Jeffrey Dahmer

Last Updated on July 4, 2026

Jeffrey Dahmer is a serial killer.

He sexually assaulted, murdered and dismembered 17 boys and young men between 1978 and 1991.

Dahmer is also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster.

During his later murders, he engaged in necrophilia, cannibalism and preserving body parts. 

He was killed in 1994 after fellow inmate Christopher Scarver beat him to death in prison.

Jeffrey Dahmer Victims

1978 – 89

Steven Mark Hicks was Jeffrey Dahmer’s first victim.

His killing took place on June 18th 1978.

Steven was hitchhiking, and Dahmer invited him to his house to drink alcohol.

When Steven wanted to leave, he was bludgeoned with a dumbbell.

He was beaten multiple times before being strangled to death.

He dismembered the body before burying it in the back garden.

Weeks later, he returned to the corpse to remove the flesh and dissolve it with acid.

He crushed the bones and scattered them in the woods. 

Steven Tuomi‘s murder took place on November 20th 1987.

He was killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee. 

Dahmer claims that he has no memory of committing this murder.

He told the authorities that he awoke to find Steven dead.

He awoke with bruised fists and a bruised arm and concluded that he had beaten him to death.

Dahmer bought a large suitcase to remove the body and took it home to dispose of it.

He once again disposed of the body but retained his head to use for sexual purposes. 

The murder of James Doxtator took place on 16th January 1988.

He was a 14-year-old male prostitute.

Dahmer lured him to his house to pose for nude pictures in return for $50. 

The pair had sex, and afterwards Dahmer drugged and strangled him.

He disposed of the body in the trash. 

He retained his head for months after the murder. 

Richard Guerrero was murdered on 24th March 1988.

Dahmer met him outside a gay bar and offered him $50 to spend the night with him.

He was drugged and strangled, and a sex act was performed on his corpse.

He disposed of the body in the trash and retained his head for months after the murder. 

On April 23rd 1988, Dahmer lured another man to the house.

After drugging the victim, his grandmother disturbed him before he was able to murder the man.

She knew that he was not alone, and so Dahmer took him to the County General Hospital.

On September 26th 1988, Dahmer was arrested for drugging and molesting a 13-year-old boy.

Dahmer was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and enticing a child for immoral purposes in January 1989.

He was sentenced to one year in prison and five years’ probation in May 1989.

Dahmer was allowed out on work release.

He was required to register as a sex offender and was released after 10 months.

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered his fifth victim, Anthony Sears, on March 25 1989.

This was between being convicted of and before sentencing for sexual assault.

He met him in a nightclub and found him “exceptionally attractive”.

He drugged and strangled him before disposing of most of his body.

Dahmer, however, kept his head and private parts preserved in jars for many years. 

1990

Raymond Smith‘s murder took place in May 1990.

He was a male prostitute lured to Dahmer’s flat for sex in return for money. 

Raymond was drugged and strangled before he was dismembered, and his skull was kept and painted.

Dahmer took photographs of his victims in various poses. 

A week later, Dahmer intended to kill again.

After luring a young man to his apartment, he accidentally drugged himself.

Dahmer awoke to find that he had been robbed.

The murder of Edward Smith took place in June 1990.

He drugged and strangled him and put his body in the freezer.

Dahmer had hoped that it would dry out and not decompose.

He had intended to retain the skull, but it exploded after he put it in the oven.

Ernest Miller was murdered in August 1990.

He had gone to Dahmer’s apartment in exchange for $50.

After being refused oral sex unless more money was handed over, Dahmer attempted to drug him.

However, he didn’t have enough sedatives and instead sliced an artery in his neck.

He took photographs, kept some parts that he later intended to eat and also his skull that he later painted. 

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered his 9th victim, David Thomas, on September 24th 1990.

He persuaded him to return to his flat for drinks and to pose for photographs in exchange for money. 

He sedated him and killed him, but as he felt no attraction towards him, he did not keep any body parts.

1991

February to May

Curtis Straughter‘s murder took place in February 1991.

Dahmer lured him to his apartment by offering him money to pose for photographs and for sex.

He drugged, handcuffed and strangled him and kept some of his body parts.

Dahmer also photographed the dismemberment. 

The murder of Errol Lindsey took place on April 7th 1991.

He was drugged, and a hole was drilled into his skull and acid was poured in.

Dahmer had hoped to create a submissive zombie.

After Errol awok,e he knew his experiment had failed and he drugged and strangled him to death.

As with earlier murders, he kept his skull.

Anthony Hughes was murdered in May 1991 after being lured to Dahmer’s apartment to pose for photographs.

He was strangled to death, and his body was left for several days before being dismembered.

Dahmer kept his skull. 

Jeffrey Dahmer’s 13th victim was Konerak Sinthasomphone.

He offered money to him in exchange for allowing him to take photographs.

He was drugged and sexually assaulted before Dahmer drilled into his skull and poured acid. 

Sinthasomphone passed out, and Dahmer left to go to a local bar.

Dahmer returned to find Konerak sitting naked on a street corner with 3 young women.

Dahmer tried to take him back inside, but the women had phoned the police. 

The police arrived, and Dahmer was able to convince them that they were lovers.

He claimed that Konerak had drunk too much following a quarrel. 

The police concluded it was a domestic despite protests from the women.

Dahmer was able to “prove” they were lovers with photographs he had taken. 

After the police left, Dahmer injected acid into Konerak’s brain, and this injection proved fatal.

He kept his victim’s skull.

June to December

Matt Turner was Jeffry Dahmer’s 14th victim on June 30th 1991.

Turner was lured to Dahmer’s apartment on the promise of a photo shoot.

He was drugged before being strangled and dismembered.

His head and other organs were kept in Dahmer’s freezer, and he kept his torso in a plastic drum.

The murder of Jeremiah Weinberger on July 5th 1991, was the result of another failed experiment to create a submissive zombie.

This time, he injected boiling water into his brain, and it led to his death.

He was dismembered, and his torso was kept in a plastic drum. 

Oliver Lacy’s murder took place on July 15th 1991.

He was after being lured to Dahmer’s apartment to have photographs taken.

Oliver was drugged, strangled and dismembered.

His head and heart were kept in the fridge, and his skeleton was kept. 

Joseph Bradehoft was Dahmer’s last victim, and he was murdered on July 19th 1991. 

He was strangled and left on Dahmer’s bed for two days.

Later, he was dismembered, and his torso was placed in a tub of acid.

Arrest and Confession

Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested on July 22nd 1991.

He was arrested after a failed attempt to murder Tracy Edwards.

He had invited him to his apartment to take nude photographs for money.

Dahmer attempted to handcuff him and threatened him with a knife.

Edwards managed to stay calm and found the opportunity to escape.

He punched him in the face and ran out of the front door.

Edwards found two local police officers and explained where he had been.

He asked them to remove the handcuffs.

They were unable to and agreed they would return in order to get the key.

One officer found a large knife in the bedroom.

An open drawer revealed the Polaroids Jeffrey Dahmer had taken of his victims.

The officers quickly realised that the photos showing the posed bodies matched the decor of Dahmer’s apartment.

He discovered that the photos were, in fact, real. 

Dahmer initially resisted arrest and an officer opened his fridge, revealing a human head.

Further searches revealed four severed heads and seven skulls.

There was a skeleton and more body parts in the fridge and freezer. 

Dahmer waived his right to legal representation and confessed to all 17 of the murders.

He blamed his urge to kill on a desire to be with someone, whether they were dead or alive.

He kept skulls and bones to build an altar.

Trial and Punishment

Dahmer was charged with 15 murder charges for all victims except Steven Tuomi.

In his case, the District Attorney didn’t believe that murder could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

This was because Dahmer had no memory of the murder.

His trial began on January 30th 1992, and counsel sought to establish his mental status. 

Despite much debate and diagnosis made, he was declared sane on February 15th 1992.

He was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 15 life sentences.

The death penalty had been abolished in the state in the 19th century.

In May 1992, another life sentence was added in an Ohio court. 

How did Jeffrey Dahmer die?

In July 1994, the first murder attempt was made on his life.

A fellow inmate attempted to slash at his throat. 

On November 28th 1994, Jeffrey Dahmer’s death came at the hands of inmate Christopher Scarver.

Dahmer was killed in the prison gym showers.

He had been severely beaten with a metal bar, and Jeffrey Dahmer died an hour later in the hospital.

Scarver also murdered Jesse Anderson, who had accompanied the pair to the gym in the same manner.

Scarver told prison guards that God had made him do it.

He later claimed that prison guards knew he wanted to murder Dahmer and had let him do it by leaving them alone.

Family Life

Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents were Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Flint.

He was raised in Ohio by his parents. who thought that when Dahmer was young, he was a shy boy.

After his crimes were revealed, Dahmer’s father and stepmother, Shari Dahmer, would regularly visit him.

Lionel wrote A Father’s Story (AD*), the book was about his son and the reasons he may have become a serial killer and about their relationship.

Joyce Flint was upset by her son’s crimes and attempted to commit suicide.

Dahmer’s brother, David, changed his name in order to disassociate himself with the crimes of his brother.

Media

Personally, my favourite Jeffrey Dahmer documentary is Confessions of a Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer.

It features an exclusive interview with Dahmer, featuring his father Lionel and stepmother Shari.

Another documentary called The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (AD*) was released in 2012.

It featured archive footage and fictional interviews with those who knew Dahmer.

The Jeffrey Dahmer movie My Friend Dahmer (AD*) was released in 2017.

It is based on the graphic novels (AD*) of Derf Backderf, who had been friends with Jeffrey Dahmer in High School.

Raising Jeffrey Dahmer is a movie focusing on the relationship with his father, Lionel, during his early years and during his murder trial.

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