Profile of a Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer

Horror in any sort of entertainment industry would not exist if not for the horrors of real life. They would have no purpose; there would be no reaction if we didn't understand that things like this really happen. That is why horror movies scare us: because they're relate-able. It is not the case with all horror movies, of course, but we know that these things could possibly happen to us. Here, I will profile the most infamous serial killers in history. Perhaps learning of the horrors in our world, you will be able to better appreciate these movies for what they are.


Birth name: Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer
Date of Birth: May 21, 1960
Date of Death: November 28, 1994
Cause of Death: Murder

Jeffrey Dahmer was a triple threat: serial killer, cannibal, necrophiliac. With his somewhat boyish and nerdy looks, one would not expect him to do the horrible things he did (especially since he worked in a chocolate factory: a real life Willy Wonka). But that is what all horror teaches us: expect the unexpected. He murdered at least seventeen men between the years of 1978 and 1991 (these are the only ones that were confirmed).

I believe personally that this number would have been smaller if not for the incompetence of the police force. One of Dahmer's victims, fourteen year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone, escaped. After Dahmer drilled a hole in the boy's head and poured acid inside (leaving him in a zombie-like state), the boy managed to wander out into the street. He was naked, bleeding, and very much disoriented. Two women saw him and called the police. When the police arrived, Dahmer told them that the boy was nineteen years-old, and his boyfriend. He told them he'd gotten drunk, they'd fought, and he'd wandered outside. The police agreed, and they left the boy with Dahmer. The police actually thought the situation was funny. They were recorded in phone calls and conversations with dispatchers, and they were laughing. Sinthasomphone was murdered only moments later.

Sinthasomphone was Dahmer's thirteenth victim. If the police had investigated this a bit more, and realized that he was an underage prisoner of Dahmer's (drugged, not drunk), that boy would still be alive. They could have also saved four more lives. But what I believe to be an unwillingness to get in the middle of a homosexual domestic dispute prevented them from doing so.

Dahmer liked to keep trophies of his kills. Heads and several other organs and body parts were found in his home during investigation. He would either preserve them to keep as keepsakes, or he would eat them. He was also a known necrophiliac. This was because of what Dahmer himself called "passive sex" where he felt the need to do horrible things to his victims' corpses.

Known Victims
1. Stephen Hicks (18) in June of 1978
2. Steven Tuomi (26) in September of 1987
3. Jamie Doxtator (25) in October of 1988
4. Richard Guerrero (25) in March of 1988
5. Anthony Sears (24) in February of 1989
6. Eddie Smith (36) in June of 1990
7. Ricky Beeks (27) in July of 1990
8. Ernest Miller (22) in September of 1990
9. David Thomas (23) in September of 1990
10. Curtis Straughter (16) in February of 1991
11. Errol Lindsey (19) in April of 1991
12. Tony Hughes (31) in May of 1991
13. Konerak Sinthasomphone (14) in May of 1991
14. Matt Turner (20) in June of 1991
15. Jeremiah Weinberger (23) in July of 1991
16. Oliver Lacy (23) in July of 1991
17. Joseph Bradeholt (25) in July of 1991

Dahmer was found guilty of fifteen counts of murder (reduced from seventeen for reasons I'm not sure of), and was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life sentences: a total of 937 years. However, on November 28, 1994 Dahmer was beaten to death along with another prisoner, by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

Dahmer is the only serial murderer, that I have found so far, that seemed to feel remorse for what he'd done. Before being taken to prison, he seemed almost happy because he knew that it meant he couldn't cause any more harm to people. Whether this was a ruse or not, we will never know.