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We watched a dramatization of the serial killer’s childhood and relationship with his parents in The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The Netflix show depicted Jeffrey Dahmer’s life before his unexpected double life as a murderer.
According to his parents, Lionel and Joyce, the ‘Milwaukee Monster’ had a reasonably typical upbringing. While this was true, Jeffrey’s parents were prone to arguing as he grew up, and the couple eventually separated. We saw the insanity build in the Dahmer household as a young Jeffrey watched his parents argue practically every night in the series.
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Who Were Jeffrey Dahmer’s Parents, And Where Are They Now?
While nothing could excuse Jeffrey Dahmer‘s adult murdering rampage, his childhood may have provided some insight into how he became so deranged. Joyce Dahmer, Jeffrey’s mother, had a difficult pregnancy with Jeffrey, suffering from muscular stiffness among other symptoms.
Lionel further stated that she was “taking approximately 26 tablets of various drugs roughly one month after becoming pregnant.” Her problems, however, did not end there. After giving birth to Jeffrey’s younger brother David, Joyce was also diagnosed with postpartum psychosis.
Joyce’s mental health problems worsened after that, and she began overdosing on drugs. Joyce was also said to spend a lot of time in bed and required a lot of attention, frequently using sleeping medication. Meanwhile, as Jeffrey was growing up, his father, Lionel Dahmer, worked as a chemist and was frequently away from home.
Lionel eventually found Joyce had been having an affair, and the couple separated in 1978. Joyce was awarded custody of David, but Jeffrey remained with his father because he was about to graduate from high school. During the summer, however, Jeffrey has left at home alone, and it was at this time that he murdered his first victim.
What Were Lionel And Joyce’s Thoughts On Jeffrey Dahmer?
Lionel appeared on programs such as Good Morning America and Oprah Winfrey in the aftermath of his son’s sentencing. During the interviews, he revealed his insights about Jeffrey’s heinous crimes. “The closest I could come to why – to establish some form of causality for all of this – is that I think it was a cumulative thing,” Lionel stated in an interview with Good Morning America.
He also mentioned that his four-year-old son had a double scrotum hernia procedure and was never the same afterward. However, there is no evidence that Jeffrey’s violent crimes were caused by a double hernia surgery. However, that is a very intriguing notion.
In addition, Lionel informed Oprah Winfrey in 1994 that Jeffrey was a shy child growing up. “The only indicators I saw were timidity and an unwillingness to engage in social relationships, that type of thing,” he said.
“But there are no obvious indicators of anything.” Joyce, Lionel’s ex-wife, was less eager to speak publicly about her son’s actions. She did, however, speak with Hard Copy in 1994 after receiving criticism for her parenting. “I know I did a fantastic job as a parent, and I knew this had to come from somewhere other than Jeff,” Joyce explained.
“I adore my son.”I never stopped caring about my son.” “Jeff was a compulsion victim.” “A fixation.” In Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Penelope Ann Miller, and Richard Jenkins argue. Penelope Ann Miller and Richard Jenkins play Jeffrey Dahmer’s divorced parents (Credit: Netflix)
Was Jeremy Dahmer Abused As A child?
Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents were said to have a close relationship. During his trial, Jeffrey revealed that the two were frequently fighting when he was a child. Jeffrey also opens out about his childhood to his defense attorney in the Netflix documentary Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes.
He even said that his mother used to hit his father. “They just couldn’t seem to get along,” he explained. When asked if he witnessed any violence, Jeffrey replied, “Just slapping and hitting.” The couple eventually divorced in 1978, and Jeffrey took the divorce particularly hard because he was left home alone for most of the summer that year.
Even after their son died in jail, Lionel and Joyce had a difficult relationship. After Jeffrey was murdered in prison by Christopher Scarver, the duo disagreed on what should be done with Jeffrey’s brain. Joyce advocated for its donation to science, but Lionel preferred that Jeffrey’s brain be cremated in order to “put his son’s acts behind him.” Finally, the judge agreed with Lionel and ordered that his brain be destroyed.
What Happened To Joyce And Lionel?
Joyce Dahmer attempted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in her garage on her son’s birthday in 1996. She survived and lived until 2000 when she died at the age of 64 from breast cancer. Lionel eventually stopped giving interviews and remained generally silent about his son’s actions.
He did, however, emerge in the 2020 documentary Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster, giving an open interview about his son. He even read aloud the letter he wrote to the authorities in 1988 appealing for his son’s rescue. In 1994, Lionel published A Father’s Story, a memoir.
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