#2 Jeffrey Dahmer

A horrific sight faced police as they opened the door to the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer on July 22, 1991. Photographs of corpses and dismembered bodies covered the walls. Human heads were found strewn about the apartment. An alter of skulls, complete with candles, was found in the closet. A human heart sat in the freezer.
Police were directed to this apartment by a terrified Tracy Edwards, Dahmer's most recent victim who, unlike the rest, survived his encounter with Dahmer. After being lured back to his apartment, Edwards told police that Dahmer insisted he remove his clothes and pose for photographs. Edwards attempted to appease Dahmer, saying he would comply in attempt to save his own life. Edwards realized the extent of his situation, however, when Dahmer placed his head on Edwards' chest, listening to his pulse and saying that he was going to eat his heart out. When Dahmer was distracted, Edwards knocked him off balance and ran for his life.
By the time of his trial, Dahmer was charged with 17 murders and was suspected of necrophilia (sexual attraction to corpses) and cannibalism. Dahmer pled not guilty due to insanity but was found legally sane and convicted and imprisoned, removing this horrendous murderer from the streets.
Many, upon hearing of Dahmer's acts, are amazed that he was not found insane. They wonder how a "normal" person could possible commit such horrendous acts. This is the same question asked by those who began looking into Dahmer's past. He is credited with a relatively normal childhood, but soon began exhibiting suspicious signs. He lost interest in many of his activities and developed a fascination with dead animals. His father enlisted him in the army but he was kicked out for alcoholism. After moving in with his grandmother in Florida, he was arrested for drugging and fondling a 13 year old boy and sentenced to 5 years. He committed his first murder, allegedly spontaneous, in 1978.

The case of Jeffrey Dahmer is one the horrifies all that hear of it. The behaviors he exhibited are not seen as normal by any standard and as a result, society attempts to isolate him in a category labeled "insane" to assure themselves that they would never commit such acts. When insanity did not hold up, however, many were led to delve deeper into his life, a critical event in understanding him. The actions he exhibited as a young child were indicative of mental issues, but the atmosphere he was in and, particularly, the actions taken by his father, led to the escalation of his personality. His mother was an attention-seeker who was known to argue and throw anxiety fits to gain the approval of her husband. This led Dahmer to feel neglected from a young age. By age 8, Dahmer was observed to be isolated and lethargic. When, one night at dinner, he asked his father what effect bleach would have on animal bones, his father jumped on this new interest and began teaching Dahmer many of the techniques he would later use to preserve his corpses.
When faced with a case such as Jeffrey Dahmer, it is critically important to begin looking to history for answers. One must examine the surroundings of such a criminal throughout his life in order to begin understanding his motivations and actions. Although the past does not excuse the present, it does offer insight into how small instances and surroundings may have huge repercussions. The case of Dahmer naturally horrifies us, but it should also lead us to evaluate certain aspects of our society that may be missing, such as awareness of the early signs of a deranged mind and help for such mentalities.

Crime Museum: Jeffrey Dahmer