Jeffrey Dahmer Research Papers

Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most known serial killers in American history. He murdered 17 males between the ages of 14 and 23. His first murder occurred in 1978 and his last murder occurred in 1991. Dahmer was only 18 years old when he began killing. Dahmer was said to have a fairly normal childhood up until he had to have a minor surgery to repair a hernia and his parents divorced. Although the killer admits to having developed these thoughts prior to the divorce of his parents, it is said that those events post likely triggered him to act on his thoughts. Dahmer was definitely a disturbed young man:

Dahmer's killing spree lasted for more than 13 years. During that time he sought out mostly African American men at gay meeting places, lured

However, that day did eventually come on July 22, 1991. Two Wisconsin police officers spotted an African American wandering the streets with a handcuff on his wrist. The man’s name was Tracy Edwards. This man told the cops that a weird man drugged him and tied him up in his apartment. The cops were reluctant but they took Edwards back to the apartment where he had claimed he had been held to investigate. When the cops arrived Dahmer calmly gave them a key to unlock the cuffs. Meanwhile, Edwards claimed there was a knife in the bedroom that he had been threatened with. One of the officers went into the bedroom to investigate and he not only discovered the knife, but some other chilling objects. The police discovered photos of dismembered bodies, parts of dismembered bodies, and even a human head in the refrigerator.

Dahmer plead guilty but insane to 15 counts of murder. His trial was on January 30, 1992. A majority of Dahmer’s victims were African American so there was a lot of racial tension and a lot of security at the trial. (editors). Since Dahmer had already pleaded guilty in the preliminary hearing he was waved his right to an initial trial per Wisconsin law. (Jeffrey Dahmer). There was no question whether or not he committed the crimes, instead the defense and prosecutors argued about his insanity. The defense argued that he was mentally ill and the prosecutors claiming that he knew what he was doing at the time of the crime, regardless if he had a mental disorder. (Jeffrey Dahmer). One of the defense experts claimed that Dahmer’s mental illness was necrophilia. Dahmer would have sexual intercourse with the corpses of the men he killed. The defense expert argued that this was something Dahmer could not control. “The final defense expert to testify, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carl Wahlstrom, diagnosed Dahmer with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, necrophilia, alcohol dependence, and a psychotic disorder.” (Jeffrey Dahmer). Prosecutions denied this claim of insanity and another psychiatrist came in and claimed that Dahmer was not insane at the time of the murders. He claimed the Dahmer did not suffer from necrophilia because he preferred live partners. “Another prosecution expert to testify, Dr.