The American Horror Only 1% of all murders in the United States are committed by serial killers. The FBI notably defines a serial killer as someone who commits three different murders at different times. According to the FBI statistics, there are 15,000 annual murders which means there are approximately 150 serial murders each year. Serial killers leave a devastating impact on their victims and victims' families. A serial killer is a person who commits a series of murders typically following certain characteristics or behavior patterns such as gender and race. Serial killers want to have absolute control over their victims. Jeffrey Dahmer was a known serial killer who murdered seventeen boys. Dahmer began his life, not unlike many others …show more content…
When was Dahmer arrested and what was he charged with? What were the circumstances of the Dahmer trial? What was the aftermath of the crimes Dahmer committed(Thomas16-18)? The author of the book True Crimes explains Dahmer was arrested by the police on July 22, 1991. Dahmer was charged with seventeen counts of murder but it would later be reduced to 15. Dahmer murder represents the total number of people who he killed, leaving a devastating impact on the victim's families for the rest of their lives (Thomas 17). From Dahmer's first crime in 1978 to his last attempted victim Tracy Edwards in 1991 his killing streak was gruesome and lasted for years. According to the article The Romance of Revenge: An Alternate History of Jeffreys Dahmer Trial. On January 13, 1992, Dahmer pled guilty to all fifteen counts of murder by insanity. If Dahmer was proven insane while committing these crimes his punishment would not have been as severe (Gross). It took two weeks to assemble a jury for Dahmer’s trial as a result Dahmer’s trial started on January 30, 1992. There was much deliberation that had to be contemplated before the trial (Gross). The jury listened for two weeks of testimony and deliberated for five hours before finding Dahmer sane while committing the crimes (Gross). Since Dahmer pled guilty by insanity the jury had to take in the great significance of the case in its entirety. February 17, 1992, Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life sentences which is a total of 957 years(Gross). Dahmer was sent to Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin. The Dahmer trial was televised and available for up to six million viewers(Kogan). As a result, he was a renowned killer; hence, his trial drew popularity and was televised. Some felt that this would draw the wrong attention affecting the trial in a negative way (Reuters).Dahmer was sentenced to