When it comes to infamous serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer is hands down top five.
His killing spree spanned three decades, and as for gory details, he is hard to beat. Necrophilia, body parts in fridges, disgusting photographs of his victims...
If you want to know more about the Milwaukee Cannibal, read on...
Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?
Jeffrey Dahmer was an American serial killer. He murdered seventeen men and boys.
What crimes did Jeffrey Dahmer commit?
Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of murdering 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
Many of his later murders involved cannibalism, necrophilia and the collection and preservation of body parts, he was particular fond of preserving the skeleton.
When he was arrested in 1991, police found four severed heads in his fridge.
Jeffrey Dahmer was a necrophiliac, and after taking photos of his victims’ bodies he would have sex with their corpses.
He also:
Drilled a hole in one victim's head and used a turkey baster to put acid directly on to his brain to try and create a 'sex zombie' - the man survived and was later strangled
Used a meat tenderiser to prepare a piece of one victim's heart - later saying it tasted like beef
Bought a huge freezer to keep remains of his victims
Desired of owning a sex zombie - 'but would settle for a corpse'
Cut off victim's heads and hands kept them in the deep freeze
Killed a 14-year-old boy who he paid $50 for his company and to pose for photos
When did Jeffrey Dahmer die?
Jeffrey died on November 28 1994 when he was aged 34. He died at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. He died from severe head trauma after being beaten to death.
For his first year in prison he was kept in solitary confinement for his own safety - at his request.
Later he found God, and after leaving solitary, began attending church services held in the prison. As a Born Again Christian, it is claimed he told his pastor that he believed him still being alive after his heinous crimes was an offence to God.
In his book A Father’s Story, his dad Lionel reveals his son read a lot of scripture and creationist texts while serving his sentence.
Ironically it was his new found faith that would lead to his death.
Who killed Jeffrey Dahmer?
In November 1994, Christopher Scarver, an inmate banged up with Jeffrey, beat him and another prisoner to death with a barbell taken from the prison gym.
Earlier that year in July 1994, another inmate called Osvaldo Durruthy, tried kill him. He slashed Dahmer's throat with a razor embedded in a toothbrush as he returned to his cell from the prison’s weekly church service.
However it only superficially wounded him and he survived.
Where is Jeffrey Dahmer buried?
Jeffrey was cremated in September 1995. After a lengthy court battle, his ashes were split between dad Lionel and his mum, Joyce.
However, his brain was not incinerated as Joyce wanted it to be donated to medical science so researchers could potentially establish why he behaved as he did, while Lionel wanted it burnt with the rest of him so his son’s crimes could remain in the past.
In December that year a judge ordered for his brain also to be destroyed.
It is not known where his remains are now, but it is not unusual for murderers with such infamy to be disposed of under very secretive conditions.
What happened at Jeffrey Dahmer’s trial?
Jeffrey Dahmer's trial started on 13 January 1992. Security was tight, with an eight-foot barrier of bullet-proof glass separating him from the gallery
As most of his victims were African-American, there were racial tensions at his trial which were heightened by there being a single black person on the jury.
Despite admitting to the killings while under police interview, he pleaded not guilty before changing it to guilty by virtue of insanity, going against his defence counsel's advice.
What mental illness did Jeff Dahmer have?
Jeffrey had a plethora of mental illnesses - borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder and a personality disorder - but he was declared legally sane at his trial
It meant the defence had to share (literally) all the gory details of his crimes to try and persuade the jury that he was insane - no one in their right mind could act as he did, right?
After five hours of deliberating, the jury found him guilty, but sane, on all counts, on 17 February 1992.
He was sentenced to 16 life sentences - which added up to a total of 957 years in prison.
Who did Jeffrey Dahmer kill? Names of his known victims and timeline of their murders
Stephen Hicks, 18: June 1978
Steven Tuomi, 26: September 1987
Jamie Doxtator, 14: October 1987
Richard Guerrero, 25: March 1988
Anthony Sears, 24: February 1989
Eddie Smith, 36: June 1990
Ricky Beeks, 27: July 1990
Ernest Miller, 22: September 1990
David Thomas, 23: September 1990
Curtis Straughter, 16: February 1991
Errol Lindsey, 19: April 1991
Tony Hughes, 31: May 24, 1991
Konerak Sinthasomphone, 14: May 27, 1991
Matt Turner, 20: June 30, 1991
Jeremiah Weinberger, 23: July 5, 1991
Oliver Lacy, 23: July 12, 1991
Joseph Bradeholt, 25: July 19, 1991
Did Jeffrey Dahmer torture animals?
Yes like most serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer was also an animal torturer. His fascination with dead animals came when he was a teenager and would collect roadkill. After stripping the flesh, he would often keep the bones.
He killed neighbours' pets, put one animal's head on a stick, and impaled live frogs.
There is more, but they are too gruesome to share - but the video reveals all... in his own words.
Who is Lionel Dahmer?
Lionel Dahmer is Jeff’s dad. He has appeared on several TV shows about his son, most famously
He wrote a book, A Father’s Story, about his intention to raise a good man, but ending up with a monster.
