Jeffery Dahmer, a 31 year old, white, male. Dahmer acknowledged he was responsible for the handcuff and pointed officers toward the bedroom where he thought the keys would be. Dahmer said: "I just lost my job, and I want to drink some fucking beer!".

An officer opened the fridge and exclaimed: "OH MY GOD! THERE'S A GOD DAM HEAD IN HERE! HE"S ON SICK SO OF A BITCH!". Dahmer turned on the officers and fought as the other officer tried to cuff him. After subduing Dahmer, they took him in. A box of baking soda in the refrigerator hardly absorbed odors from a decomposing severed head. The freezer had three more heads stored neatly in plastic bags tied with plastic twisties. A door led to the bedroom, bedroom closet and bath outfitted with a dead-bolt lock.

Anne E. Schwartz described what she saw in her book The Man Who Could Not Kill Enough: "...in the back of the closet was a metal stockpot that contained decomposed hands and a penis. On the shelf above the kettle were 2 skulls. Also in the closet were containers of ethyl alcohol, chloroform, and formaldehyde, along with some glass jars holding male genitalia preserved in formaldehyde...Polaroid photos taken by Dahmer at various stages of his victims deaths. One showed a man's head, with the flesh still intact, lying in a sink. Another displayed a victim cut open from the neck to the groin, like a deer gutted after the kill, the cuts so clean I could see the pelvic bone clearly."

Investigation

Dahmer’s bail was set at $1 million cash and later raised to $5 million after eight more murder charges were added on Aug. 6. Dahmer had fifteen murder charges against him. The case became the biggest serial murder case of the decade.

The trial proceedings involved heavy security in Milwaukee’s courtroom. The courtroom was swept for bombs by a dog trained to sniff for explosives, and everyone allowed into the courtroom was searched and checked with a metal detector. An eight-foot-high barrier made from bullet-resistant glass and steel isolated Dahmer from the gallery. Of the 100 seats, 23 were for reporters, 34 for the families of Dahmer’s victims, and 43 for public spectators.

Arrest and discovery of remains

The apartment at 924 North 25th Street, Apartment 213, contained multiple locks and an alarm system. When Edwards was taken to the apartment, officers found photographs and body parts. A refrigerator held a severed head. The freezer contained three more heads and other remains. Officers observed photos lying around and other preparations consistent with Dahmer’s trophies and experiments.

Trial

Plea and insanity defense

On July 13, 1992, Dahmer changed his plea to guilty, but insane.

Dahmer’s jury deliberated for five hours. On all fifteen counts, Dahmer was found guilty and sane.

Parties and courtroom figures

Judge Laurence C. Gram, Jr. presided. District Attorney Michael McCann prosecuted. Defense lawyer Gerald Boyle defended Dahmer, and Lionel and Shari Dahmer attended every day.

Quotations and statements during trial

Dahmer wrote an apology to the judge:

Your Honor: It is now over. This has never been a case of trying to get free. I didn't ever want freedom. Frankly, I wanted death for myself. This was a case to tell the world that I did what I did, but not for reasons of hate. I hated no one. I knew I was sick or evil or both. Now I believe I was sick. The doctors have told me about my sickness, and now I have some peace.. I know how much harm I have caused...Thank God there will be no more harm that I can do. I believe that only the Lord Jesus Christ can save me from my sins...I ask for no consideration.

Dahmer’s longest sentence muttered at preliminary hearings was: "I understand, your honor"

On the confession and guilt, Detective Dennis Murphy stated: "Dahmer felt a tremendous amount of guilt because of his actions. He felt thoroughly evil."

Detective Dennis Murphy then quoted from Dahmer’s own confession: "It's hard for me to believe that a human being could have done what I've done, but I know that I did it."

Boyle presented a chart: "Skulls in locker, cannibalism, sexual urges, drilling, making zombies, necrophilia, drinking alcohol all the time, trying to create a shrine, lobotomies, defleshing, calling taxidermists, going to grave yards, masturbating.....This is Jeffrey Dahmer, a runaway train on a track of madness..."

McCann rebutted: "He wasn't a runaway train, he was the engineer!"

McCann added: "Ladies and gentlemen, he's fooled a lot of people. Please don't let this murderous killer fool you."

Boyle’s statement to prospective jurors included: "You're going to hear about things you probably didn't know existed in the real world. In this case," Boyle told them, " you're going to hear about sexual conduct before death, during death, and after death. Will you be so disgusted by that you won't be able to listen?"

Expert testimony and psychiatric issues

The court used the insanity defense instruction: "A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or conform his conduct to the requirements of the law."

Dr. Fred Berlin testified Dahmer had a mental disease and described necrophilia as: 'a cancer of the mind', a 'broken mind', and thought it facile to insinuate that the man could simply resolve to stop thinking of sex with dead bodies and the thoughts would go away.

Dr. Berlin said: "We cannot always choose what to have on our minds," and: "Necrophilia, he explained, is not a matter of freewill."

McCann cross-examined Dr. Berlin and elicited admissions about time spent, including: "I'm not writing a biography of him." and: Half an hour. My examination covered five hours in all, maybe six. I'm not trying to be evasive." and: 'The record indicates four hours and forty-five minutes. If you spent forty-five minutes talking about family and personal history, that leaves four hours, so you spent fifteen minutes on each homicide.'

Dr. Carl Wahlstrom testified that: 'Mr. Dahmer is a thirty-one year old white male with a long history of serious mental illness which was essentially untreated... His personality structure is extremely primitive,' and: 'he has bizarre and delusional ideas.'

Dr. Wahlstrom illustrated this using Dahmer’s words: ' If they had their own thought processes they might remember that they had to leave, or lived somewhere else.'

Dr. George Palermo denied evidence to support a diagnosis of necrophilia and said: 'Aggressive, hostile tendencies led to his murderous behavior. His sexual drives functioned as a channel through which destructive power was expressed.'

Dr. Palermo concluded that the murders resulted from: 'pent up aggression within himself. He killed those men because he wanted to kill the source of his homosexual attraction to them. In killing them, he killed what he hated in himself.'

Dr. Palermo said: 'He killed because when they woke up they would be angry with him.' and: 'Strange to say, he's not such a bad person.'

Dr. Samuel Friedman described Dahmer and concluded Dahmer was sane: 'Amiable, pleasant to be with, curtious, with a sense of humor, conventionally handsome and charming in manner, he was, and still is, a bright young man.'

Dr. Friedman said Dahmer: almost 'pleaded' with him to provide an explanation.

Dr. Fosdel testified to belief Dahmer was without mental disease or defect: He described Dahmer as "a cruel, calculating, and cunning killer" who preyed on weak and lonely men at the time that they were vulnerable.

Dr. Park Dietz testified he did not believe Dahmer was suffering from any mental disease or defect at the time of the crimes and stated: 'If he had a compulsion to kill, he would not have to drink alcohol. He had to drink alcohol to overcome his inhibition, to do the crime which he would rather not do.'

Dr. Dietz said: 'We cannot choose what we find sexy.'

Dr. Dietz said regarding paraphilia: 'The Paraphile is as free as any other human being to choose whether to commit a crime to gratify his wishes. Paraphilia provides no more than a motive for what a person would like to do. If you say Paraphiles are compelled, then you have to say that we are all compelled to do what we want.'

Dr. Dietz said: 'He did no t torture and took steps to prevent suffering.'

Dr. Dietz denied delusional thinking, explaining: 'It facilitated the fantasy of the entire person, the fantasy of the living person to whom the head belonged, which cut out awareness that the rest of the body was missing and that the head was severed.'

Sentencing

Dahmer was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life terms or a total of 957 years in prison.

A quote attributed to Dahmer in response to the question “DO YOU LOVE YOUR GRANDMOTHER?” was: "Yup, she's lived in that house a long time."

Outcome

Dahmer was murdered in jail by convicted murderer Christopher Scarver on November 28, 1994.

During the prison work detail at the time of his death, Dahmer was paired with Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver. The morning of November 28, 1994, Dahmer was working bathroom clean-up detail paired up with two highly dangerous men: Jesse Anderson, a white man who had murdered his wife and blamed it on a black man, and Christopher Scarver, a black delusional schizophrenic who though the was the son of God and who was in prison for first degree murder. About 20 minutes after they started, a prison guard came by to check on them and found Dahmer lying face down in a pool of blood with his head bashed in. The other white inmate was lying in a pool of blood in one of the showers. Upon arrival at the hospital, Dahmer was pronounced dead at 9:11 A.M. Jesse Anderson died shortly after. Scarver claimed: "God told me to do it!"

Scarver received another life sentence for his actions.

Jeff was cremated. Dahmer’s parents, who are divorced, each received half of his remains after a court battle over his ashes.

Aftermath and disposition of evidence

The apartment doors were heavily secured with multiple locks and an alarm system. On the walls were framed photographs and posters of male nudes taken in “artistic” poses. There were empty beer cans and dirty dishes and pornographic videos lying around, mostly of explicit kind commercially made in California. Listed titles included: Cocktales, Chippendale's Tall Dark and Handsome, Rock Hard, Hard Men II, Hard Men III, Peep Show, and Tropical Heat Wave. Other non-sexual videos included Excorcist II and The Return of the Jedi. A lecture on evolution and an episode from The Bill Cosby Show were also found.

On the kitchen floor were four boxes of muriatic acid. The refrigerator contained blood drippings on the bottom, and in the freezer compartment were three plastic bags: two contained a heart, and the third some portion of muscle. Against another wall was a floor-standing freezer where three more human heads and a plastic bag containing a human torso were found. Stuck to the bottom of this freezer was another plastic bag whose contents appeared to include flesh and various human internal organs; Dahmer revealed it had been there for several weeks because he had been unable to wrench it away from the ice. The medical examiner decided the entire freezer should be sealed and removed for detailed examination.

In the hallway stood a closet with chemicals including formaldehyde, ether, chloroform, and two bleached skulls on a shelf. On the floor at the back of the closet was a large aluminium kettle containing two human hands and human genitals including penis, testicles and the pubic hair region.

The bedroom had a single bed with a mattress stained with blood and blood on the walls and pillow-case. The large knife alerted by Tracy Edwards was still lying beneath the bed, while a polaroid camera sat on top. A metal filing-cabinet contained three human skulls lying on a black towel in the top drawer; the police noted they had been painted green with black flecks, and the medical examiner reported the skulls were painted and glazed to 'a dark gray marble-like texture', and the towel was a dark blue. The bottom drawer held a complete human skeleton. In front of it were two paper bags: one held dried remains of a human scalp, and the other a second set of genitals, dried and mummified.

In the far corner was a 57-gallon blue plastic drum with a tight-fitting black lid, which was later discovered to contain three human torsos in various stages of dismemberment and decomposition.

The police officers found 74 original photographs of a repellent nature in the chest of drawers.

A photo album and other items were found including a black ceramic coffee cup, an empty can of Budweiser beer, an empty bottle of Paramount rum, an empty paper lunch-bag, a one-gallon jug of Chlorax bleach, and a bottle of “Odorsorb”. Incense sticks were also found.

Other items included fifty envelopes from Woolworth's, a tube of acne lotion, a shaving kit, an Oral-B toothbrush, the lease form for the rental of apartment 213, a library card bearing the name of Jeff Dahmer, and a pair of black men’s nylon shorts.

Identity materials included the business card of Lionel Dahmer, Ph.D., and various identity cards on kitchen and bedroom floors and in drawers. A Wisconsin driver's license in the name of Tony Hughes, and an Illinois driver's license in the name of Joseph Bradehoft were found. The homicide file would be listed under Oliver Lacy’s name because Oliver Lacy’s ID had a photograph and was the first positive identification.

The investigation referenced that a large hypodermic needle, a contact lens cleaning kit, plastic gargoyle figurines, chemical-resistant gloves next to gallons of muriatic acid, and six boxes of Soilex cleaner were recovered. The purpose of drill bits and drill was unclear, and a claw hammer and handsaw were also found.

Items suggestive of decency included a King James Version Bible, audio cassettes on Creation Science and the Bible, and tapes entitled The Genesis Flood and The Bible, Science, and the Age of the Earth. There were further audio tapes explaining Numerology and the Divine Triangle, and a learning kit in tapes and books in Latin. Four books on the care of fish and aquariums and a kept aquarium with living plants and exotic fish were found.

Other details

Early psychiatric and legal history

On September 8, 1986, Richard Kohn and John Ostland, both aged twelve, reported to police that they noticed a man standing near the edge of the lake masturbating. The boys described the man and later identified him as Jeff Dahmer. Dahmer denied the accusations and stated he had been urinating rather than masturbating and was unaware of the boys’ presence. The charge was reduced from Lewd and Lascivious Behavior to Disorderly Conduct and Dahmer was convicted on March 10, 1987. He was sentenced to one year's probation and required psychological counseling for sexual deviance and impulse control.

Dahmer was referred to clinical psychologist Dr. Evelyn Rosen and took two written exams: the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and the Forer Structured Sentence Completion Test. The Millon exam listed statements and he circled applicable statements, including: 'Lately, I've begun to feel lonely and empty.' 'Ideas keep turning over and over in my mind and they won't go away.' 'I've become quite discouraged and sad about life recently.' 'Looking back on my life, I know I have made others suffer as much as I have suffered.' 'I keep having strange thoughts I wish I could get rid of.'

Dahmer became reluctant to share feelings and eventually refused to speak to Dr. Rosen at all during sessions.

He was sent for psychological evaluation and therapy at the Clinical Psychology Department at the University of Wisconsin, with clinician Kathy Boese. Dahmer’s exceptional performance in the use of language and abstractions and his exceptionally slow responses and limited affect were noted. Dahmer resented being told what to do by others and was easily disappointed and hurt. His goals for himself were not congruous with reality.

After arrest in September, 1988, Dahmer underwent psychological evaluation and therapy. He met Somsack Sinthasomphone and offered him $50 if he would accompany him to his apartment and allow Dahmer to take pictures. Dahmer served Somsack a combination of Irish Cream and crushed sleeping pills and began taking photos. Dahmer instructed Somsack to unzip his fly and there was an attempt to fondle Somsack, who responded by leaving the apartment. The medication did not take full effect until after Somsack got home. Somsack went to the emergency room by his father, where testing revealed a drug overdose. Somsack was released three hours later and led officers to Dahmer’s apartment. Dahmer was arrested later than evening while on duty at Ambrosia Chocolate Factory, and he learned Somsack was juvenile and fourteen years old.

Two months after interviews with Dr. Lodl, Dahmer was examined by Dr. Norman Goldfarb, who described him as distant and evasive and suspicious of the motives of others. Dr. Goldfarb felt Dahmer was impulsive, unable to tolerate frustration, and dismayed by lack of accomplishment. Another evaluation involved probation officer Donna Chester, and group therapy sessions.

Quote catalogued by topic

Dahmer’s statement that prefaced his sense of guilt and end included: "I think in some way I wanted it to end, even if it meant my own destruction."

Additional selected quotes from Dahmer’s confession included: " ... To relieve the minds of the parents... I mean, it's a small, very small thing, but I don't know what else I could do. At least I can do that... because I created this horror and it only makes sense that I do everything to put an end to it, a complete end to it."

"On the murder of Anthony Sears", Dahmer stated: "I took the knife and the scalp part off and peeled the flesh off the bone and kept the skull and the scalp... If I could have kept him longer, all of him, I would have"

On Geraldo Rivera and commentary, Dahmer stated: "He just wants to make people feel as guilty and lousy as possible. The guy is such a prick."

On fish keeping, Dahmer stated: "It was nice, with African cichlids and tiger barbs in it and live plants, it was a beautifully kept fish tank, very clean ... I used to like to just sit there and watch them swim around, basically. I used to enjoy the planning and the set-up, the filtration, read about how to keep the nitrate and ammonia down to safe levels and just the whole spectrum of fish-keeping interested me ... I once saw some puffer fish in the store. It's a round fish, and the only ones I ever saw with both eyes in front, like a person's eyes, and they would come right up to the front of the glass and their eyes would be crystal blue, like a person's, real cute... It's a fun hobby. I really enjoyed that fish tank. It's something I really miss."

On remorse, Dahmer stated: "Yes, I do have remorse, but I'm not even sure myself whether it is as profound as it should be. I've always wondered myself why I don't feel more remorse."

On the three murders that weighed most heavily, Dahmer stated: "I wish I hadn't done it." ...Steven Hicks "I had no intention of doing it in the first place." ...Steven Tuomi "He was exceptionally affectionate. He was nice to be with." ...Jeremiah Weinberger

On his compulsion and stopping, Dahmer stated: " If I'd been thinking rationally I would have stopped. I wasn't thinking rationally because it just increased and increased. It was almost like I wanted to get to a point where it was out of my control and there was no return. I mean, I was very careful for years and years, you know. Very careful, very careful about making sure that nothing incriminating remained, but these last few months, they just went nuts... It just seemed like it went into a frenzy this last month. Everything really came crashing down. The whole thing started falling down around my head... That was the last week I was going to be in that apartment building. I was going to have to move out and find somewhere to put all my possessions. Should I get a chest and put what I wanted to keep in that, and get rid of the rest? Or should I put an end to this, try to stop this and find a better direction for my life? That's what was going through my mind that last week."

On predestination and control, Dahmer stated: "Something stronger than my conscious will made it happen. I think some higher power got good and fed-up with my activity and decided to put an end to it. I don't really think there were any coincidences."

Dahmer stated: "If I hadn't been caught or lost my job, I'd still be doing it, I'm quite sure of that."

He also stated: "It didn't satisfy me completely so maybe I was thinking another one will. Maybe this one will, and the numbers started growing and growing and just got out of control, as you can see."