Jeffrey Dahmer was one of America's most notorious serial killers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His victims were sexually abused and massacred in the most appalling manner. Dahmer was finally arrested after one of his would be victim escaped from Dahmer's custody. Dahmer was later charged with fifteen counts of murder and plead not guilty by reason of insanity. However, a court rejected his plea and his was sentenced for the murders. This paper explains, that to fully understand the life of a serial killer such as Dahmer, it is helpful to look at his family background, criminal history, personality profile and his sentencing. This paper examines all of these elements to better understand how one could commit such heinous crimes.
From the Paper:
"Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer on May 21, 1960 in Milwaukee. This was the young couple's first child and both were extremely happy. Lionel was an electrical engineer with both a master's and a bachelor's degree but set his eyes on a Ph.D. According to Davis (1991) in his biography of Jeffrey Dahmer, in November of 1966 Lionel earned his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Iowa State University while at the same time supporting his little family (page 20). They then moved to Doylestown, Ohio were Lionel found work as a chemist. Soon thereafter Joyce gave birth to Jeffrey's younger brother David. It was then that they moved once again to Bath Township to start a life."