Jeffrey Dahmer was an American serial killer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dahmer, also known as “The Milwaukee Cannibal” was active between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was indicted for the murders of 17 men. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms. He served his time in the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin and was killed by another inmate in 1994.

Jeffrey Dahmer was born May 21, 1960, to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. He was an energetic and happy child until he was 6 years old when he had surgery for a double hernia. After the surgery, Dahmer’s disposition began to change. The once happy and enthusiastic child became a loner and disengaged. That same year, his family moved to Bath, Ohio. Dahmer made very few friends during his school years.

After Dahmer graduated in 1978, he picked up a hitchhiker, Steven Hicks, and took him back to his parents’ home. When Hicks tried to leave, Dahmer killed him. Dahmer dismembered the corpse and placed the body parts in plastic bags. He then buried them in his parents’ backyard.

Dahmer went on to attend two semesters at Ohio State University. After leaving college he returned home. His father insisted that he enlist in the army. Dahmer was sent to Germany in December 1978. After three years in the army, he was discharged due to his drinking habits. Dahmer returned to Ohio to live with his father and was arrested later that year for disorderly conduct. His father then sent him to live with his grandmother in Wisconsin.

After Dahmer’s arrest in 1991, German officials did investigate murders that occurred within the three years that Dahmer spent there, but they were unable to connect any murders to him.

Dahmer did not kill again until 1987. Dahmer and Steven Tuomi went to a hotel and got drunk. When Dahmer awoke the next day, Tuomi was dead. However, Dahmer did not remember the previous night. He placed Tuomi’s body in a suitcase and took his body back to his grandmother’s house where he dismembered and masturbated on the corpse before completely disposing of Tuomi’s remains.

In 1988, Dahmer’s grandmother kicked him out due to his drinking problems and the late nights out. Within this year, Dahmer had killed two more victims. In 1989, Dahmer faced child molestation charges. Dahmer pleaded guilty to the charges against him stating that the 13-year-old boy had seemed to be much older. He was sentenced to a one-year prison sentence with work release. However, Dahmer only served ten months of this sentence before he was released in 1989. He briefly moved back in with his grandmother. It does not appear that Dahmer killed during his time at his grandmother’s home. Eventually, Dahmer moved out and into his own apartment.

On May 27, 1991, Dahmer’s neighbor called the police stating that a young Asian man was running around naked through the neighborhood. When the police arrived, the young man was confused and unable to speak properly. Dahmer told the police that the boy was his lover, the police then released him to Dahmer. In reality, the boy was only 14-years-old and was the brother of the teen that Dahmer had molested in 1988. The police helped Dahmer and his “lover” back to Dahmer’s apartment. When the police had left, Dahmer killed the boy.

Dahmer was arrested on July 22, 1991, after Dahmer’s would-be 18th victim, Tracy Edwards was found wandering the street. Edwards claimed that a “weird dude” had drugged and restrained him. When the police arrived at Dahmer’s apartment, they found several polaroid pictures of Dahmer’s victims throughout the apartment. Additional searches of the apartment revealed various body parts within the apartment.

Dahmer’s trial began in January of the next year. At first, Dahmer pleaded not guilty to all charges, even though he confessed to the killings during police interrogations. Eventually, he changed his plea to guilty by reason of insanity. His defense provided grotesque details of his crimes, claiming that only an insane person could commit the crimes that Dahmer had. Despite the defense’s attempt, the jury sided with the prosecution that Dahmer was completely aware that his acts were wrong and evil. The jury found him guilty and sane. He was sentenced to 15 life terms in prison.

When the three men had been left alone, Scarver had beaten both men with a piece of equipment from the prison gym. Scarver claims that he killed Dahmer because he was disturbed by the crimes Dahmer had committed as well as the odd habits and behaviors Dahmer had.