Childhood
Jeffrey Dahmer was born to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer on May 21, 1960 in Milwaukee, WI. Jeffrey grew up in a stable household and had a normal childhood; until he reached the age of 6. At this time he had surgery to repair a double hernia, his younger brother (whom he named David) was born, and the family was moving to Ohio due to a job oppurtunity for his Father who was a chemist. His Father says around this time was when they first started to notic some abnormal behaviors from Jeffrey. He seemed to lack self-confidence and had obviously had some physical changes due to his recovery from surgery. His abnormalities deepened at the age of 14 when he found out that his parents were getting a divorce. He became disenagaged, tense, and also had a lack of social life. This is also about the time that his desires of necrophilia and murder began. Jeffrey would bring home road kill that he found and dismember the body parts for fun. Although Jeffrey was not exerting normal behaviors, he put on a good front at school. His lack of friends and loner status did not stop him from having a good time, his peers described him as some what of a class clown. In June 1978 Dahmer graduated from Revere High School in Ohio. Shortly after graduating is when Dahmer would take his first victim. After this killing, Dahmer would not strike again for 9 years. He was able to control his compulsions enough to attend Ohio State University, however would drop out after one semester due to an alcohol problem. Janurary 1979 he moved back home to live with his remarried Father, but in a short time period his Father grew tired of Jeffrey sitting around drinking all day and not doing anything productive with his life. He was demanded by his Father to join the army to try to straighten out his life. After completing his base-training Dahmer was stationed in Germany as a medic for 2 years. Once again, Dahmer was discharged due to an alcohol addiction and returned to Ohio. He would spend 2 more years under his Father's roof, but his problems and arrests eventually led to him being kicked out.
Close Calls
Once returning home, Jeffrey layed low for a while working a fast food job; until in 1981 he was arrested for disorderly conduct from his persistent drinking problem. This was the final straw that got him kicked out of his Father's House. He was sent to live with his Grandmother back in Wisconsin. Dahmer managed to stay out of trouble for 5 years this time, until he was caught masturbating in front of two young boys at a local county fair. Dahmer managed to get off with a year of probabtion. In September 1988 he was then kicked out of his grandmother's house when she grew tired of his long nights and drunkeness. Jeffrey then got his own apartment, which gave him a lot more freedom. May 1990 marked the date of Dahmer's closest call, yet he still managed to get away. Dahmer was charged with sexual exploitation and second degree assault of a 13 year old boy. He pleaded guilty to the charges to lesser his sentencing, but said that the boy appeared much older. He claimed that being arrested and this trial was the turning point in his life and he had seen the errors in his ways. He was sentenced to one year of "day release" which means he could leave jail during the day, but had to return and sleep there every night. Also, he was given five years probation, but his Father wrote a letter asking that before his son was released he undergo a psychological evaluation and got help because he knew something was wrong. However, Jeffrey was released after ten months of day release.
Killing spree
After his first murder in 1978, Dahmer did not kill again for 9 years. Over the next 4 years Dahmer would take 15 more lives in grusome and inhumane ways. His strategies were to go to gay clubs and pick up men since in the gay community Jeffrey would be considered a "desirable" man. At these gay clubs he would mainly pick up guys of minority. This was mistaken as him being made out to be racist when actually it just happened that way because of the neighborhood he lived in, in the poorer communities of Milwaukee. He also chose victims who were former criminals because then people would be less likely to notice that they were missing. Dahmer would then lure his victims back to his grandmother's house (or later his own apartment) by promising money or sex. There he would give his victims alcohol that were laced with drugs that would make them knocked unconcious. Once they were unconcious Dahmer would strangle his victims; he thought this was the least violent way to kill. But it wasn't the killing that was the worst part, it was what came after that that is horrifying. On a few of his victims he attempted to try and keep them alive even after he killed them by drilling holes in their skull and filling it with acid. The experiment never worked. Dahmer would then have sex with or masturbate on the then dead bodies and keep their genitals for souveniers. He also kept skulls in his fridge for souveniers and would masturbate in front of them while they were facing him, like they were still watching. Dahmer was a huge necrophiliac and cannibalist. He sometimes would eat their muscles and flesh after he dismembered every part of their body and say that they then would be with him forever. To cap it all off, Dahmer took pictures at all different stages of his murders so that he could reccollect afterwards and relive the experience whenever he wanted.
Caught
On July 22, 1991 Jeffrey Dahmer's 13 year killing spree would come to an end with his 17th victim, Tracy Edwards, who survived. 2 Milwaukee officers picked up Edwards who was wondering the streets completely naked and in handcuffs. Edwards told the police "a weird dude drugged him and then restained him". He then lead them to Dahmer's apartment where police searched his bedroom, where Edward's had said the knife was that Dahmer was threatening to kill him with. While searching the bedroom, police also found numerous photos of dismembered bodies lying everywhere and also found a picture of a skull in the fridge. When police checked his fridge they found the skull and then also 3 more in his freezer along with jars of genetalia. Dahmer was arrested on the scene. Edward's survived Dahmer's attempted murder on him, but he is still considered one of his victims.
The trial and prison life
Janurary 13, 1992 marked the beginning of Dahmer's trial. Racial tensions flared as many of the familes and citizens believed Dahmer was racist toward African American as a majority of his victims were black. In the courtroom Dahmer pleaded not guilty by insanity and stated that only someone insane could commit such acts of disgrace.The jury did not play along with that and showed no sympathy for his actions. After a short 5 hours of debating the jury found him guilty on 16 counts of first degree murder and sentenced him to 15 life terms equalling 957 years in prison. In prison, Dahmer adjusted to life well and started to turn his life around. He felt remorse for all of his actions and wished that he could take back all he had done to the families of his victims. He found faith in religion by books and photos sent to him by his Father and also was baptized. After about two and a half years in prison on November 28, 1994 Dahmer was murdered while working his prison job. Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver beat Dahmer to death with a broom handle that crushed his skull. Investigators never finished the psychological evaluation of Dahmer and the mystery still remains of his true intentions and motives.