Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serial killer who murdered 17 men between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. In 1994, a fellow inmate beat Dahmer to death with a gym weight.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: May 21, 1960
2. Birthplace: West Allis, Wisconsin
3. Education: Ohio State University (dropped out)
4. Military service: U.S. Army¹
5. Died: November 28, 1994
6. Date of arrest: July 22, 1991
7. Date of conviction: 1992
8. Convicted of: 15 counts of murder
9. Sentence: 957 years
10. No. of victims: 17
11. Allegedly engaged in necrophilia and cannibalism
12. Wanted to create "zombies"
13. Many of his victims were black²

Early Life

When Dahmer was a child, he enjoyed dissecting dead animals and would collect roadkill and skulls. After his parents went through a messy divorce, Dahmer became withdrawn and began to drink heavily. After flunking out of Ohio State University, Dahmer enlisted in the U.S. Army but only served two years of a six year stint.¹

Killings

Dahmer claimed his first victim in 1978, but did not kill again until 1987. However, over the next four years, Dahmer would engage in a string of grisly murders that would culminate in his capture in 1991. Between 1986 and 1988, Dahmer was arrested twice for exposing himself, and once for fondling a 14-year-old boy. Dahmer served 10 months in prison for the latter crime.¹ In his murders, Dahmer would often dismember his victims, eat parts of their body, and engage in necrophilia with the corpses.² In 1991, he was captured when one of his victims escaped, still handcuffed, and alerted police.¹

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