Losing a family member is never easy, and for many parents, one of their biggest hopes in life is for their children to outlive them. Such unfortunately wasn't the case for Jeffrey and Lionel Dahmer as the notorious killer lost his life in a 1994 prison stabbing. The former wound up behind bars after he was found guilty of murdering, dismembering and cannibalizing at least 17 men between the years of 1978 and 1991. Lionel's son was condemned by the public. Through it all, his father stood by his side, making the world gain a better understanding of what life is really like for those struggling with mental illness.
Before and after Jeff's death, the Dahmer family patriarch spoke with public figures like Dr. Phil and Oprah to help others hopefully develop empathy for the convicted murderer. As TMZ reports, the father-son duo came together to do an MSNBC interview while the younger of the two was serving his 15 consecutive life terms. It's obvious that he would've spent the rest of his life in prison had he survived Christopher Scarver's stabbing.
Revisit Oprah's Interview with Lionel Dahmer
Still, Lionel put non-stop focus into helping Jeffrey redeem his public image as much as possible. The elder Dahmer was 87 when he passed today (December 5) in a Medina County, Ohio hospice centre. At this time, the exact cause of his death remains unknown, but we'll surely keep you in the know as more updates come.
Jeffrey Dahmer's name has spent plenty of time in the mainstream news these past few years, largely thanks to Ryan Murphy's series depicting the serial killer's heinous crime. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available for streaming on Netflix, with Evan Peters playing the cannibal and Richard Jenkins channelling his father. Reactions online were all over, but the limited series undeniably shed necessary light on an unforgettable story. Thanks to the hype, his infamous glasses went on sale for a huge number, which you can read more about at the link below. RIP Lionel.
[Via]