Jeff's grandmother had come to the end of her proverbial rope with Jeff's antics and the horrendous smells coming from Jeff's apartment in the basement and in September, she asked her grandson to move out of her house.
On September 25, 1988, Jeff moved into an apartment he found at 808 North 24th Street in Milwaukee and located about seven blocks west of Marquette University. Jeff did not keep this apartment long before he moved back in with his grandmother in West Allis.
Flowers...
A complaint was filed with the West Allis Police Department about a theft of money and jewelry from when the complainant was at Jeff's grandmother's house. The complainant, Ronald Flowers, a mental health counselor, had met Jeff outside a gay nightclub and, when Flowers was having trouble getting his car started. Jeff told Ronald that if he followed him back to his grandmother's he would get her can and come back and use the jumper cables and jump him off.
They went inside his grandmother's home, deactivated the alarm, and he gave Flowers a cup of coffee laced with sleeping pills. Explaining that they would go to the basement so they did not wake his grandmother, they mutually agreed to have “light” sex. About the time Ronald removed his shirt, the pills were taking effect and he passed out soon after. Taking advantage of the situation, Jeff then pulled Ronald's pants down. Having slept at his grandmother's overnight, the next morning Jeff's grandmother saw Flowers and, because of her sighting of him, he decided not to kill Ronald, but did take $80 from him while he was passed out. Once awake, Jeff escorted Flowers to the bus stop at South 57th Street and West Lincoln Avenue in Milwaukee.
On August 8, 1988, being short on cash, Jeff sold a topaz ring he purchased from Bailey, Banks, and Biddle in Northridge Mall in Milwaukee. He paid $1,500 for the ring, but after some negotiation with the clerk in the gold and silver store on Bluemound Road, he sold it for a mere $189.
In September 1988, Jeff offered to pay a thirteen year old Laotian boy $50 to pose for photos. The young boy disrobed and Jeff took photos of him, kissed his abdomen, and then touched his penis. The young boy did not pass out from the sleeping pill drink mixture and Jeff allowed him to go home. His family, seeing the young boy's condition, took him to the hospital for evaluation.
Three days later Jeff was arrested at work at Ambrosia Chocolate Factory on the charges of enticing a child for immoral purposes and sexual assault (second degree) to which he entered a plea of not guilty at his preliminary hearing. Jeff paid $2,500 bail and was released.
In November of 1988, Jeff solicited a male and asked him if he wanted to come to his apartment for photos and sex. The male agreed. Jeff asked this male to accompany him to his apartment even though he no longer lived there. He was anticipating that no one would have moved in yet since he just moved out in October and he still had a key to the door. Unfortunately, a female had already moved in and, realizing this, Jeff and his target left and continued to drink beer in the stairwell. Unfortunately for Jeff, once the beer was gone, Jeff bent over for a second and the intended victim struck Jeff from behind knocking him out.
Jeff made a complaint to the police department and after finishing, the police officers took him to West Allis Memorial Hospital where Jeff received several stitches for his injury.
He had been robbed of $350.
In January 1989 Jeff changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, was convicted, and a sentencing date was set for May 1989.
Sears...
The night before Easter, March 25, 1989, Jeff met Anthony Sears, a 24 year old (DOB 01/28/1965) model residing in an apartment on North Astor, a mixed race male (5'9”, 150 pounds, light complexion, short curly hair with a small ponytail) at closing time at La cage Aux Folles located at Sixth and National. In his conversation with Sears, Jeff told him that he was from Chicago and was visiting his grandmother who lived at 56th and Lincoln (this address was close to Jeff's grandmother's house) Jeff found the subject exceptionally attractive and, as usual, Jeff offered the male model cash if he would allow him to take photos of him. Accepting Jeff's offer, Anthony had a female friend of his drive them both to a tavern (the vehicle was older model, beat-up, and dark blue in color), the Mai Khi Tavern, close to Jeff's grandmother's home (Jeff didn't want them to drive directly to his grandmother's home so no one would know where she lived) where they exited and began walking south. Jeff and Anthony then walked to Jeff's grandmother's home. Once in Jeff's basement apartment, he gave Anthony a rum, cola, and sleeping pill drink mixture. Jeff and Anthony had sex and as soon as Sears passed out, Jeff killed him by strangulation and then dismembered his body on Easter Sunday in his grandmother's bathtub. He cut away the flesh and muscle and then crushed the bones. He disposed of the body in the trash. He preserved the scalp and genitalia in acetone (Jeff called a hardware store to inquire how to dry out a rabbit skin and he was told to use acetone) and kept them in his work locker at Ambrosia Chocolate Factory until he moved into his new apartment and then took them after his move. Jeff also retained his scalp with the ponytail (Jeff liked the ponytail). Anthony's skull was boiled in a Soilex mixture to clean it up of any vestiges of tissue. Jeff painted the skull that he purchased from the Pallette Shop on South Water, so that if anyone saw it, they would think it was fake. Jeff used a fake granite paint color. Sears was the first victim where Jeff kept body parts on a permanent basis. [Anthony Sears was last seen at home on March 25, 1989, at 9:30 am. He was reported missing by a friend on March 29, 1989. Sears was identified by dental records and his parents were notified on July 26, 1991. Sears' skull and penis were recovered.]
Jeff's Aunt Eunice would frequently complain about the putrid smell when she would visit. Jeff would quickly blame his grandmother's cat, Jody, and the litter box needing to be emptied. On one occasion, however, his aunt complained that what she smelled did not smell like a litter box to which Jeff replied that he had found a dead raccoon in the basement. Although Jeff was careful to clean up after each dismemberment, even to the point of pouring a gallon of bleach down the drain afterward, the smell would remain for a couple of days afterward. Not only was his aunt concerned about the smell, Lionel also had questions. His dad found some crushed bones in a trash bag and questioned Jeff about them. Jeff explained that he found a dead raccoon and, like he would do at home, he cut it up and then crushed the bones.
On May 24, 1989, Jeff was sentenced, but because of Jeff's pleas for leniency, Judge Gardner sentenced Jeff to one year in a halfway house and five years probation to allow Jeff to maintain his employment with Ambrosia. In the sentencing, Jeff was also prohibited from having any contact with children.
That Thanksgiving, Jeff was granted a twelve-hour pass and found himself in a bar getting drunk in the area of Milwaukee, where most of the gay bars were located, around the 200 block of South Second Street. Once in the area, he hopped from bar to bar, continuing to drink. In the 219 Club, Jeff began talking to an older gentleman with curly dark hair and had a beard. At some point, Jeff passed out from his overindulgence with alcohol. When Jeff woke he was in someone's apartment and was hog-tied and was hanging from the ceiling. He then saw the male he met in the 219 Club and he was using a striped candle and was placing in his anus. Jeff began screaming at the man and ordering him to let him down. Eventually, the bearded man did lower him and Jeff grabbed his clothing and tried to leave the apartment, but the male stopped him and inquired as to what Jeff's hurry was and indicated that he wished to talk to Jeff about the situation. Jeff still managed to get out of the apartment and returned to the House of Corrections but was late, several hours late.
It was a couple of days later Jeff went to the bathroom and in his bowel movement was a six inch section of candle that was also ejected into the toilet. Jeff, deciding to just “chalk it up to experience” due to his lifestyle, chose to not to file a police report or to seek the arrest of the male.
Jeff, in a letter to Judge Gardner, the judge in his case, on December 10, 1989, plead for leniency in his sentence:
TEXT OF THE LETTER TO J
UDGE GARDNER
12-10-89
Dear Judge Gardner,
My name is Jeffrey Dahmer. On September 20, 1988, I was arrested in Milwaukee, WI, for taking pictures of a 13 yr old minor. On Sept 27, 1988 I was released on mail from the Mil. Co. jail. On May 24, 1989 after entering a plea of guilty in your court, I received my sentence. It was as follows, one year on work release at CCC, and five years on probation. I have, as of this date, served sox months and four days of my sentence.
Sir, I have always believed that a man should always be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes that he makes in life. That is why I entered a plea of “guilty” to the crime of which I was charged.
During my stay at CCC, I have had a chance to look at my life from an angle that was never before presented to me before. What I did was deplorable. The world has enough misery in it without my adding more to it. Sir, I can assure that it will never happen again. This is why, Judge Gardner, I am requesting from you, a sentence modification. So that I may be allowed to continue my life as a productive member of our society.
Respectfully Your,
Jeff Dahmer
*Mr. Steinle;
Feel free to alter and correct this letter in any manner you see fit.
[NOTE REGARDING LETTER TO JUDGE GARDNER: Jeff was talking about his situation to a fellow inmate at the House of Correction and this inmate suggested to Jeff that he write a letter to the judge requesting a change in his sentence. The inmate actually penned this letter for Jeff and he simply copied it in his own handwriting.]
After being released, Jeff rented unit number 213 at the Oxford Apartments at 924 North 25th Street in Milwaukee with a lease dated May 13, 1990. This apartment was just a block away from the apartment he rented previously and Jeff chose this apartment because it was low rent and close to his job. Jeff employed a moving company for $100 to move his large cedar chest, wooden pedestal, and his other property to his new apartment.
JEFF'S APARTMENT
“I think the only thing I'm capable of is destroying.
I'm sick of destroying. I'm sick of being destructive.”
Jeff Dahmer
The Oxford Apartments were located (they have since been torn down and an empty lot remains) at 924 North 25th Street in the Concordia Area in the western part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This apartment building sat along North 25th Street as it intersected with an alleyway and between West State Street on the north and West Kilbourn Avenue to the south. West State Street was a semi-commercial thoroughfare with sparse businesses situated along its course. The residential area was primarily one, two, and two and one-half story wooden frame Victorian style homes and an occasional apartment building thrown in.
The Oxford Apartment building, a contemporary style, steel beam and brick structure, was a short distance to Marquette University and the Pabst Mansion (the beer magnate) which were located to the southeast of the neighborhood. Jeff's apartment building sat deep on the small lot with an entry along 25th Street and at the back of the apartments. Each apartment was heated and cooled by way of a window-unit style appliance under each window.
Jeff's apartment was numbered 213 which was approximately half way from each end of the hallway.
His apartment could be classified the typical bachelor pad and decorated with apparently whatever he could find.
As you entered Jeff's apartment, the kitchen and dining area were located immediately to the left with the refrigerator, sink, and stove along the hall facing wall with a small tile area for the kitchen floor.
Looking straight ahead was his den. In front of the kitchen appliances and along the adjacent wall (going clockwise) was a small chest-type freezer then a dining room set of a table and chairs.
Moving closer to the den, there was a small lamp table with lamp and then an upholstered den chair as the den area was entered.
On the other side of the den chair was another lamp table and lamp as well as a floor lamp before reaching the den wall with exterior window. To the right, a wooden sliding door led to a short hallway where the unpainted, wooden frame doorways to his bathroom, closet, (to the right in the hallway) and bedroom (bathroom straight
Jeff's Apartment at 924 North 25th Street,
(Map Provided Compliments of OpenStreetMap
ahead in the hallway and his bedroom to the left upon hallway entry). Moving from the left to the right along the exterior wall, was a tall plant stand that held a dieffenbachia house plant. To the right of that was Jeff's aquarium with the fish food, fish net between the aquarium and the right apartment wall. Moving from the back to the front was the upholstered couch and then a wooden end table with lamp as well as another floor lamp before reaching the hall entrance.
Jeff's apartment floor was predominantly a light brown carpet, but he had an oriental-style rug and an occasional smaller rug here and there.
Along the walls were an occasional picture that looked like might have been picked up at a thrift store along with photos of muscular men in various states of dress.
Mostly unremarkable, a typical bachelor pad except it was here where most of the heinous carnage took place until his eventual capture.
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer's Apartment Floor Plan
Smith (Beeks)...
Shortly after moving into his new apartment, Jeff met a black male, Raymond Lamont Smith (aka Ricky Lee Beeks, aka “Cash D”), 32 years old (DOB 08/10/1957, 5'9” in height and weighting approximately 140 pounds, curly black hair with a small mustache), at Club 219. As usual, Jeff offered the man $50.00 if he would allow Jeff to photograph him, have some drinks, and watch videos. Smith agreed and they went to Jeff's apartment. Once there, Jeff mixed a drink that contained seven sleeping pills and the victim fell asleep. When Smith fell asleep, Jeff stripped his clothes off revealing a tattoo, “CASH D” with pitchforks above the word “CASH.” (Smith is the first victim Jeff had sex with after the victim was deceased). Jeff then dismembered him and boiled part of Raymond's body in a Soilex solution and then rinsed the remaining bones. Jeff retained the victim's heart and skull. He ate the heart, later saying it was spongy. The remaining parts of the victim were dissolved in an acid-filled container. With the collecting of Smith's skull, Jeff now had two skulls in his collection. As with the Sears skull, Jeff painted it to look like it was fake. [Police report number 91-53906, date 07/22/1991, 2350 hours. Homicide Number M2478. Grandmother notified on July 25, 1991, 2200 hours.]
Unknown...
Approximately one week later Jeff seduced a male to his apartment but instead of his intended victim drinking the sleeping pill laced concoction, Jeff accidentally drank it and fell asleep. While passed out, the intended victim took $300 and some clothing from Jeff and left. Jeff never reported the incident to police.
Smith...
It was June 1990 when Jeff ran across a 27-year-old black male named Edward “Eddie” Warren Smith (aka “The Sheik”) (DOB 08/02/1962, 6'2” in height, approximately 170 in weight, dark skin, balding, short hair cut, clean shaven) at The Phoenix Bar located on Second Street in Milwaukee. Eddie lived on North 11th Street. Eddie was wearing a turban-like head-dress and told Jeff that he used to be a dancer with the Milwaukee Ballet. Again, Jeff offered his intended victim money to accompany him back to his apartment for the promise of sex. Eddie agreed and the two went to Jeff's apartment and had oral sex. After sex, Jeff gave Smith a drink with sleeping pills. Once passed, out, Jeff strangled the victim, killing him. The victim was then dismembered and Jeff took instant photos of the victim. Jeff attempted to process the victim's body in a different manner and placed the bones in a freezer in hopes the moisture would be removed. This attempt, however, did not yield the results Jeff had hoped and, months later, Jeff placed the bones in the same acid that he used on previous occasions. Jeff also was unsuccessful in retaining the victim's skull. Eddie was disposed of by placing his parts in trash bags for pick-up. After some time, Jeff also disposed of the photos he had taken of Smith. [Victim's family was notified on July
29, 1991 at 2130 hours. Police report number 91-53909, date 07/22/1991, 2350 hours. Homicide Number M2481.]
Pinet...
On July 8, 1990, Jeff approached Luis Pinet, a Puerto Rican male (DOB 10/25/1974), a busboy employee at the 219 Club, at the Phoenix tavern. Jeff found him to his liking and offered him $200 for sex and to pose for nude photos. He accepted and he and Jeff took a taxi to Jeff's apartment and had, as Jeff stated, “normal homosexual sex” which Jeff described as kissing, masturbation, and oral sex. Jeff also took several photos of Luis, but tore them up afterward as he did not like them. Luis spent the night with Jeff before leaving, alive, the next morning and agreeing to meet at 12:00 (Jeff assumed noon).
In the meantime, Jeff made the decision that Luis was going to be one of his victims. Having used all of his sleeping pills, Jeff purchased a rubber hammer early that morning from a military surplus store on West Wisconsin Avenue with which to knock out his intended victim. The rubber hammer was cheaper than refilling sleeping pills which would have been about thirty dollars.
The Dahmer Book Page 5