by Terry Baxter
Dahmer propositioned Guerrero to come home with him to engage in sexual activity in exchange for $50. Once again, Dahmer brought his victim back to his grandmother’s home. Guerrero had agreed to spend the night with Dahmer though Dahmer drugged Guerrero with sleeping pills. Dahmer then strangled Guerrero with a leather belt.
According to Dahmer’s own admissions, he performed fellatio on the corpse before disposing of the remains in the same manner as he had with his two previous victims. As per usual, Dahmer kept the bleached skull only to pulverize it some months later.
By now, a clear pattern had emerged in Dahmer. He was living out his fantasies of drugging and raping men. However, he killed his victims by strangulation and promptly disposed on the bodies in an efficient manner by using chemical compounds.
What seems interesting is that the remains of his first few victims were disposed of in the trash. It seems unclear is any suspicion had been aroused at all. At this point though no suspicion whatsoever had come to Dahmer.
Guerrero’s murder had taken place in March of 1988. Dahmer did not wait long to seek out his next victim. In April of the same year, Dahmer had brought another young man back home with him to his grandmother’s house. Except in this particular occasion, Dahmer’s grandmother noticed that he was not alone. And though Dahmer had drugged this man with spiked coffee, he decided not to kill him. Dahmer waited till morning to take him to the County General Hospital.
In this particular incident, it was Dahmer’s grandmother who ultimately led him to spare this would-be victim. It remains largely unclear if Dahmer’s grandmother had any knowledge of the activities that Jeffrey was engaging in. Nevertheless, Dahmer’s grandmother did become tired of him bringing men home on a regular basis.
So, in September of 1988, Dahmer’s grandmother asked him to leave. According to reports, Dahmer’s grandmother had grown tired of the late-night ruckus and foul smells that came from the cellar. Consequently, Dahmer moved into a small, one-bedroom apartment on North 25th Street. This would mark a rather brief period in which he lived at this apartment.
It didn’t take long for Dahmer to reengage in his predatory activities. Shortly after moving into his new residence, Dahmer was arrested for a sexual attack on a 13-year-old boy. Dahmer had convinced the boy to come back to his apartment for a session of nude photos. During this incident, Dahmer drugged the boy though the extent of the sexual assault to the boy was limited to fondling as per the charges brought on Dahmer.
By January 1989, Dahmer was tried and convicted for this act. He was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and for enticing a minor for immoral acts. Dahmer wasn’t sentenced until May 1989. During this time, Dahmer moved back to his grandmother’s home.
In the period between his conviction and sentencing, Dahmer committed his next murder.
This time, the victim was a 24-year-old man named Anthony Sears. Sears was an aspiring model whom Dahmer believed was “exceptionally attractive”. According to Dahmer, he did not intend to commit any crimes on Sears. His main intent was to engage in sexual activity with him after the two of them had met in a gay bar in March of 1989.
Dahmer brought Sears back to his apartment. After engaging in fellatio, Dahmer drugged and subsequently strangled Sears. The next day, Dahmer took Sears’ body and placed it in his grandmother’s bathtub where he attempted to flay Sears’ body. As per his usual modus operandi, Dahmer pulverized the bones and disposed of the flesh in the trash.
This particular murder marked the first time that Dahmer kept remains of a victim. Dahmer kept Sears’ head and genitalia by preserving them is acetone. He would store them in his work locker. He also took these remains with him as he moved to a new residence the following year.
Roughly two months later, Dahmer was sentenced for his earlier sexual assault on the 13-year-old boy. He received a one-year sentence at the House of Correction before received a work release permit. He was able to keep his job, but he was required to register as a sex offender. He also received a five-year probation sentence.
Dahmer was released on parole following his stint in the work camp. His five-year probationary period began in 1989 following his sentencing. Upon release, he went back to his grandmother’s home in West Allis. Then, in May of 1990, Dahmer moved into Oxford Apartments. The one-bedroom apartment he had rented out was considered affordable at $300 a month, fully furnished and with his utility bills included. Even though the apartment was located in a high-crime area, it was still a very good option for him as it was close to his place of work.
1990 and 1991 marked the height of Dahmer’s killing spree. Now living at his new apartment, Dahmer actively sought out his victims with the express purpose of killing them. He had developed a standard practice by now. So, he was very keen on how he would go about luring his victims and subsequently inflicting pain, torture and death upon them.
Barely a week after moving into his new residence, Dahmer claimed his sixth victim. This time is would be Raymond Smith. Smith was a 32-year-old male prostitute whom Dahmer had engaged with in exchange for $50. As per usual, Dahmer gave Smith a concoction filled with sleeping pills. Dahmer then subsequently strangled Smith. The next day, Dahmer used a Polaroid camera to take pictures of the corpse in sexual positions before dismembering and disposing of the body. He used Soilex to boil the arms, legs and pelvis. Then, Dahmer finished washing the bones in his own sink. He then used acid to destroy the remainder of the corpse. As always, he kept the skull as a prized possession. Dahmer spray painted Smith’s skull and set it alongside Sears’ skulls. They remained hidden under a black towel inside a metal file cabinet.
Just one week later, Dahmer attempted to kill another man. This time, though, his plan backfired. Dahmer accidentally drank the concoction that he had prepared for the man. After waking up the next day, Dahmer realized that his intended victim had robbed him. Dahmer never disclosed this information though he did tell his parole officer that he had been robbed at one point.
By June 1990, Dahmer was at it again. On this occasion, the victim was a casual acquaintance of Dahmer’s. Edward Smith joined Dahmer at his apartment. After being drugged and strangled, Dahmer decided to change his approach. Since the previous victims’ bones become too brittle after the bleaching process, Dahmer tried freezing Smith’s corpse in hopes of eliminating moisture from it. However, the corpse retained a great deal of moisture and dissolved during the bleaching process. Dahmer also attempted to dry Smith’s skull in the oven, but this caused it to explode.
Later, Dahmer admitted to investigators that he felt “rotten” with this particular episode as he was unable to retain any body parts.
Roughly three months later, Dahmer found his next victim in a 22-year-old Chicago man names Ernest Miller. Dahmer met Miller on a street corner upon which Miller agreed to join Dahmer in his apartment in exchange for $50. Dahmer did not explicitly agree to pay Miller for sexual intercourse. When Dahmer attempted to engage in intercourse with Miller, Miller purportedly told Dahmer that it would “cost extra”. Dahmer then resorted to his modus operandi and drugged Miller. This time, Dahmer slashed one of Miller’s main arteries which led him to bleed to death within minutes.
Dahmer then stripped the body and used his Polaroid to take sexually suggestive photos of the corpse. He then placed the body for dismemberment in his bathtub. Purportedly, Dahmer kissed the severed head of his victim constantly as he dismembered the remains. Dahmer kept several parts of the body such as the heart, and portions of flesh from the arms and legs for his own consumption. These were placed in the freezer.
Later, using Soilex, Dahmer boiled the remains of the corpse into a “jelly-like substance”. This allowed him to wash off the chemicals and keep the skeleton. In order to preserve the bones, Dahmer placed them into a light bleach mixture for a day before letting the dry off on a piece of cloth. He then repeated this process with the severed head in order to keep the skull.
Dahmer would then coat the skull with enamel for its prese
rvation.
By now, Dahmer was fully unleashed. There was no stopping him from achieving his sick and demented ambition of preserving his victims’ remains for his twisted pleasure.
There was still one more murder before the end of 1990. Some three weeks after killing Ernest Miller, Dahmer enticed another 22-year-old man by the name of David Thomas. Dahmer met Thomas at the Grand Avenue Mall. Dahmer managed to convince Thomas to come back to his place for drinks and the offer of money in exchange for nude pictures. According to Dahmer, he had not felt particularly attracted to Thomas, but decided to kill him anyway out of fear that Thomas would be upset the next day after being drugged. So, Dahmer went about his usual order of business by strangling him and dismembering his body. Given the fact that Dahmer was not interested in Thomas, he did not retain any body parts. However, Dahmer did photograph Thomas’ dismemberment. These photographs allowed investigators to identified Thomas.
For the remainder of 1990, Dahmer had at least five fruitless attempts to commit another murder. Between October 1990 and February 1991, Dahmer had admitted to his parole officer of feelings pertaining to anxiety and even having suicidal thoughts. Whether he acted upon these suicidal thoughts is unclear. Perhaps they were just a cry for help. Nevertheless, Dahmer would continue his killing spree in 1991.
Dahmer was back at it in February of 1991. This time, the victim was a 17-year-old by the name of Curtis Straughter. Dahmer had met Straughter at a bus stop close to Marquette University. As per Dahmer’s own account, he had enticed Straughter back into his apartment with an offer of money in exchange for nude photographs. In addition, Dahmer attempted to incentivize Straughter with sexual intercourse. Dahmer later proceeded to go about his usual routine of drugging and then strangling his victim; this time it was with a leather belt. Dahmer then documented the dismemberment procedure by using a Polaroid. This time around, Dahmer kept the skull, genitalia and hands of his victim.
Dahmer’s next victim would some about two months later. This time, his victim went by the name of Errol Lindsey. The 19-year-old man was heterosexual and uninterested in intercourse with Dahmer. Nevertheless, Dahmer managed to lure him into his apartment. Given the fact that Lindsey was not gay, Dahmer decided to drug him and subsequently drill a hole into his head. This grisly turn of events was motivated by Dahmer’s intention of turning Lindsey into a submissive, sexual slave. Dahmer then poured hydrochloric acid into Lindsey’s head.
Upon waking the next day, Lindsey complained of a headache. Dahmer, disenchanted at his failed attempt at creating a mind-controlled slave, decided to drug Lindsey again and strangle him. Dahmer attempted a new process this time. After flaying the body, Dahmer put his victim’s skin into a salt and water solution with hopes of preserving it. After a few weeks, the skin had become too dry and brittle. Dahmer had no choice but to discard it though he admitted to having mixed feelings about doing so.
By this point, Dahmer’s fellow residents at the apartment complex complained to the building’s manager of the foul odors emanating from Dahmer’s apartment, 213. When confronted by the building manager, Dahmer blamed the stench on his freezer breaking and its contents spoiling. When residents complained of the smells yet again, Dahmer excused himself with the building manager by claiming that several of his tropical fish had died.
In May of 1991, Dahmer met a 14-year-old boy by the name of Konerak Sinthasomphone. As per his usual modus operandi, Dahmer offered the boy money in exchange for nude photographs. In what would be an interesting twist, Sinthasomphone was the brother of the boy whom Dahmer had been convicted of molesting back in 1988. While unsure of accompanying Dahmer at first, Sinthasomphone eventually agreed. The young boy posed for some pictures before being drugged. As he lay unconscious, Dahmer performed fellatio on Sinthasomphone. Then, Dahmer drilled a hole into Sinthasomphone’s skull and poured hydrochloric acid into his head. Dahmer then took Sinthasomphone into the bedroom where the body of 31-year-old Tony Hughes lay dead. Dahmer had killed Hughes three days prior to picking up Sinthasomphone. According to Dahmer’s confession, he was concerned that Sinthasomphone had seen the dead body when he briefly gained consciousness.
After drugging Sinthasomphone once again, Dahmer left his apartment to go to nearby bar to drink. He then purchased more alcohol. However, upon his return, Dahmer found Sinthasomphone with three other women. The women had called the police to report that Dahmer had raped Sinthasomphone. When the police arrived, Dahmer claimed that he and Sinthasomphone were lovers. When the police officers requested proof, Dahmer produced the nude photos he had taken of Sinthasomphone earlier. Dahmer indicated that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend.
Following the quarrel, the officers left Sinthasomphone in the care of Dahmer. Dahmer then injected more acid into Sinthasomphone’s head which proved to be fatal. After taking a leave of absence from work, Dahmer went about dismembering both the bodies of Sinthasomphone and Hughes. Dahmer kept both of their skulls.
Dahmer’s next two victims came in rather quick succession. Dahmer made a trip to Chicago in which he enticed a 20-year-old man names Matt Turner to come back to Milwaukee with him for a photo session. Once in Dahmer’s apartment, Turner was drugged, killed and dismembered as per Dahmer’s usual process. Dahmer kept Turner’s head and organs in plastic bags in his freezer. Then, Dahmer nabbed his next victim five days later. This time, 23-year-old Chicago native Jeremiah Weinberger went back to Dahmer’s apartment with the intent of spending the weekend together. Weinberger died after Dahmer had injected boiling water into Weinberger’s head.
The next two victims of Dahmer’s rampage came within days. First, 24-year-old Oliver Lacy, whom Dahmer met on a street corner, came back to Dahmer’s apartment. After posing for some pictures and some sexual activity, Dahmer drugged Lacy and went about his business. This time though Dahmer attempted to keep his victim alive by using chloroform. Dahmer took another day off from work. Though he had been granted permission, he was later suspended. Dahmer then strangled Lacy and had intercourse with the corpse. After dismembering the body, Lacy’s head and heart were placed in the freezer. Dahmer kept most of the skeleton.
A few days later, Dahmer was notified that he had been fired from his job. Distraught at the news of his dismissal, Dahmer set out to find a new victim. The result was the death of 25-year-old Joseph Bradehoft. After being strangled, the dead body lay on Dahmer’s bed for two days. When Dahmer discovered the decomposing corpse, Dahmer removed the head which had become infested with maggots, removed the head, cleaned it and placed it in his freezer. Dahmer then set about destroy the bodies of the two other victims he had killed along with his newest victim.
By now, it was safe to say that Dahmer was completely out of control. He had refined his modus operandi. He was able to entice young men to come home with them only to meet their death. This systematic and premeditated approach indicates that Dahmer was clearly aware of what he was doing. While this was clearly the work of a madman, it was not the doing of an insane individual.
Jeffrey Dahmer was the embodiment of pure evil.
Chapter 4:
End of the line
After the killing of Joseph Bradehoft, Dahmer was hardly intent on stopping. However, it would be his next plot that would leave to his eventual downfall. The events that ensued would be just as bizarre and gruesome as the previous, but with an interesting twist.
In July 1991, Dahmer was on the prowl. He met a group of three men to whom he offered $100 to join him back at his apartment for a session of nude photos and then drink some beers. Dahmer was only interested in company and nothing else. One of the men, Tracy Edwards, decided to join Dahmer back at his place.
Upon entry, Edwards noted a stench and several containers of hydrochloric acid. Dahmer told Edwards that he used the solution to clean bricks. Following some incidental conversation, Edwards turned to look at Dahmer’s tropical fish. At this point, Dahmer placed a handcuff on one of Edwards’ wrists. Dahmer tried to cuff the other wrist but
was unable to do so.
Edwards attempted to resists but accepted to go into the bedroom with Dahmer. By now, Edwards was aware that something was happening.
Inside the bedroom, Edwards noticed posters of nude males on the walls and a videotape playing the Exorcist III on the television set. Within the bedroom, there lay a drum which emanated a foul odor. Dahmer produced a knife and told Edwards that he would be taking photos of him. In order to appease Dahmer, Edwards agreed and began to remove his shirt. Edwards told Dahmer that he would strip if only he removed the handcuffs and put the knife away. Dahmer put the knife away though he did not remove the handcuffs.
Dahmer seemed to be lost in himself. He began swaying back and forth while watching the television. It seemed as though Dahmer was chanting something to himself. When Dahmer turned his attention back to Edwards, Dahmer placed his head on Edwards’ chest in order to listen to his heartbeat. Dahmer picked up the knife and place it on his victim’s chest and informed him that he planned to eat his heart.
Edwards began to reason with Dahmer that they were friends. In order to calm Dahmer down, Edwards told Dahmer several times that he would not run away or leave him. The fact was that Edwards was planning to flee the first chance he got.
Then, Edwards asked Dahmer if he could use the bathroom. Then, Edwards asked Dahmer to sit in the living room and have a beer as it was much cooler there due to the air conditioning system. Both men sat there until Edwards noticed that Dahmer seem to become dazed. At this point, Edwards asked to use the bathroom again.
When Edwards stood up, he noticed that Dahmer had let go of the handcuffs. This was Edwards’ chance. He punched Dahmer in the face and ran out the door. Dahmer was knocked off balance and was unable to react in time.
Down at street level, around 11:30 pm on July 22nd, 1991, Edwards stopped two police officers on North 25th Street in Milwaukee. The officers quickly noted that Edwards was wearing handcuffs on one wrist. Edwards promptly explained that some “freak” had attempted to handcuff him and then proceeded to describe what had happened back in Dahmer’s apartment.