Jeffrey Dahmer was a notorious American serial killer, who terrorized the city of Milwaukee in the late 1980s. Dahmer was known for his gruesome murders, involving dismemberment, necrophilia, and cannibalism. He was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to life imprisonment for 15 consecutive life terms. However, he did not live for long enough to serve his sentence.
Early Life
Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the eldest son of Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. Jeffrey was described as a happy and normal child until the age of four, when he underwent a hernia surgery. After the surgery, he became withdrawn and had a difficult time socializing with other kids. He was also diagnosed with a mild form of autism.
First Murder
Dahmer’s first murder took place in 1978, when he was 18 years old. He picked up a hitchhiker, Steven Hicks, and took him to his parents’ home. There, he murdered Hicks and dismembered his body, which he buried in the backyard. Dahmer later said that he killed Hicks because he did not want him to leave.
Modus Operandi
Dahmer’s modus operandi involved luring young men to his apartment, where he would drug them, strangle them, and then dismember their bodies. He would then dispose of their remains by burying them, or dissolving them in acid. Dahmer’s victims were mostly young, African-American men. He later admitted that he chose his victims because he felt they would not be missed by society.
Arrest and Trial
Dahmer was arrested in July 1991, after one of his victims managed to escape and alert the police. When the police searched Dahmer’s apartment, they found photos of his victims, human bones, and a vat of acid. Dahmer was charged with 17 counts of murder, and his trial began in January 1992.
Death in Prison
Dahmer was sentenced to life imprisonment for 15 consecutive life terms, totaling 957 years in prison. However, his time in prison was short-lived. On November 28, 1994, Dahmer was beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, in the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin. Scarver later claimed that he killed Dahmer because he was disgusted by his crimes, and because Dahmer had taunted him by shaping his food into body parts.
Conclusion
Jeffrey Dahmer’s gruesome crimes continue to fascinate and horrify people to this day. His death in prison was met with mixed reactions; some saw it as a form of retribution, while others believed that justice would have been better served if he had lived to serve his full sentence. Regardless of one’s opinion on the matter, there is no denying that Dahmer’s crimes were among the most heinous in American history.