by Terry Baxter
As such, Dahmer’s urges led to the death of multiple young men. The gory details of their deaths and subsequent dismemberment is reminiscent of some of the worst horror tales known to humankind. Yet, Jeffery Dahmer never lost his composure. In fact, he was often referred to as polite and courteous.
While in prison, Dahmer tried to get along with other inmates despite their limited interaction. Dahmer was never a particularly aggressive individual though he did have violent tendencies. Perhaps prison was far more intimidating than the real world. Notwithstanding, Dahmer had a poor reputation among his fellow inmates. This prompted prison authorities to fear for his safety.
Dahmer also opened up and provided interviews about his deeds. He famously gave an interview to Stone Phillips of Dateline NBC in 1994. Dahmer’s sudden aperture provided the general public with an opportunity to get a close up on one of the most notorious criminals in history. While his demeanor did show a human side to this monster, his overall attitude indicated that he was nonchalant about the unspeakable deeds which he perpetrated.
During his 1994 interview, Dahmer famously stated, “If a person doesn't think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what's the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges? That's how I thought anyway”. Perhaps Dahmer had repented for his acts to a certain extent. Unfortunately, given the way that things turned out, it will be impossible to truly gauge whether or not Jeffrey Dahmer showed any type of remorse.
Conclusion
Following his conversion to Christianity, Jeffrey Dahmer seemed to have genuinely repented for his actions. While there was no real way in which he could atone for his crimes, his repentance provided him with an opportunity to change his life and truly become a new man.
Dahmer now had for more interaction with other inmates. While he was generally disliked, he managed to get along rather amiably with most inmates. While Dahmer was hardly a model inmate, he tried to stay out of trouble and avoid confrontation.
However, in July 1994, a fellow inmate by the name of Osvaldo Durruthy attacked Dahmer. Durruthy attempted to cut Dahmer’s throat with a razor attached to a toothbrush. This attacked occurred as Dahmer returned to his cell following a church service at the prison chapel. Dahmer sustained only minor injuries and did not warrant any special medical attention.
According to account from Dahmer’s family, Jeffrey was expecting retaliation in prison. In fact, his family claimed that Dahmer was prepared to die in prison. It seemed as though Dahmer felt that his own death would have been sufficient punishment for his deeds.
Jeffrey kept in touch with his mother, Joyce, on a regular basis. Nevertheless, Joyce claimed that she hadn’t seen Jeffrey prior to his arrest. By some accounts, the last time Jeffrey had seen his mother was back in 1983. Joyce frequently expressed concerns for Jeffrey’s safety inside prison though Jeffrey, himself, seemed to pay little attention to any possible threat.
Yet, the Durruthy incident would not be the last time an attempt was made on Jeffrey Dahmer’s life while in prison.
On November 28th, 1994, Dahmer went about this usual work detail in the company of two other inmates, Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver. The three men had been assigned to clean the showers located inside the prison gym. They were left unattended for approximately 20 minutes.
Around 8:10 am, Jeffrey Dahmer was found on the floor of the shower brutally beaten. He had sustained heavy trauma to his head and face. His assailant had used a metal bar to pummel Dahmer. In addition, it appeared as though Dahmer’s head had been struck against the wall several times.
When Dahmer was found, he was still alive. He was then rushed to a hospital nearby in order to receive attention. However, Jeffrey Dahmer was pronounced dead roughly an hour later. Jesse Anderson, who had also been beaten in a similar fashion, passed on two days later.
The other inmate, Scarver, was not initially found at the scene of the beatings. Scarver had been sentenced to a life term in 1990 for a murder he had committed. Scarver did not deny his role in beating both Dahmer and Anderson.
Scarver would then describe to investigators how he beat both Dahmer and Anderson using the metal bar. He first beat Dahmer in the showers and then pummeled Anderson in the locker room. After having committed his acts, Scarver went back to his cell. According to Scarver, Dahmer did not fight back nor did he make a sound.
Investigators questioned Scarver at length about the incident. Though Scarver claimed that he had not planned the attacks, he later admitted that he had smuggled the bar which he used to beat both Dahmer and Anderson. Furthermore, Scarver was believed to be schizophrenic. Scarver told investigators that God had told him to do it. Despite concealing the metal bar in advance, Scarver swore that he had not planned on killing either Dahmer or Anderson.
Scarver received two additional life sentences for the killings of Dahmer and Anderson in 1995. During his trial, testimony revealed an apparent violent reaction by Scarver to provocations from both Anderson and Dahmer. When Scarver retaliated, he did so out of anger due to the fact that both Dahmer and Anderson had been laughing at him.
In addition, Scarver has also admitted to confronting Dahmer about his crimes by showing him a newspaper article that recounted many of his acts. Additionally, Scarver told investigators that Dahmer was widely disliked by his fellow inmates as a result of his taunting of prison workers. Dahmer also used his food to simulate cannibalistic acts. Furthermore, it was a well-known fact that Scarver hated Dahmer. So, the prison guards had purposely left them alone so that Scarver could attack Dahmer.
In the end, Dahmer’s last will and testament stated that he wished to be cremated and that no funerals services be conducted. Dahmer was cremated in September 1995. His ashes were equally distributed among his parents.
In the years following Dahmer’s death, restitution was paid to the families of 11 victims through the auctioning of Dahmer’s estate. Ultimately, Dahmer’s possessions where bought by a civic group which then disposed of them in an Illinois landfill.
The Oxford Apartments in which Dahmer had killed 12 of his victims were demolished in November of 1992. Since then, the land has remained vacant. Over the years, there have been plans and efforts to convert the site into a memorial or a park, but none of these plans have come to fruition.
The only family member of Jeffrey Dahmer who has publicly spoken out was Lionel Dahmer. In 1994, Lionel published a book titled, “A Father’s Story”. Parts of the proceeds from the book went to the victims’ families. Although Lionel was sued by three of the families due to their names being used in the book without their express consent.
The family of Steven Hicks attempted to file a wrongful death suit against Lionel and Joyce for negligence in their parenting responsibilities. As such, their negligence led to the death of Steven. The suit did not prosper.
Lionel and his second wife Shari have not changed their name though they do not live in the public light. They have stated that they loved Jeffrey spite of his actions.
Joyce lost her fight against cancer in November of 2000. She had reportedly attempted to commit suicide prior to her battle with cancer.
Jeffrey’s younger brother David changed his surname and has disappeared from public sight.
Jeffrey Dahmer’s legacy is one of horror and unspeakable deeds. He took the lives of 17 young men in a cruel and ruthless fashion. It was his treatment of their remains, however, that catapulted him into the lore of violent crime.
Dahmer’s trial settled the matter pertaining to his sanity. It was made abundantly clear by the jury that Dahmer was not insane. He was well-aware of his actions. He dismembered the bodies of his victims, engaged in necrophilia and even consumed their organs in order to derive sick and twisted pleasure.
Indeed, Dahmer’s murder at the hands of Christopher Scarver was a tragic ending to a life filled with pain, sorrow and solitude. It could be speculated that Jeffrey Dahmer’s killing spree was the result of his repressed anger due to
his lack of acceptance at his homosexuality. Nevertheless, Dahmer’s actions seemed to signal that he actually embraced his sexual orientation.
Yet, Dahmer’s death at age 34 cut short any efforts that he made to turn his life around. Perhaps the one loose end at this point in the story is whether or not Jeffrey Dahmer had actually repented for his crimes.