He was a cannibal, a necrophiliac, and even kept his victims' dismembered body parts carefully preserved in his refrigerator. Yet, Jeffrey Dahmer's horrific crimes don't mesh with his timid personality. His pathological fear of being alone meant finding people he could make stay with him forever.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Hi, parkhurst listeners, its vanessa. With some incredible news. You can purchase your copy of our book cults inside
world's most notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them away
the bull now at par, cast dot com, slash cults colts is an expanded, look at the people who led and
followed the most radical groups and history with an unflinching
inspiration into what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are twisted into the lowest forms of malevolence details.
Featured on our podcast were so proud to bring you the spent
a compilation of stories and were forever grateful for your support. Without you, none of this would be possible. So thank you visit, parkhurst dot com, slash calls to
your copy of cults inside the world's most notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them. That's par parkhurst, dot, com, slash com,
To order today, due to the ground
nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes
discussions of murder, necrophilia and cannibalism. We advise extreme caution
for children. Under thirteen, though, wasn't seasonably warm night in Milwaukee seventeenyearold Nicole children was shivering. She couldn't pro
that's what she was saying. A figure was running down the street heading straight for a call in her friend sandra instead
deadly. She wanted to run, but then her eyes, adjusted to the d,
agnes, and she saw how young he was. The boy couldn't be older than fourteen. He was naked and bleeding and could barely stand as nicole move towards him. He collapsed
to her arms Sandra ran to call the police, while the coal hunched on the ground with the boy. She knew that
could be waiting for a while. They didn't live in the best neighbourhood and the cops were stretched. Then she spoke softly to the boy trying to consult him telling him that help was on the way, but it was hard to tell us
but even here her, he wasn't responding at all his gaze. Strangely blank suddenly Nicole heard footsteps. She looked up, hoping to see police approaching, but the man jogging tool
them definitely didn't. Look like an officer of the law. It was in his early
parties and looked dishevelled like he just woke up and he was staring at the
with an expression nicole, didn't like the man grew,
the boy with exaggerated relief. Then he looked
Nicole and said. I am really sorry he's had too much to drink. I can take care of him from here. Nicole hesitated, she said
police were on their way in the boy clearly needed medical attention at that. The man's expression changed his eyes became dark
strangely lifeless, as he snapped at her. This has nothing to do with you
in that moment, Nicole knew she just knew. She was
Looking at a monster
Greg pulsing. Then this is the final episode of our special serial killers. Fifth anniversary series: I'm here with my co host venice richardson pie. Everyone
and find episodes of serial killers and all other spotify originals from park asked for free on spotify. At our previous three episodes, we discussed how
been camper. John Wayne, Gacy and TED Bundy created and perpetuated some of the public's core beliefs about serial killers.
Day will explore the nightmarish story of a killer whose crimes seemed almost two gruesome to be real murder,
is always a dehumanizing act, but what Jeffrey Dahmer did
with victims was on another level. He was accountable and necrophilia back and kept his victims dismembered body parts carefully preserved in his refrigerator. Yet, despite his grisly
oh Dahmer, wasn't a competent monster. You might expect today will dig into
made him so unusual. Why his spree still haunts us to this day.
We ve got all that in more coming up stay with us, our killer,
born or made for true crime fans. That's the eternal question we spend a lot of.
Time digging into murderous origin stories searching for clues as to how they became so twisted and vicious in
such cases? A combination of nature and nurture is probably to blame, after all a huge number of
will experience trauma in early life and very few of them grow up to become violent criminals still
We tend to assume that all serial killers were mistreated as children over the past three epoch
We ve seen how Edmund camper John wayne, Gacy and ted Bundy we're all shaped by early abuse, creating a
of deep unresolved rage that arguably drove them to kill, but Jeffrey Dahmer is different
by his own admission, he had loving parents, grew up in a supportive environment and was never
used in any way. So what happened? Well,
That's the million dollar question
born in nineteen. Sixty in Milwaukee wisconsin dumber realized at an early age that his parents had a lot of love for him, but not much for each other. The couple fought bitterly and his mother Joyce suffered bouts of crippling depression. Dahmer himself
was a quiet, timid boy without many friends, but at the age of four he developed defined
a nation with bones after watch
his father clear out, animal carcasses from beneath the house loyal
was training to become a research chemist was thrilled depositor, his sons interest in science. He taught Dahmer how to clean the flesh and tissue from the bones, then
showed him how to polish them until they shone
Dahmer soon had a pale full of immaculate bones to carry around he loved this,
they made when he shook the container and began using it as a makeshift toy rattle. The family call this jeffreys Fiddlesticks and that light hearted name speaks.
Volumes. Nobody seemed alarmed by donbas bone fixation, but in fairness, his parents had other things on their mind. They were about to uproot their lives,
nineteen sixty eight when Dahmer was six, the family moved ohio, so that line could take a job at a lab in akron their families.
In bath township a rural enclave on the outskirts of the city. Their house was
sold in an acre of woodland surround.
Four miles by trees and wild life. A lot of kids might have felt lonely there, but not dahmer. He busied himself by blaming the forest gathering dead, dragon flies and, more
He bring the carcasses home and preserve them in bottles of paramount hide. Soon. Dahmer
the board of insects and started searching for larger trophies. He collected roadkill squirrels chipmunks, sometimes
even cats and dogs and clean there skeletons
us like lionel, had taught him he buried sounded a boat
send a makeshift cemetery and preserved others
more bottles of formaldehyde. By the time he was ten Dahmer had an impressive,
Variety of animal remains which he kept on a shelf in
the garden shed. Buddy. Wasn't
Leah collector Dahmer was obsessed with the
side of things he sums
this sector dead animals. He found fascinated by the inner workings of their bodies,
Interestingly, it doesn't seem as if Dahmer ever actually killed any of these animals by all accounts
They were dead when he found them, but as
became an adolescent. His obsession with death began to mingle with a burgeoning interest in sex, but this was not a straight
word sexual awakening. For one thing,
Dahmer realised that he was attracted to men, which he knew would make him an outcast, but as such
urges were tends to something else, something society
be even less willing to accept. To be fair, though this proclivity was taboo for perfectly valid reasons,
whenever dahmer fantasized about sex. He always imagined his partner remaining. Very still. Barely react
in any way. In fact, me
often the not his fantasy lover, wasn't even breathing. At thirteen dahmer tried to me.
This dream a reality that year he became obsessed with jogger, who kept seeing run through his neighborhood
The jogger began to consume more and more of his thoughts. He imagined attacking him.
Knocking him out, then sex,
we assaulting him while he was unconscious. Finally done
couldn't stand it any longer. One morning he snuck out onto the road holding a baseball bat. He waited there for hours,
but the jogger never came. He must have skin
is run that day, eventual
he dahmer trudge tom feeling, frustrated and defeated and overlook for the jogger again and over time. The memory of him faded, but dumber depraved fantasies only grew stronger and by the time he started high school is mental
health was declining at a glance. He seemed like any other. Fourteen year old, he was polite, had average grades and played tennis in his spare. Time, though,
still didn't, have close friends. He got along well enough with his peers, who knew him as a class clown. Anyone it look more closely could see the cracks at his facade, Dahmer developed drinking habits. It often came to school with a bottle of wine
hidden in his jacket. When a friend asked him why he was drinking and class, he responded. It's mine,
medicine and what he thought.
Treating isn't totally clear, but it's possible that Dahmer started drinking to deal with it.
Terry aiding situation at home, his parents, marriage had gone from bad to worse,
and when Dahmer was seventeen blind, moved out of the family home into a motel a year later, the couple finally divorced
Joyce struggling to cope with the fall out, decided to move back in with her parents in wisconsin. She took her
younger son David with her, but left eighteen year, old, dahmer behind lionel, was still absent, which
amber all alone in an empty house with no money and no food, perhaps his parents,
their son could fend for himself, but the abandoned men had a devastating impact on him.
Dahmer had long suspected. The David was his mother's favorite, but now he had concrete confirmation.
It is high school graduation approaching he had no fat
holy to celebrate with he spent his last few weeks of school.
Skulking around the parking lot drinking to number loneliness. He was desperate for connection but had no idea.
I to find it. That is until june, eighteenth nineteen. Seventy eight when an opportunity fell right into his lap after drinking for
most of the morning dawned
were set out on an aimless drive down a rural road. That's where he knew
the young man, with his thumb, outstretched trying to hit your ride just like job
eighteen year old, Stephen hicks had recently graduated from high school that evening. He was on his way to iraq concert near by
and was thrilled when Dahmer offered him a ride, ones,
Stephen was in the car dahmer us.
If you wanted to come back to his place to hang out for a while, the concert
due to start for hours, and it was only a short drive away. So stephen agreed the two men
back to the empty dahmer house and drank a few beers together. Dahmer was attracted to stephen but realise pretty quickly that he was straight. He kept talking about girls. Still
company was company, so Dahmer kept up the conversation, but eventually,
Stephen got restless, he told Dahmer, they
did start driving to the concert. Dollar felt wounded by stevens eagerness to leave
He was abandoning him just like his parents and brother had many couldn't bear to. Let him go,
so when Stevens back was turned Dahmer blue
joined him over the head with a barbell knocking him unconscious. Then he strangled stephen to death. By using the handle of the barbell
one stephen was dead. All of dollars, anxiety and sadness, seem to drain out of his body replaced by a feeling of com
Human relationships were painful and frightening, but corpses he could handle and though this body,
much larger than the animal carcasses. He'd collected ass, a child, he treated it no differently, Dahmer dismembered, stevens body, taking it apart, piece by piece
he buried stephen in a shallow grave outside the house, just yards from the animal skeletons as he scraped the soil.
Into place. He felt like a child again care free as if nothing could harm him
and he didn't want to lead that feeling go coming up. Dahmer mental state deteriorates with deadly consequences.
Hi listeners, its vanessa, I'm so excited and tell you that our first book is on sale. Now this is such a big moment for the whole Parkhurst family, and we can't wait for you to read it. It's called cults inside the worlds
notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them and you can purchase it today
by visiting parkhurst dot com, slash cults. This is a passion
jack years in the making, and only made possible by you with your support. We ve been able to get back.
A storytelling roots this time, with a wealth of
research and insights under our belt and intimate details not covered on our podcast before shame, exploitation, power, cuts,
unfolds. The many motives behind groups like next gm heavens gate, the people's temple and more reveal
an eye opening details which will surprise even the most devoted. True crime fan, visit, parkhurst dot com, slash
halt to order your copy of calls inside the world's most notorious grew
and understanding the people who joined them. That's park, hast dot, com, slash cults,
and on behalf of everyone here at par cast. Thank you for joy,
yes on this journey. We
If you enjoy joy now back to the story,
in the fall of nineteen. Seventy eight a couple of months after killing his first victim eighteen year, old, jew
free dahmer was in crisis. He didn't rolled
ohio state university in a bid to please his father, but couldn't keep up with the pace of life on campus. He also
wouldn't relate to any this fellow students. Killing Stephen hicks had only widen the gulf that dumb
felt between himself and the rest of humanity watching other
freshmen laugh and flirt with each other and claude. He felt more ailing,
aid than ever feeling
less. He dropped out after less than three months. Much to his father's dismay, the little dollar
been absent for some time. He seem determined to make up for lost time and get his son back on track
january of nineteen. Seventy nine at his father suggestion, Dahmer enlisted in the army,
for a while it stuck dahmer trained as a medical specialists which allowed him to embrace his fascination with human anatomy. He even served as a
bad medic in germany for a while, but the structure, and just
plan of the army couldn't keep damas demons at bay for long. He began drinking heavily again and
march of nineteen eighty one he was discharged now, twenty one dumb
return to ohio right back at square one despairing, his father
decided to send him to live with his grandmother in Milwaukee
Dahmer had always loved his grandmother and line. I hope that her influence
finally be enough to stabilize him like the army.
Worked for a while Dahmer found a job at a blue
plasma centre and helped his grandmother.
The chores around the house in his spare time, he even
started to socialize. More, unlike anywhere he'd lid, before
Milwaukee had an actual gay seen dahmer started to frequent bath houses in bars and hook up with other men mighty.
And feel like much of a liberation dumb
Grandmother was very religious and he knew she wouldn't approve of his lifestyle. So his personal,
If I had to remain a guilty secret on top of this Dahmer rarely felt fulfilled by any this encounters. He still yearned for a passive motionless partner, an object,
rather than a person. So he tried to get his kicks in other ways. He was arrested.
As for indecent exposure in the fall of nineteen, eighty six and sentence
one year of probation but the authority,
had no idea that this crime was just the tip of the iceberg or just how,
Much danger. The public was about to be in september, fifteenth nineteen, eighty seven just days after completing his probate
Dahmer rented a room at the ambassador hotel in Milwaukee. Then he headed out to a gay bar near by
He drank a few shots loading up on dutch courage, then buoyed with common,
since the booze lent him he struck up a conversation with twenty five year. Old steve
to owe me, then he invited him back
the hotel. According to Dahmer, his plan was to drug Twoam me with sleeping pills as sexually,
use him while he was unconscious, but that's not how things played out after
think back to the hotel. The pair drank heavily at some point: Dahmer
passed out and when he woke up
he was lying on top of two armies, lifeless body trolleys, chest was crushed.
Carbon and bruises anti wasn't breathing though he claimed to have no memory of it. Dahmer knew that he'd killed him if he was
shocked at all. He shook off quickly, then he went out and bought the largest suitcase. He could find and stuff
two armies body inside. He brought it back to his grandmothers basement where a sexually abused. The body then dismembered it and threw it into the trash, but he held onto twenty severed head. He planned to keep the sky
for sexual use dahmer tried to disintegrate the skin and tissue using bleach, but that just made
skull to brutal frustrated. He threw the whole thing away. Still killing two army had given him the feeling of direction. He'd been lacking in this life, it was the one thing that made him feel fulfilled and now he had a blueprint
how to ensnare victims dahmer killed again just one month later, luring food
ten year old, james doc state or to his basement lair by promising him beer. He murmured
heard him then cut him up and disposed of his body in march
eighteen eighty eight he struck again killing
mutilating twenty five year old, richard Guerrero once again he's bleached, clean and preserve the bones. He also started taking polaroid photographs of his victims bodies, yet more trinkets
to his collection. By this stage dollars grandmother had started to notice some of his unusual activities. She had no
idea that he was killing people, but she did no
was bringing strange men home to her basement at night, which was probably odd enough for her the last year
came when she smiled a harsh chemical odor emanating from the basement when she s life
to investigate. He discovered damas bone collection
though, the family assumed the bones belong to animals, it was still too much for his grandmother to tolerate in her home she
Dahmer to move out without missing a beat dahmer found himself a one bedroom apartment and went right back to his routine
in the spring of nineteen. Eighty eight. He picked up a thirteen year old boy, drugged him and sexually assaulted him, but he was
lobby this time, the boy my
then to escape and went to the police.
Days later, Dahmer was arrested and charged with second degree sexual assault. He pleaded guilty.
Astonishingly dahmer, was allowed to remain free while he awaited sentencing. In the meantime, he struck again on march twenty
if the nineteen eighty nine he murdered twenty four years,
anthony, seers and preserved several of his body parts in acetone eta sentencing hearing,
where the sexual assault dahmer show
no indication of this brutality. In fact, he appeared remorseful for what he done to the thirteen year old, so he got off lightly. The judge son.
It's time to just one year behind bars, in addition to psychological counselling, weed
have any information on how those counselling sessions went but will,
we do know is that dollars time in prison did nothing whatsoever to reform him. Within days
Being released in may of nineteen ninety, he claimed his sixth victim invited. Thirty
two year old sex worker raymond smith to his apartment, promising him fifty dollars
in exchange for sex once they were inside, he gave
raymond, drink spiked with sleeping pills and waited for him to pass out. After that he said
angled raymond to death and began his usual grisly, routine, boiling and bleaching. The bones dissolving
some of them in acid and keeping others as trophies. Then he
raymond skull inside of filing cabinet alongside anthony's. Nobody felt like he'd finally perfected his preservation technique, Dahmer started to experiment,
after killing and dismembering his next victim twenty seven year old, edward smith, he tried stirring some of his body parts in the freezer.
A few months later in september, he ventured into a new realm of depravity. He killed too
sums within weeks of each other and experimented with eating parts of their bodies,
Dumber later said that he did this in order to make his victims a part of him to ensure they could never leave him. But while this symbolic act felt good to him in a moment it didn't solve his loneliness.
In early nineteen. Ninety one more than three years into his spree dahmer began
the fantasize about a more permanent solution to that particular problem. He wandered away to create a partner with no
We will have their own alive
human, but one who could never leave him
Actually, he wanted to create a zombie April. Seventh, he put his plan into action. He lord,
ten year old arrow lindsey to his apartment and dragged him what sleeping pills then he pulled out an electric drill.
He drew a hole in the front of aerial skull and poured hydrochloric acid into it. This was essentially a crude attempt at a frontal, a me Dahmer hoped,
would transform arrow into a submissive compliant companion, but what errol regain conscious
This dahmer realized things hadn't gone to plan between was groggy but agitated and complaint up a headache
dahmer, drugged. Errol. Again, then,
strangled him to death disappointed by
his failure, he took a different tack with the preservation this time he d.
Potato arrow, but try to preserve his intact body using cold,
water and salt, but the expense.
It was yet another failure and he to dispose of
everything about the skull. Undeterred, Dahmer
tried again the next month. He crossed paths with fourteen year old,
cornerback synthesis phone on a Milwaukee street and
vited him back to the apartment once they
inside Dahmer drug detained and injected hydrochloric acid into his brain. Then in it
isn't. That shows just how reckless he was becoming. Dahmer left the unconscious
nature at us apartment and went out to buy alcohol.
As dahmer should have anticipated corner woke up and staggered.
Outside into the street there. He collapse
in front of two teenage girls. Seventeen years
Nicole, cold children, an eighteen year old, Sandra Psmith, were walking home from the movies when they saw counteract naked
and bleeding and barely able to stand. They were horrified. Mccall stayed with corners
while Sandra random, a near by phone box to call the police but moment
after she returned Dahmer appeared. He tried to laugh
The situation telling the girls that this was his friend Jim, who had too much to drink but nicholas
and I knew something was very wrong when they
refuse to let dahmer take corner rack. He turned on them. He started aggressively
pulling at the boys arm trying to drag
back into the apartment. He snapped
the girls saying this has nothing to do with you. Thankfully, the pool
soon showed up, but the girls relieve soon turned a horror as they want
the officers interacting with Dahmer. He told the police
that the disoriented teen was his boyfriend and that he'd fled their apartment. After a drunken argument,
They seem to believe him frustrated. Nikkolon Sandra pointed out that cornerback was bleeding and seemed barely able to stand by. The cops basically told them to mine there.
Business, an officer, escorted dahmer and counteract back inside the apartment. Then left noting.
The incident as a domestic dispute. Little did. He know how
just signed a child's death warrant after the police left dahmer injected me
ass it into contracts skull this time it killed him the story
of contracts into some phone. Is heartbreaking and infuriating had the police to
the time to search damas unit or even asked around the building. They would have quick
we realized something was amiss. Dumb
neighbors had already started to complain about foul smells coming from his apartment
had been getting more and more sloppy, not disposing of bodies.
In a timely manner and as a result, his home smelled decay.
At the police. Missed all of this, and so Dahmer remained at large over the course of that summer. He
killed three more victims and stored there
heads and other body parts in his refrigerator. The conditions
but his apartment, where deteriorating as fast as his mental state and eventually the chaos caught up with him,
on July. Twenty second dahmer met twenty two year old tracy edwards in a bar and invited
home for a drink, but
his tracy said put inside the apartment, he was on edge. He noticed the boy
smell a queasy mix
chemicals and rotten flash. He also spotted
Several bottles of hydrochloric acid in commerce, kitchen, noting tat
She's discomfort dahmer quickly put a handcuff onto his wrist. Then he pulled out a knife and told tracy
to undress, for a photo shoot afraid to agitate Dahmer
tracy did ass. He was told, as he took office
T noticed that Dahmer was swaying from side to side chanting excitedly to himself then, according
tracy Dahmer, walked up to him laid his head on his chest and murmured. I'm going to eat your heart. Trying to keep dormer com. Tracy asked
you go into the living room which had air conditioning he suggested they drink some beers and talk. Surprisingly, Dahmer agreed to this leap down. He still crate
Many as soon as Dahmer was distracted, Tracy punched him and ran for his life. He escaped out into the street
flagged down to police officers. He told them what had happened and, fortunately for him
these cops listened, they went back to damas apartment with Edwards layered dahmer tried what,
again to pass the incident off ass, a lovers, quarrel and the police almost believed him.
But then one of the officers noticed the polaroids scattered carelessly around damas apartment were photographs of dismembered human bodies, unnerved the poor,
LISA arrested Dahmer once they conducted a thorough search of the apartment, the grizzly extent of his crimes became clear,
The police on human heads and limbs stepped into the refrigerator and freezer to preserve skulls on top of a computer and several decomposing bodies.
Inside of fifty seven gallon drop on forever
EC sweep confirmed that these were the remains of at least eleven separate victims. But back in the
irrigation room, Dahmer ultimately confessed to seventeen killings and the detail.
Of the murders set off a media frenzy. Twelve years after TED Bundy had been sentenced to death, Amerika had adieu boogeyman to obsess over
The grim saga of the Milwaukee cannibal was covered feverishly by the international press and the horrified public aid up every detail when his trial
and in january of ninety. Ninety two, the Milwaukee county court,
ass, was swarmed by journalists, though he confessed die.
We're pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but after a while,
the testimony the jury rejected this claim. Finding that
He was saying and able to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the killings shortly
this ruling dahmer made an unusual statement to the court standing at election. In the court room he expressed
remorse over what he done to his victims, families and to his own. He said he didn't want freedom and even suggested that he deserved the death penalty,
he ended by stating that he knew the judge would impose the maximum sentence and that he did not want.
These special consideration. Sure enough. He received fifteen
consecutive life sentences in the end dahmer did get the death sentence he wanted just not from the state and of every twenty eightth. Ninety ninety four, he was beaten.
Death, my fellow in made at the columbia correctional institute that inmate christopher sky.
Over was also a convicted murderer, but when he read about the
details of dollars crimes, he said he was
disgusted it turned out,
Dahmer was the kind of monster who gave other killers nightmares intriguingly scarborough
so till the new york post that Dahmer seem totally unrepented about his crimes. So you have to wonder.
His remorse in the court room was all act or perhaps prison hardened him dahmer was
full of contradictions like this. Even
are you know his story. It's clear that is motivations are a mystery that will likely never be solved, but that does
mean we won't try in a moment will dig deeper into downwards, uniquely twisted psychology and where he fits in the pantheon serial killers. Now, back to the story
Jeffrey Dahmer had a pathological inability to connect with other people, so much
Oh, that his fantasy partner was either dead or zombie fide has twisted impulses are hardest.
Where, with this seemingly normal upbringing, but looking more closely at armors childhood its past
will the sea, whereas alienations, could have taken root dollars,
mother Joyce lived with mental illness, including severe depression. She attack
did suicide on at least one occasion when Dahmer was young and its head
that we might get our first foothold into the killers psyche, but before we continue with the cycle
for this episode. Please keep in mind that neither
vanessa or myself are licensed psychologist your psychiatrist, but we ve done a lot of research for the show. Thanks gregg there's been plenty of research. That's it.
Just the childhood exposure to parental suicide attempts can cause a variety of poor mental health outcomes, including
creased risk of suicidal behaviour. One two thousand
Fifteen study also suggests that children whose parents attempt suicide, maybe at higher
of developing substance abuse disorders later in life. This is significant because
At the time dahmer was fourteen. He was heavily dependent on alcohol. His drinking had a severe impact,
and schoolwork his social skills and, ultimately, his ability to build a productive adult life for himself.
But, as we discussed earlier, alcohol wasn't damas. Only unhealthy outlet. Long before you
his first drink, he developed a fascination with death
it began when, as a four year old, he witnessed his father clearing out animal carcasses from underneath the rural home. He was fascinated by the sound of bones and soon
can building his own collection in his tea,
eight years dollars morbid obsessions dovetailed with a burgeoning interest in sex. According to her forensic, his
trip carl, whilst room who interviewed Dahmer and testified at his trial, damas libido was off the charge
as an adolescent, he was praying
bye, bye, erotic daydreams that took up most of his waking hours, but they weren't ordinary teenage fantasies.
Dream partners were often corpses.
Even among serial killers. That's incredibly unusual of all the people who commit sexual homicide neck
Failure is associated with less than one percent of these crimes. Psychologist
often theorized. That necrophilia is motivated by the desire for an unresisting or on partner, a partner who can't hurt
or abandon you so going by this theory. Next
The ex may be motivated by desire to have intimacy without
neither messy consequences that typically accompany it. This also goes for them.
Eventual attempts to turn his victims into lobotomies zombies according to according to frederick postal a psychiatrist
to fight for dollars, prosecution. His interest in corpses was secondary,
but he really wanted was a partner with no autonomy or will of their own a partner who was in
extension of himself
searchers often divide serial killers into categories according to what motivates them one of them.
Common sub categories is a power control, oriented killer, which indy
aids that a murderer derives pleasure from exerting total control over their victims. Many experts theorize that
or control oriented killers are driven by previous experiences where they were denied control, for example, child abuse, but
and as far as we know, Dahmer wasn't abused. His childhood wasn't perfect.
Certainly involved some trauma. But there's nothing we can point,
two in dollars, history that explains his insatiable twisted lust for control over others. Of course, charmers unremarkable
Childhood isn't the only unusual thing about him, bizarrely,
actually seem to have a distaste for killing far from
in pleasure. In the act he had a psych himself up beforehand by getting drunk
all is often used as a social lubricant because it reduces anxiety and significantly lower a person's innovations. The fact
dahmer needed dutch courage before he could kill suggested
felt a lot of resistance to the act of murder itself. This doesn't exist
the job with our image of a bloodthirsty monster, as so many of us picture when we hear the term serial killer this a part of what makes
My story so compelling his gruesome crimes, just dont mesh with his timid personality. It defies logic that a person could dislike killing
find immense pleasure and dismembering defining and even eating a body. It seems that d,
I wasn't motivated by cruelty or sadism, but instead by a pathological,
here of being alone, though the motivation
Four cannibalism aren't well understood. One theory
that literally consuming a victim is a sick grasp at intimacy. By killing his vote,
and then eating. There remains Dahmer me
them a part of himself. Given all of that, it's tempting to pointed
Most complicated m o as evidence that he was an incredibly organised criminal after all,
most murderers, don't take the time to dismember their victims, bleach their bones and store their individual organs inside a refrigerator. But in fact,
palmer was pretty sloppy towards the end of his
he. He was downright slapdash, often storing multiple bodies inside his small apartment because he couldn't dispose of them
fast enough neighbours.
Building even complained about the smell and yet
donnie dahmer got away with it for years he got away,
with an even when contracts into some phone escaped into the street have incapacitated and naked and called the police domicile
we told them contract was as boyfriend and the police believed him.
As witnesses on the scene tried to argue. The cops escort
the fourteen year old to his death inside Dahmer apartment
to better understand why this story is so important. It's
pull to know a little more context about all the players contract.
Was asian while Dahmer was white, the to win
Mrs Nicole children and Sandra Smith were both black women and die
There was the one who the cops believed this chilling it
it speaks to an idea that we've discussed throughout this anniversary series. There's a
the round legendary serial killers that neither able about smart law enforcement because
their geniuses,
This is almost never true, dahmer
get away with his crimes because he was a genius. He got away with them because nobody ever suspected him, even when they had overwhelming evidence handed to them on a silver platter. It wasn't tactics it
The systemic flaw that allowed him to flourish, but the details of quarter extra,
later emerge. The cops involved were suspended. The milwaukee pills,
were widely accused of racism for believing dahmer story, even as nikkolon
and protested, even as cornerback himself was clearly endanger. They defaulted to believing
one person on the scene who looked like them in this way
Dahmer exemplifies the privilege that has been a running theme throughout all the killers we discussed white men.
Eric are far more likely to get the benefit of the doubt and
also more likely to be elevated to legendary status when they commit acts of violence,
throughout this series, we been to setting common myths about serial killers, here's an
the one you ve no doubt heard pirated alot, they're, all white men, in fact less than half of america's recorded killers, or
last century have been white according to the fbi,
The racial make up of murderers tallies pretty closely without the population at large, nonetheless, white
Others are more likely to become larger than life, cultural figures, which is why they see,
over represented one
simple explanation for this is that serial killers typically kill within their own race and white victim,
get more media attention according to a twenty,
when he study homicides in black neighborhoods received less media coverage than those in white neighborhoods by extension,
so do their killers, however,
More is an exception to this rule. His victims were predominantly men of color, and yet
is one of the most famous killers of all time.
Dahmer is infamous because he got away with such exceptionally horrific crimes over a period of several years and in a perverse
we ironic twist. The racial makeup of his victims may well have been part of why, statistically, the police are much.
Less likely to solve homicide cases where the victims are black
the sociologist, danica gordon predominantly black neighborhoods, are both over policed in terms of surveillance and under policed when it comes to emergency assistance, inevitable,
It's non white people are both more likely to be unfairly targeted or searched by the police and less likely to get swift help when they're victims of a crime, even knowing all of that dumber doesn't seem like he was a particularly strategic killer. So it's
clear that he deliberately chose non white victims, because he thought he'd be more likely to get away with it, but he d
have some awareness of what he was doing according to me
double new sources. Dahmer went out of his way to endear himself to the cops during the corner, accent the some phone incident telling them how much
she appreciated their work. He knew the
and she had and he milked it hard and when it was finally up
his spree made him a twisted kind of celebrity just like Gacy and Bundy before him the details
this crimes and trial were inescapable plastered until it
in screens and newspaper front pages, don
became a household name because his story was everywhere within a deck
the news would become increasingly fragmented. Thanks
the rise of cable channels and the internet, but at the time of his try,
Oh, a single new story could still dominate and it did
the singularity of the new cycle contributed to the mythology around all the killers we discussed. There all
did during the nineteen seventeen and nineteen eightys, which is sometimes referred to as a quote golden age
of cereal murder in america, these d
these are new sources or so fragmented that crime stories can be forgotten in a matter of days, and then
may be part of the reason that the golden age began to fade after dollars arrest. He will,
arguably the last culturally significant american serial killer today, murderous with
Double victims are pretty rare, never mind double digit victimless. According to crime historian, Peter Rugg
keep their either less serial killers out there or the authorities have gotten better at catching them earlier that law.
Part is certainly true. Over the past few decades, advancing forensic technology has been a game changer the heyday, absurd
real killers in the nineteen, seventeen and nineteen eighties forced long for
meant to develop more sophisticated ways of tracking
analyzing their crimes,
society were also beginning to grapple with racial vices and the justice system and the ways in which white
Blake has allowed killers to escape capture in the past,
There is also more advocacy around other groups who are particularly vulnerable to violent crime such as sex workers, though there
a long way to go on both these fronts. It's possible that growing awareness has resulted in fewer opportunities for murder. Perhaps victims are just left.
Readily available than they once were. Hitchhiking france
it is now a rarity thanks to the
horror stories of men like camper gacy, Bundy and Dahmer were all a little more cautious than we used to be, but now
None of us should live in fear if there's one thing
we ve learned from this anniversary series is that no larger than life killer lives up to his legacy. Up close with all the myths
stripped away its clear just how pathetic they are
thanks again for turning into serial killers will be
soon with another episode.
And find all episodes of serial killers and all other spotify originals from park asked for free on spot. If I will see you,
Next time have a killer weak
serial killers is a spotify original from parkhurst executive producer.
Include max and wrong cutler sound designed by carry murphy with production assistance by wrong shapiro, nick johnson, trent, williamson and carly madden. This epoch
serial killers was written by emma dipped, in edited by joan callin fact, checked by
hayley milkin researched by Brian
peters and chelsea wood and produced by joshua kern
serial killers, stars gregg, paulson and vanessa richardson.
Listeners remember to visit par, cast dot com. Slash calls to order your car
b of our first book cults in
sighed. The world's most notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them it's on sale. Today,
and I can't wait for you to dive in next year. The
the video games, Heavens gate and more cults. Take
You beyond the headlines for an intimate look at the sordid beginnings and deadly ends of the most radical groups in history. Details net
heard on our show before. If you love our called series- or
any of our true crime. Podcast. This book is for you without your loyalty and support. None of this would be possible
we truly hope you enjoy visit, parkhurst dot com, slash courts to order your copy of
holds inside the world's most notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them
it's on sale and ready to read right now order today at par, cast dot com, slash cults,.
Transcript generated on 2023-06-19.