How Long Was Jeffrey Dahmer in Jail?

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

Jeffery Dahmer is one of the most notorious killers in US history who started his killing spree in 1978. Upon his arrest in July 1991, Dahmer initially admitted to killing 11 people. However, he soon confessed that he murdered 17 people between 1978 and 1991. The jury found him guilty of all the murders he committed and sentenced him to 16 life terms in prison. But the serial killer spent just over two years in prison before getting killed by a fellow prisoner, Christopher Scarver, in November 1994.

According to Time Magazine, Jeffrey Dahmer killed and dismembered 17 people between 1978 and 1991. He committed his first murder right after graduating from high school. According to USA Today, most of his victims were gay men and boys of color. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that he met most of his victims at bus stops, bars, and adult bookstores in Milwaukee and Chicago. The publication mentioned that he would lure the victims to his apartment, promising them money if they agreed to pose nude for him. Subsequently, he would drug their drinks and kill them by strangulation and stabbing.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s killing spree ended in July 1991 when one of his victims escaped and contacted the authorities. According to Time Magazine, the victim contacted the police and said that Dahmer tried killing him. After reaching the killer’s apartment and searching it, Dahmer was apprehended. Upon his arrest, he confessed to the killings and was charged with 17 murders. Moreover, The New York Times reported that he ate the arm of at least one of his victims and stored remains of his victims in his refrigerator. In 1992, Dahmer received 16 life sentences for the 16 murders he committed.

However, in November 1994, just two years after his sentencing, Jeffrey Dahmer was beaten to death alongside another inmate by Christopher Scarver, per Independent. Back then, Scarver was serving his sentence at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin.

Did any of Dahmer’s victims escape?

On July 22, 1991, a man named Tracy Edwards met Jeffrey Dahmer in a bar and joined the killer at his apartment after accepting an offer of $100. Per Metro, Dahmer made a similar offer to two more men at the bar, but they refused. ABC News reported that Dahmer and Edwards watched The Exorcist III together at his apartment.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Edwards told the court that the serial killer was friendly at first. However, everything changed when they reached Dahmer’s apartment. ABC News noted that Dahmer leaned his head against Edward’s chest and threatened to murder him with a butcher knife. The outlet also stated that the serial killer told Edwards that he would eat his heart after slaying him.

The survivor added that Dahmer forced him to lie on the floor and pointed a knife at his genitals. Edwards said, “He put his head on my chest, was listening to my heart, and said he was going to eat my heart.” Moreover, he recounted talking to Dahmer and calmed him upon realizing he was alone.

At some point during the night, Dahmer put handcuffs on one of his wrists. According to ABC News, Edwards tried to talk to him and asked to let him go. After a few hours, Edwards finally took his chance before storming out of his apartment. He ran through the streets with the handcuffs on one wrist and contacted the police. Edwards told the police that Dahmer tried killing and led them to the killer’s apartment. Police arrested Jeffrey Dahmer after recovering photos of several of his victims and body parts of 11 men in his refrigerator.

At the time, Edwards told the investigators that Dahmer underestimated him, and that’s why he was able to escape. Citing his statement, ABC News stated, “He underestimated me. God sent me there to take care of the situation.” Edwards played a crucial role in sending Dahmer to prison and testified during the trial.

In his testimony, Tracy Edwards mentioned that Jeffrey Dahmer forced him to look at a human head that he had kept inside his refrigerator. Although his testimony helped the prosecution team in the trial, Edwards faced a lot of problems in his personal life after his experience with Dahmer. In 2011, the authorities arrested Edwards and charged him with the murder of a man. ABC News mentioned that Edwards had been homeless and changing shelters since 2002.

What was Dahmer’s sentence?

In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer pleaded not guilty to the charges. He noted that he would claim to be insane if found guilty of the murders. However, in January 1992, Dahmer changed his plea to guilty, per The New York Times. During the closing arguments of the trial, the prosecutors called Jeffrey Dahmer a “calculating criminal.” They also told the jury that the accused decided to dismember the bodies to “get rid of the evidence.” The prosecutor added, “He’s fooled a lot of people. Please, please don’t let this murderous killer fool you.”

Jeffrey Dahmer’s lawyers tried proving to the court that he was insane and couldn’t stop his killing spree. However, the jury rejected that defense and found him sane, per The New York Times. Subsequently, the killer received 16 life sentences for the 16 killings.