Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or caught up in other trending issues), you must’ve come across one of Netflix’s latest releases. DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dropped on the streaming giant’s platform last September 21. Directed by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story), the 10-part biographical series followed Dahmer’s violent murders from the 70s to the 90s. You probably already know about Dahmer’s gruesome crimes, but do you know how he died?

How did Jeffrey Dahmer die?

Dahmer was murdered in prison, a brutal conclusion to the life of one of the most notorious serial killers in America. He was at the Columbia Correctional Institute gymnasium in Portage, Wisconsin, serving 15 consecutive life sentences for murdering and dismembering 17 men and boys. On the morning of November 28, 1994, during his bathroom cleaning duty, a fellow inmate named Christopher Scarver beat him to death with a metal bar. At this point, Dahmer had only been in prison for three years.

Who is Christopher Scarver and what happened to him?

Scarver was also in prison for a robbery-turned-murder he had committed in 1990. Aside from killing Dahmer on that day, he also killed a third person who was with them on clean-up duty, inmate Jesse Anderson. Scarver was already serving a life sentence and received two more counts for his brand of “vigilante justice” in prison.

In an interview with the New York Post, Scarver said that Dahmer was known to annoy fellow inmates. He used to taunt other inmates with food he made to look like severed limbs.

“He crossed the line with some people — prisoners, prison staff. Some people who are in prison are repentant — but he was not one of them,” said Scarver.

Afterward, when asked about why he ended the cannibal’s life, Scarver only had this to say: “God told me to do it. Jesse Anderson and Jeffrey Dahmer are dead.”

Today, Scarver is still in prison. He also published a poetry book in 2015 which can be found on Amazon.

The aftermath of Jeffrey Dahmer’s death

Dahmer reportedly did not immediately die after Scarver’s assault. He succumbed to his wounds in the hospital. When news of his death spread, his mother, Joyce Dahmer asked the media: “Now is everyone happy? Now that he’s bludgeoned to death, is that good enough for everyone?”

Joyce wanted her son’s brain to be preserved and studied to determine if biological factors did make him the monster that he is. However, she lost in a court battle to her ex-husband, Lionel, who wanted to pursue his son’s wish of being cremated. Dahmer’s ashes were eventually split between his parents.

Dahmer’s estate was awarded to the families of 11 of his victims who were not quite satisfied that the killer only served three years in prison.

What did Jeffrey Dahmer do?

In the almost three decades since Dahmer was killed, his life has been immortalized in dozens of books, films, documentaries, podcasts, and TV shows. Some hardcore true crime fans can probably name all his victims in one go. Dahmer killed 17 boys and men Dahmer between 1978 and 1991. What he did to his victims is unthinkable. His crimes involved sexual abuse, dismemberment, necrophilia, cannibalism, and even preserving his victim’s body parts.

How was Jeffrey Dahmer caught?

In 1991, Tracy Edwards, one of Dahmer’s victims, luckily escaped the house of horrors that was Dahmer’s apartment. Milwaukee, Wisconsin police saw him running down the street in handcuffs and came to investigate. Edwards told the police that Dahmer was trying to kill him. They didn’t believe the story at first and had Edwards lead them to Dahmer’s apartment. There, they noticed Polaroids of dismembered bodies, rotting remains of Dahmer’s previous victims, and evidence of cannibalism.

Viewers don’t know what to feel about Netflix’s new series

Ryan Murphy’s new biographical crime drama is the latest addition to the already long list of retellings. This is part of why it received mixed reviews. Some thought the 2022 series wasn’t necessary since, as we said, there is plenty of material on Dahmer already.

Viewers also discovered that the families of Dahmer’s victims weren’t informed about the docu-series. It opened old wounds. A relative of one of the victims even described it as “retraumatizing over and over again.”

Can everyone please stop streaming the new Jeffery Dahmer documentary? The victims families have made it CLEAR they did not want this out, and netflix is profiting off of their trauma without consent

— 🖤Courtney 🖤 (@taylorandcatz) September 26, 2022

Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD.

— eric perry. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022

Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer

Others thought that casting a good-looking actor such as Evan Peters (American Horror Story), someone who is an “internet crush,” humanizes Dahmer and his crimes and makes him likable. Much like how many of those who watched Netflix’s YOU crush on Penn Badgley’s Joe Goldberg, even though his character is a psychopath serial killer. Huh.

#DahmerNetflix is out, let’s not romanticize Jeffrey Dahmer just because he is played by Evan Peters.
Remember the victims.
A tread about each victim and who they were. pic.twitter.com/3NAZpG40Dq

— hot girl jo (@sicssorluv) September 21, 2022

And they aren’t wrong. Scroll through TikTok or Twitter and you’ll see posts and edits romanticizing Evans’ character.

casting evan peters as jeffery dahmer was a dangerous decision because pic.twitter.com/oYYXJu8CyO

— yana ❤️‍🔥 (@powdersvi) September 23, 2022

if you’re thirsting over jeffrey dahmer because he’s played by evan peters PLEASE block me

— kay (@tozierisms) September 26, 2022

People stanning Jeffery Dahmer.. y’all realize he’s a serial killer pedophile necrophiliac and not Evan Peters right??

— Pamela D. 🇲🇽🇺🇸 (@dollparts5469) September 25, 2022

Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is currently on Netflix.

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