The truths of Jeffrey Dahmer that his father revealed and why he lives in hiding

etradefactory.com – The room was cold, silent, and dimly lit. The white tiled floor caused the little light emitted by the old white neon lamps to be reflected throughout the room, managing to focus attention on the table that filled the place.  This is how Netflix presents us the night of July 22, 1991, when Lionel Dahmer was being informed at a police station about the heinous crimes that his eldest son, Jeffrey Dahmer , had committed . On September 21, Netflix premiered its series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, which recounts the life of the “Milwaukee Cannibal” , a serial killer who cruelly killed 17 young people between 1978 and 1991.

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[catlist id=100371 numberposts=5] The work has sparked all kinds of controversy, from the debate on the romanticization of the murderers, to the questioning of where the family is now and what they think about it. Especially his father, because according to the series, he was the one who was by his side, from his arrest to his sentence. Jeffrey’s mother and her youngest son have remained out of the public eye since the capture, in order not to be recognized. Still, Lionel was in the eye of the storm, even before the success of Netflix, when he published his memoir ‘A Father’s Story’.

Here he not only tells how sorry he is for not being able to see the signs before the murders, but also talks about his private life and his relationship with his son.

A chemist with a dream

Lionel Herbert Dahmer was born on July 29, 1936. He studied chemistry and served as a scientist and teacher for many years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There he not only met and married the love of her life, Joyce Flint, but he also started a family with her. His life was a dream, until little by little he began to have problems with Joyce because he had problems related to his emotional stability, as he was a hypochondriac and had depression. In fact, this was not something new. Dahmer tells in his book that when his wife was pregnant with Jeffrey, she took almost 26 different pills . He made to which she attributes, in a speculative way, part of the behavior of her son. In addition, his work forced him to move many times with his family, a time when he had also apparently taught the world of taxidermy and chemistry to his children, especially Jeffrey. David, his second son, did not have as much connection with the subject, and on the contrary, he was closer to his mother. Even so, by then it already showed signs of abandonment . In the book by Joel Norris, where the author recounts the life and evolution of the cannibalistic killer Jeffrey Dahmer, you can find testimonies from the teachers, who were worried about their student’s shyness and the constant absence of their parents . After many years trying to maintain their marriage, Joyce and Lionel finally divorced in 1970. The main reason was that the chemist wanted to continue in academia and obtain a doctorate, but his family and work were very demanding. Eight years later, he remarried his current wife, Shari Dahmer. On the other hand, Joyce passed away in 2000 after having battled breast cancer and mental health problems , which had led her to attempt suicide twice .

A normal boy, quiet

Lionel describes in his book that Jeffrey was a normal boy, quiet and calm. However, this perception was probably due to the disconnection I had with him at that time. In his teens, “the quiet, normal guy” really did have alcohol problems, was physically abused at school, and dealt with urges to murder other men. Before his son’s arrest in July 1991, when police officers discovered several severed heads, bones and organs in his apartment, he had already been convicted of second-degree sexual assault and had served a 10-month prison sentence. By then, Lionel had written a letter to the judge in charge of the case, asking her not to release him. According to the Investigation Discovery documentary ‘Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster’, the letter read as follows: “I have my reservations about Jeff’s chances when he hits the streets. I have experienced an extremely frustrating time trying to urge some type of treatment,” Lionel wrote. “I sincerely hope that he can intervene in some way to help my son, whom I love very much and for whom I wish a better life.” The chemist explains that he had already noticed his son’s emotional instability and was seeking help. Unfortunately, Jeffrey was released two months earlier than expected and murdered his first victim, Steven Hicks .

The trial that brought them closer

In an interview he had with Oprah Winfrey in 1994, Lionel stated that the criminal process his son was going through had brought them closer. “We have come very close since his arrest. I still love my son. I will always stay with him. I have to do it”.

Dahmer was arrested in 1991. He was convicted of 15 counts of murder in 1992. Twelve of these crimes were committed in his Wisconsin apartment. Three victims were killed and dismembered at his grandmother’s residence in West Allis. The evidence was not only overwhelming, but even the doctors who testified said that he did not suffer from any mental disorder and that he was fully aware of his actions. After this, he was sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences. Since then, his father would visit him in prison, talk to him on the phone and take every opportunity to hear from him. Some time later, he commented that one of the things that impressed him the most was that, during the trial, he found out that, between the ages of 12 and 14, he collected dead or run over animals and took them home. Nobody had noticed it: not his mother, his brother or his friends. For this reason, he participated in countless interviews and has spoken extensively about his son. For him, it was important to be able to warn parents about the signs that their children may be presenting, as well as asking them to continuously monitor their growth. According to his account, he regrets not having shared more with his son at an early age and having dedicated himself to his marital problems. Lionel accompanied his son to the end of his days, when on November 28, 1994, Christopher Scarver, a fellow inmate at Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, beat Jeffrey to death. For now, the last thing that was known was that Lionel is now 86 years old, retired two decades ago and lives in Ohio with his second wife Shari. *The Grupo de Diarios América (GDA), to which EL UNIVERSAL belongs, is a leading media network founded in 1991 that promotes democratic values, an independent press and freedom of expression in Latin America through quality journalism for our audiences.