Jeffrey Dahmer


Jeffrey Dahmer (May 21, 1960 - November 28, 1994) was an American serial
killer who killed at least 15 men between 1978 and 1991 (the majority of
which occurred in 1991).

Most of his victims were young, homosexual black men whom Dahmer subjected
to sexual assaults prior to murdering. He achieved notoriety after his
arrest following the discovery of his victims' decaying bodies in acid vats
in his apartment, including severed heads in his refrigerator, an altar of
candles, and human skulls. Accusations soon surfaced that Dahmer had also
practiced necrophilia and cannibalism, although Dahmer denied that this was
a common practice.

The explanation offered by Dahmer himself for his behaviour was that he was
attempting to remove the free will from his victims so that they would stay
with him. Dahmer had experimented with removing sections of skull and
pouring various chemicals into the brain cavity to create an "automaton",
compliant to his wishes and acquiescent to his sexual desires, by means of
lobotomy and the like.

Dahmer had a history of abandonment and feared loss and further social
upheaval, it is thought that these feelings, filtered through his mental
illness, created an 'internal logic' that justified his actions to himself.
Parallels with the British serial killer Dennis Nielsen are inevitable and
likely to be accurate.

Many people were later outraged to find out that Milwaukee, Wisconsin police
returned one of Dahmer's naked, dazed, bleeding, yet still alive victims,
Laotian teenager Konerak Sinthasomphone, to Dahmer after Konerak was able to
flee from Dahmer. Konerak did not speak English and Dahmer told officers
that Konerak was his adult homosexual lover.

On July 22, 1991, with handcuffs still attached to one wrist, another man,
Tracy Edwards, was able to successfully escape from Dahmer's apartment and
flag down a police squad car. Police were led back to Dahmer's apartment,
where the remains of eleven victims were found. After being charged with
fifteen counts of murder he entered a plea of guilty but insane. A court in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 17, 1992 sentenced Dahmer to fifteen
consecutive life sentences which required a minimum of 936 years imprisonment.

Dahmer was born to a fundamentalist father in Milwaukee. Some feel that
repressed homosexuality contributed to his hatred of homosexuals, including himself.