The Chilling Origin: 5 Untold Facts About Jeffrey Dahmer's First Kill And The Steven Hicks Tragedy

The dark saga of Jeffrey Dahmer, known infamously as the "Milwaukee Cannibal," began not in the city of Milwaukee, but quietly in a suburban Ohio home. As of this $\text{December 12, 2025}$, the details surrounding his initial foray into murder remain a subject of intense psychological and forensic scrutiny, offering a chilling glimpse into the genesis of one of America's most notorious serial killers. This first, defining act set the stage for a decade of escalating violence and depravity, yet it was followed by a curious nine-year period of dormancy that baffles experts and true-crime enthusiasts alike.

The victim of this inaugural crime was 18-year-old Steven Hicks, a hitchhiker whose chance encounter with the then-18-year-old Dahmer on June 15, 1978, sealed his tragic fate. Occurring just weeks after Dahmer’s high school graduation, the murder of Hicks at the Dahmer family home in Bath Township, Ohio, was the critical moment where fantasy transitioned into deadly reality, marking the true beginning of the serial killer's horrifying career. The facts of this initial killing are essential for understanding the psychological profile and eventual reign of terror unleashed by Jeffrey Dahmer.

Jeffrey Dahmer: A Brief Biographical Profile and Timeline

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first child of Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. His early life was marked by a growing fascination with dead animals and a developing struggle with his sexuality, coupled with increasing social isolation and alcoholism during his adolescence.

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Key Biographical and Criminal Timeline:

• Born: May 21, 1960, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• First Kill: June 15, 1978. Victim: Steven Hicks. Location: Bath Township, Ohio.
• Military Service: Enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978, but was discharged in 1981 due to excessive drinking.
• Second Kill: 1987. After a nearly nine-year gap, Dahmer committed his second murder, marking the start of his active killing spree in Milwaukee.
• Arrest: July 22, 1991. He was arrested after a victim, Tracy Edwards, escaped and led police back to Dahmer's apartment.
• Conviction: 1992. Convicted of 15 counts of murder in Wisconsin and later received an additional life sentence for the murder of Steven Hicks in Ohio.
• Death: November 28, 1994. Died after being assaulted by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, at the Columbia Correctional Institution.

The Steven Hicks Tragedy: Details of Dahmer's First Murder

The murder of Steven Hicks is a pivotal event in the history of serial crime, not only because it was Dahmer's first, but because the details reveal the immediate, raw nature of his emerging compulsion. Steven Hicks, an 18-year-old from Coventry, Ohio, was hitchhiking near Dahmer's family home.

A Chance Encounter and a Fatal Invitation

On June 15, 1978, Dahmer was driving his father’s car when he spotted Hicks. Dahmer, who had recently graduated and whose parents were in the process of divorcing, was alone in the secluded Bath Township house. He pulled over and offered Hicks a ride. Dahmer later confessed that his true intent was to lure Hicks back to the house for companionship and sex.

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Once at the house, Dahmer convinced Hicks to stay for a few beers and to watch a movie. When Hicks decided he wanted to leave, Dahmer panicked. The thought of losing control over the situation and losing the object of his desire triggered a violent reaction.

The Brutal Act and the Disposal

Dahmer struck Hicks on the head with a 10-pound dumbbell, knocking him unconscious. He then strangled him to death. The murder was not just a spontaneous act of violence; it was followed by the first instances of the depraved acts that would characterize his later crimes. Dahmer engaged in sexual abuse of the corpse, a clear indication of his developing necrophilia.

The disposal of the body was methodical and chillingly forethought. Over the next few days, Dahmer dismembered Hicks's body in the basement, dissolving the flesh in acid and crushing the bones with a sledgehammer. He then scattered the remains on his property and placed the remaining bones in garbage bags, which he threw into a nearby woods. The thoroughness of the disposal allowed the crime to remain undiscovered for over a decade.

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The Nine-Year Silence: Why Dahmer Stopped Killing

One of the most perplexing and widely analyzed aspects of Dahmer’s criminal career is the nine-year gap between the murder of Steven Hicks in 1978 and his next murder in 1987. This long period of inactivity is highly unusual for a serial killer.

Psychological and Environmental Factors

Forensic psychologists and criminal profilers have pointed to several potential reasons for this extended hiatus:

• Fear and Shock: The sheer shock and trauma of committing the first murder, coupled with the immense effort and stress of disposing of the body, may have served as a temporary deterrent. Dahmer himself described the experience as overwhelming.
• External Constraints: Shortly after the murder, Dahmer enlisted in the U.S. Army. This highly structured and disciplined environment, along with his subsequent discharge and move to Miami and then back to Ohio, provided less opportunity and more scrutiny than his later life in Milwaukee.
• Increased Alcoholism: While he was a heavy drinker before, his alcoholism intensified during this period. The use of alcohol may have initially suppressed his urges. However, as his addiction worsened, it eventually led to a breakdown of inhibitions, paving the way for the 1987 murder of Steven Tuomi and the beginning of his active spree.

The gap is a crucial piece of the puzzle, suggesting that while the impulse for violence and sexual deviance was present, it required specific environmental and psychological conditions—namely, isolation, a lack of external control, and the disinhibiting effects of severe alcoholism—to fully manifest into his horrific spree.

The Legacy of the First Victim and Topical Authority

Understanding the details of the Steven Hicks murder is vital for anyone studying the psychology of serial killers and the specific pathology of Jeffrey Dahmer. It established the core elements of his crimes: the lure of a young man, the desire for control, the use of violence to subdue, and the subsequent acts of necrophilia and dismemberment.

The case of the "Milwaukee Monster" involves numerous entities that contribute to a complete topical authority on the subject:

• Victims: Steven Hicks, Steven Tuomi, Konerak Sinthasomphone, Tony Hughes, Errol Lindsey, and 12 others.
• Locations: Bath Township, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Oxford Apartments).
• Associated Concepts: Serial Killer, Necrophilia, Cannibalism, Disfigurement, Forensic Analysis, Psychopathy, Social Learning Theory, Lust Murder, and the Milwaukee Police Department.

The initial murder of Steven Hicks was the catalyst that proved to Dahmer that he could act on his darkest fantasies and escape detection. The nine-year respite was merely a pause, not a cessation, in the development of a monster whose crimes would eventually shock the world with their brutality and depravity. The tragedy of Steven Hicks remains the silent, foundational event of the entire Dahmer phenomenon.