17 Horrifying Acts: A Detailed Breakdown Of What Jeffrey Dahmer Did To His Victims

Jeffrey Dahmer, often referred to as the "Milwaukee Monster" or "Milwaukee Cannibal," remains one of the most chilling figures in the history of American serial murder. As of the current date in December 2025, the heinous details of his crimes continue to shock and serve as a dark case study in forensic psychology and criminology. His reign of terror, which spanned from 1978 to 1991, involved the murder of at least 17 young men and boys, primarily in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area.

The public fascination, often rekindled by recent media adaptations, centers on the unspeakable depravity that occurred behind the closed doors of his apartment. Dahmer's crimes went far beyond simple murder; they involved a disturbing progression of sexual assault, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia, cannibalism, and attempts at preserving human remains. This article delves into the specific and gruesome acts he committed, focusing on the victims whose lives were tragically cut short.

The Tragic Roll Call: A List of Jeffrey Dahmer’s 17 Victims

Jeffrey Dahmer's victims were all males, predominantly young men of color, ranging in age from 14 to 33. The following list serves as a memorial to the individuals whose lives were brutally ended by the serial killer. The entites listed below represent the full extent of his confessed murders.

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• Steven Hicks (Age 18): Dahmer's first victim in 1978. He was a hitchhiker picked up in Ohio.
• Steven Tuomi (Age 24): Murdered in 1987. His was the first murder committed after Dahmer moved to Milwaukee.
• Jamie Doxtator (Age 14): Murdered in 1988.
• Richard Guerrero (Age 25): Murdered in 1988.
• Anthony Sears (Age 26): Murdered in 1989.
• Raymond Smith (Age 33): Murdered in 1990.
• Edward Smith (Age 28): Murdered in 1990.
• Ricky Beeks (Age 27): Murdered in 1990.
• Ernest Miller (Age 22): Murdered in 1990.
• David C. Thomas (Age 23): Murdered in 1990.
• Curtis Straughter (Age 18): Murdered in 1991.
• Errol Lindsey (Age 24): Murdered in 1991.
• Tony Hughes (Age 31): A deaf victim murdered in 1991.
• Konerak Sinthasomphone (Age 14): Murdered in 1991. His case tragically involved the Milwaukee Police Department returning him to Dahmer's custody.
• Matt Turner (Age 20): Murdered in 1991.
• Jeremiah Weinberger (Age 23): Murdered in 1991.
• Joseph Bradehoft (Age 25): Dahmer's final victim, murdered in 1991.

The Methodology of Madness: Dahmer's Sequence of Acts

Dahmer's modus operandi was a calculated progression designed to fulfill his dark fantasies of control and possession. His victims were typically lured back to his apartment, first at his grandmother's house and later at his 213 Oxford Apartments residence in Milwaukee, with promises of money, drinks, or modeling opportunities.

Seduction, Drugging, and Homicide

The initial stage involved a degree of social interaction, which Dahmer would use to gain the victim's trust. Once in his apartment, he would typically lace a drink with a powerful sleeping pill, such as a large dose of a tranquilizer or sedative. This was a critical step in his process, as he sought to render the victim compliant and unconscious, allowing him to act out his fantasies of total control without resistance.

The cause of death was overwhelmingly strangulation. Dahmer confessed that his primary motivation was not the act of killing itself, but the desire to keep the person with him permanently, which led to the horrific post-mortem acts. The homicide was merely the gateway to the most disturbing phase of his crimes.

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The Unspeakable Post-Mortem Acts and Preservation Attempts

The most shocking and unique elements of Dahmer's crimes involved his extensive and systematic abuse of the corpses, driven by his obsessive desire to create a permanent, controllable companion. This phase included dismemberment, cannibalism, and macabre preservation experiments.

Dismemberment and Disposal

After the murder, Dahmer would dismember the bodies. He used various tools, including knives, a saw, and acid, to separate the remains. He would often dissolve the flesh in a 57-gallon drum filled with acid, keeping only the skeletal parts he desired. The remaining body parts were disposed of in trash bags or down the toilet, a chilling detail that led to plumbing issues in his apartment building.

When police finally entered his apartment, they discovered a truly horrific scene: human skulls, dismembered limbs, and various organs stored in his refrigerator and freezer. The discovery of a human heart and other body parts confirmed the cannibalistic aspect of his crimes, earning him the moniker "Milwaukee Cannibal."

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Cannibalism: The Ultimate Act of Possession

Dahmer confessed to consuming parts of his victims' bodies. For him, this was the ultimate act of possession and control, a way to internalize the victim and keep them with him forever. The cannibalism was not about hunger but about psychological compulsion and fulfilling a deep-seated, violent fantasy. This LSI keyword—cannibalism—is central to understanding the depth of his pathology.

The "Zombie" Experiments and Brain Drilling

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation was Dahmer's attempts at creating a "zombie"—a living, yet compliant and controllable companion. In a few instances, he drilled a small hole into the victim's skull and injected various substances, such as muriatic acid or boiling water, into the brain, hoping to keep them alive in a lobotomized, vegetative state. This was an attempt to fulfill his fantasy of a permanent, submissive sex slave.

One of the most widely publicized and tragic examples of this was the case of Konerak Sinthasomphone. After Dahmer drilled a hole in the 14-year-old boy's head, the victim managed to escape, only to be returned to Dahmer by two Milwaukee police officers who dismissed the concerns of a concerned neighbor, Sandra Smith. The officers accepted Dahmer's explanation that the boy was his adult lover involved in a domestic dispute. Konerak was subsequently murdered. This gross negligence became a major scandal for the Milwaukee Police Department.

The Discovery and Aftermath

Dahmer's killing spree finally ended on July 22, 1991, when his final intended victim, Tracy Edwards, managed to escape from the apartment. Edwards led police back to the apartment at 924 North 25th Street, where the officers discovered the full extent of the horror: the shocking collection of human remains, photographs, and the implements of his crimes.

The evidence, including the gruesome polaroid photos Dahmer took to relive his crimes, was overwhelming. He was convicted of 15 counts of murder in Wisconsin and sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences. In a separate trial in Ohio, he received a 16th life sentence for the murder of Steven Hicks. Jeffrey Dahmer was ultimately beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, at the Columbia Correctional Institution on November 28, 1994.

The case of the Milwaukee Monster remains a crucial, dark chapter in the history of serial homicide, serving as a constant reminder of the profound evil that can exist and the importance of recognizing the signs of predatory behavior. The legacy of his victims—Steven Hicks, Steven Tuomi, Konerak Sinthasomphone, and the many others—endures as a tragic testament to the lives lost to a notorious cannibal and sex offender.