Tribute To P. Kennedy, G. Palermo, P. Dietz And M. McCann For Their Job

Grilling Dahmer - Chapter 18:

“I concentrated on the man himself. The most surprising thing was how very much like me and other regular people he was. In between sessions or during lunch, I pulled out the daily Milwaukee newspaper and read aloud what was being reported. Dahmer perused the latest info on the case, and we discussed other current world events. He was intelligent and articulate, pleasant and polite at all times. The give and take between us went so smoothly that anyone observing would conclude that we were friends. He displayed all the normal human emotions of love, fear, anger, and loneliness during these conversations, and it was only when we returned to his deeds that a distinct "other" personality emerged. Sitting erect and emotionless, he slipped into a trance-like monotonous state as he described the horror of his actions, his blue eyes glazed over and lifeless. Only then did I feel the chill of evil. It was extraordinary.”

Extract from “Grilling Dahmer” book. Fanart by me.

If you’re interested to know more support the author and get the book!

! On a personal note, I always found the relationship between the two men fascinating, and I’m a bit sad we got nothing of Dahmer and Kennedy together, so I decided to draw a moment of the two together. “If we don’t have any photos of the duo, then I’ll create one by myself”, that’s what I told myself. However, I ask to be respectful with this drawing of mine, since I’m still reluctant about posting it. I feel like drawing something about this case can be very delicate, I don’t want to be disrespectful in any way and mostly I don’t want to glorify Jeffrey Dahmer. If you don’t mind, I ask to do not save/post this somewhere else in other socials without my consent. Let’s keep it here and let’s consider it as a “journalistic” piece, since my intent was to document a specific scene which happened. Hope you can understand, thank you!

List of items found in Jeffrey Dahmer's cell after his death

Robert Dvorchak's "Milwaukee Murders: Nightmare in Apartment 213"

Ernest Becker "Escape From Evil"

Mary Rose McGeady "Am I Going To Heaven?"

"The History of Western Philosophy"

"Bulfinch's Mythology"

Books on paintings from the Louvre

A bird encyclopedia

books on fish

a book on 'the world's most beautiful flowers'

works by Shakespeare and Henry David Thoreau

Cassettes of music by Mozart, Handel and Tchaikovsky

506 letters

several Bibles

religious flyers

English Leather Cream Cologne

Mennen Speed Stick deodorant

Goody brand braided elastic ponytail holders

hand-rolled cigarettes

Dutch Master President cigars

hard candy

grape drink mix

Source: Milwaukee Journal, article by Mary Carole McCauley "Pulling up the curtain on Dahmer's domain" / credits for the find to paleblueeyez on twitter and @dumbestass1978

Jeffrey Dahmer and the relationship with animals

Unlike other serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer never found interest on harming or torturing animals. In fact, abusing animals since childhood it’s an important factor which may link to future violence towards humans. However, hurting animals wasn’t under Jeffrey Dahmer’s radar.

“We’d go out and play in the fields, run around, she was a good dog to have.” -Jeffrey Dahmer

Childhood:

Since he was a kid he showed interest in animals, having a goldfish and a turtle as pets at only 18-months-old. The mother, Joyce, remembered those moments with affection, affirming the kind relationship his boy had with the animals: “Jeff was so very gentle with the turtle”.

He also had a cat, Buffy, during the time the family was living at Pammel Court. Unfortunately, due to the father’s job, The Dahmers had to move in Bath, Ohio, and they had to be sell Buffy. It was at that time, at age 7, that Dahmer was given a puppy to help distract him from the recent move. He named the puppy Frisky, she was a lovely black and white dog, and Jeffrey was very close to her.

Also around that time Jeffrey’s brother, David , was born. He loved his brother, yet he loved his dog more, as Joyce recalled: “…More adjusting for Jeff, but he loves Davy and is good to him. Frisky comes first in his heart, though. They really romp and play”. Jeffrey spent time playing and running out the camps with the dog.

Jeffrey Dahmer and a cat, possibly Buffy

Around age two or three, a curious fact had happened. His father was riding his bicycle with Jeffrey seated on the handlebars, when Jeffrey spotted what looked like a ball of dust (in the eyes of Lionel). Curious and pointing at it, Jeffrey encouraged the father to come closer, when Lionel noticed it was a baby nighthawk which had fallen from the nest. With Jeffrey’s urging, Lionel took the little bird at home and raised it with Jeffrey on his side. At the beginning they nursed it feeding it a mixture of milk and corn syrup, to switch with solid food later once the bird became strong enough. It almost became a pet, and a name was given: “Dusty”. “It was almost like a pet. It would come back when you called it, eat out of your hand and stuff like that.” Joyce said. When the bird grew and became stronger, it was ready to be released. It was Lionel who cradled it and took it outside, and when he opened the hand the bird flew away. It was a delightful moment, and all the three members of the family were happy.

Around age seven or eight instead, the first violent act of the child showed up. Jeffrey developed a certain fondness for the assistant teacher at school, and so he decided to give her a present. It was an innocent child gesture, a naive gift, but significant for little Jeffrey. He caught a bowl of tadpoles in a stream nearby a school where the family was used to go, to give them to the teacher as a sign of affection. Unfortunately after some time he would’ve found out the bowl was given to his friend Lee. He felt betrayed and as a sign of revenge he sneaked into Lee’s house garage (where the tadpoles were kept) and killed the animals pouring motor oil into their water.

“It stood about as tall as this table, short fur, looked like a Doberman, real friendly dog. My dog was chasing it into the street and this car came by and both dogs were together, right next to each other, and that car slammed into the big dog and just missed mine by that much. Boy, did I feel lucky.”

Dahmer remembering an episode with Frisky and the dog of his neighbours

Adolescence:

During adolescence he focused on his single hobby, started years before. At first he began watching and starring animals, such as snakes, toads, crabs, turtles, fish and wild rabbits. When living in Bath, Ohio, Jeffrey spent a great amount of time in a hut next to the house, collecting rests of animals. There was a skeletons collection, with the rests of squirrels, birds and chipmunks, and there was a jars collection with insects inside in formaldehyde. He even had a graveyard outside where he buried the dead animals.

However, his interest grew more and more, and it evolved in road-kills interest: he picked up dead animals in the streets, which were invested by cars, bringing them home. He was interested on the “mechanics” of the inside, and he wanted to know how it “worked”. He cut them open down the front, exposing the innards. Still, none of the animals were alive during the process, as he picked up dead creatures specifically. He usually found foxes, opossums, cats, raccoons and dogs. One of the dogs he found was very large, and after he brought it home as his usual, he waited for the skin to rot off to collect the bones later then. Another one was a Beagle, and after examining the insides, he grabbed the skull of the creature, putting it on a pole. Curiously, another time again, a chilling fact occurred, when he kidnapped a dog of a neighbour with the intent of killing it. He didn’t find the courage to do so after watching at the dog, and so he freed it. There’s also been one time in school where he stole the feral pig from the biology laboratory, taking it home and once in the garage, he removed the skin and flesh and kept the skull of the pig.

When in highschool, Jeffrey Dahmer shared a friendship with a certain Jeff Six, another student of the Revere High School. The friendship wasn’t deep at all, and it required no specific commitment. It was with him that Jeffrey spent some time in his car. Unfortunately, Six had a weird sadistic habit which Jeffrey didn’t like at all. While on the road, if a dog was spotted, Six would speed up to hit the animal. “His big thrill was to find a dog that was walking in the road and speed up real fast and hit it. It just amazed me. In one day he went through four dogs. How many dogs just walked into the road in front of him . . . He’d speed up real fast and just tick them off.” Dahmer said subsequently. One time in particular marked Dahmer quite a lot, when Six hit a little puppy, and when the latter looked back and Dahmer noticed his terrified eyes, he insisted to stop the car so he could go away, sickened by these acts.

The dog’s skull on a pole

Jeffrey Dahmer never killed an animal himself. It is frequently the case that people who grow into multiple murderers have evolved from sadistic children, and cruelty to animals in childhood is a common characteristic shared among them. Dahmer’s case is different in this regard as in most others. He displayed no cruelty, and was not interested in watching an animal suffer or react to pain.

- The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer

Adult life:

When living with his grandmother in West Allis, Wisconsin, he took care of the grandma’s cat, Jody, who liked. Jeffrey expressed his love for cats even with his neighbours, Vernell and Pamela Bass, when he saw their cat on their apartment. “He was very impressed when he saw our cat walk out of the bedroom picking her up and saying he liked cats a lot.” Vernell explained. Douglas Jackson, downstairs neighbor, also stated he was used to see Dahmer in the backyard smoking cigarettes or drinking beers surrounded by cats, which followed him wherever he went.

As he moved in his own apartment in Milwaukee, Apt 213 at 924 North 25th Street, he allowed himself to get a fish tank. It was a 30-gallon aquarium bought from The Fish Factory, a fish shop where he would usually wander around admiring the variety of fishes there, from their colours to their shapes. He was so fascinated indeed, so much that when he got caught they found books about fish care in his apartment. “It was nice, with African cichlids and tiger barbs in it and live plants, it was a beautifully kept fish tank, very clean . . . I used to like to just sit there and watch them swim around, basically. I used to enjoy the planning of the set-up, the filtration, read about how to keep the nitrate and ammonia down to safe levels and just the whole spectrum of fish-keeping interested me.” Dahmer said. He was so enthusiastic about trigger fish and puffer fish as well. He reminded the time when he saw the puffer fish in the store with enthusiasm: “I once saw some puffer fish in the store. It’s a round fish, and the only ones I ever saw with both eyes in front, like a person’s eyes, and they would come right up to the front of the glass and their eyes would be crystal blue, like a person’s, real cute.”. This was a very precious hobby for Dahmer, and after his arrest he would recall his aquarium moments with nostalgia, missing them.

Jeffrey and Jody at grandmother’s house in 1990.

“The cat's doing fine. She always wants to be brushed."

Jeff nodded.

"You know how she likes that."

"Yeah."

"She's always trying to be brushed," I said. "Remember how you used to do it?"

He stared at me silently.

- Excerpt From A Father's Story

Sources: The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer - Brian Masters; A Father’s Story - Lionel Dahmer; Across The Hall - Vernell Bass; Step into My Parlor - Edward Baumann; My Friend Dahmer - Derf Backderf

Welcome to PyramidSoul! ▵

Informative blog about the case of Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer. Here you will find informations, analysis and book extracts mostly. There might be personal insights as well like drawings and book reviews, but the latter will be rarer since the tone of the blog will be as external and least personal as possible.

This blog undertakes to bring unique contents aimed at informing and educating people about the Dahmer case, it doesn’t want to glorify or condoning the horrible acts Dahmer did. The blog takes distance and dissociate itself from thoughts and ideologies that of some people of the community took, like fictionalizing/loving Dahmer. The primary goal of the blog is to inform people, raise awareness of the topic and remember that this was a real case.

Due to the nature of the case, the topics covered will be delicate and detailed, they can disturb sensitive people. Viewer is advised.

Why Netflix’s Dahmer Sandwich Scene Unlikely Happened

Netflix’s “Dahmer -Monster: The True Story of Jeffrey Dahmer” is been a true success worldwide and it collected more than 1b hours views, becoming the #3 most popular TV (English) on Netflix (#4 considering the Non-English TV top). Besides the show portraits the events in a pretty faithful way, there are some differences and inaccuracies, and one of the most famous (and one of the creepiest) scenes is one of them.

During the episode 7 “Cassandra”, Dahmer (portrayed by Evan Peters) goes visit the neighbour to excuse his behaviour which caused some complaints from the tenants, offering the woman an handmade sandwich. The tension of the scene comes from the doubtful content of the ingredients, making the spectator think that it isn’t animal’s meat but human’s. But did this really happen? (Un)fortunately, as much this scene blows people’s mind and it’s so much discussed, it’s most probably a fake.

What are the reasons why it’s considered a fake?

At first it goes in contrasts with Dahmer’s modus operandi. He would have never risked to get caught offering other people a sandwich. He mostly kept everything to himself, not showing a hint of his macabre actions to other people. He installed cameras and alarms into his apartment and he barely had contacts with the neighbours. He met and spoke with Bass spouses sometimes, where they visited each other’s apartments at times, but they never had a close friendship nor they knew each other very well. He wouldn’t have risked it all doing this gruesome “joke”.

At second the cannibalism act, as grisly it is, it was a very deep deed for Dahmer himself. It was a projection of his needs, the next step of feeling someone near to him. It was a process who brought him to consume the meat based on an extreme personal feeling, which he couldn’t share to anyone. It wasn’t an action of a psychopath or a sadistic act to feel more evil and twisted, but an intense desire to keep someone with him as much as possible, having their meat connected to Jeffrey Dahmer himself, to become “one” (source - Jeffrey Dahmer confession). He didn’t kill for fun, but for his own (sick) necessities, and so the sandwich action couldn’t belong to his persona, but he simply couldn’t share it.

At last but not least, the source is not been confirmed, nor it’s been denied officially. Pamela Bass, Jeffrey’s neighbour, claimed she ate one of those sandwiches and that Jeffrey was used to cook for people at Oxford apartments. Her ex husband, Vernell Bass, denied everything saying the ex wife made this story up as the case blown up, explaining Jeffrey didn’t even cook for himself, and if everything was real, he would have never accepted a meal from a neighbour whose house stank terribly at first place. But until today it’s only Vernell’s word against Pamela’s, and no one really intervened clearing everything up, not even the same Jeffrey did.

Dahmer’s Books Reviews

I decided I could post my personal reviews about Dahmer’s books I’ve read, with a unique review template I created hoping it works well. I hope these can help people who wants to buy Dahmer’s books or just create a discussion with people who read them as well. With this I don’t mean to say my opinion is absolute, tastes are different and I saw people who have different opinions than mines already. I also want to state I’m not a professional at this, everything is amateurish and I manly did this for fun. I’m not even a big reader too. So let’s take it easy, everything is personal! Also: I’m currently reading more, so as I’ll finish the other books I can post the new ones too!

These are all the books I’ve read till now, but more are coming since I have some more few books at home which are waiting. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to start/finish them, but for now I can offer you the most discussed Dahmer books at least.

Books I’m going to do a review next:

The Psych Reports by Taylor James*;

Monster: The True Story of the Jeffrey Dahmer Murders by Anne E Schwartz*;

Milwaukee Massacre: Jeffery Dahmer and the Milwaukee Murders by Robert Dvorchak;

The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare by Don Davis.

*the books I’m planning to read next

Jeffrey Dahmer - A Psychological Insight

We all know about the atrocities of the Milwaukee Cannibal, but what drove him to commit such acts?

Dahmer pled guilty but insane before the actual trial. Psychiatric experts testified that he knew right from wrong, regardless of psychological state. So what did Dahmer suffer from, and how did this impact his crimes?

 Psychological Summary

There are many different possible diagnoses for Jeffrey Dahmer. Upon psychological inspection, many different possibilities arose for Dahmer’s mental state. 

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Perhaps the most obvious diagnosis, APD is a disorder that has been flirted with by psychologists to explain Dahmer’s behaviour. It is catagorised by the following: 

- Exploit, manipulate and violate the rights of others - No remorse or regret - Irresponsible, no regard for social norms - Very few long term, meaningful relationships  - Problems with temper and frustration - Lack guilt for their actions - Blame others for their own short-comings - Break the law consistently

This may seem like, on the surface, an appropriate diagnosis for Dahmer. However, the way in which he killed, and his self professed reasons for doing so, do not fit the criteria. Many psychologists deny this as the driving force behind his crimes, as his motives seemed to be propelled more by insecurity, self gratification and instability, rather than anger. 

Autistic Development Disorder 

Many children suffer from a form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which inevitably carries through to adulthood. It is categorized by the following:

- Social & communication difficulties  - Exhibit behaviours that other would deem “different” and “repetitive” - Intense obsessions  - Is often coupled with Social Anxiety and General Anxiety Disorder - Monotonous or flat speech - Uncomfortable with human touch

No two people present the same Autistic behaviors, so categorization is difficult.

Jeffrey Dahmer developed from a very young age an obsession with bones, namely animal bones. Lionel Dahmer (father) said in his book “A Fathers Story” that he encouraged this behavior, as he felt it may lead to a career in the medical field. He ultimately viewed this obsession as a harmless one.

In school, Dahmer had a lot of trouble with social interaction. He spoke of this himself in a later interview from prison, stating that  “The subtleties of social life were beyond my grasp. When children liked me, I did not know why. Nor could I formulate a plan for winning their affection. I simply didn’t know how things worked with other people…. And try as I might, I couldn’t make other people seem less strange and unknowable” 

Experts that assessed Dahmers behaviour, say that there is a connection between Aspergers and sexual development, aggressive behavior and low mood.

Borderline Personality Disorder 

After molesting a 13 year old, psychologists found Dahmer to be uncooperative, angry, manipulative and emotionally unstable. He later told his probation officer that his life lacked meaning and purpose. Could this empty feeling, coupled with an unstable disposition be a sign of BPD?

Categorization:

- Emotional Instability - Disturbed patterns of thinking or perceptions - Impulsive and reckless behavior - Unstable sense of self - Extreme fear of abandonment and rejection - Intense and unstable relationships with others  - Obsessive behaviors such as obsessing over other people

In his confession, Jeffrey Dahmer said he murdered the men to prevent them from leaving and abandoning him. This intense fear of being “left” is very common among BPD sufferers, and this, coupled with his extreme denial of his homosexuality (unstable sense of self) may make BPD a likely diagnosis. 

Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified; with Schizoid, Antisocial, and Schizotypal Traits

Psychiatrists that assessed Dahmer found that they were unable to conclude what afflictions he suffered from. The above diagnosis was given.

How would JD have been treated on the outside?

There are many different therapies that are available for the above mental health problems. Below is a selection of these that may have been implemented: 

Borderline Personality Disorder 

- DBT - Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Coupled with medication for related depression and anxiety

Aspergers  - A combination of Social Skills Training, Speech and Language therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Applied Behavioral Analysis and Medication

Many psychologists also think that a combination of Psychotherapy, Psychopharmacology and Hormone Therapy would have helped Dahmer to live a functional life.

How was Dahmer treated in prison?

Dahmer received no official therapy in prison for his mental health issues, other than the pastoral care of the prison minister.  He converted to Christianity whilst in prison. Was this a genuine move one Dahmer’s part to seek forgiveness and live a better, more fulfilling life? Or was it yet another desperate attempt to fit into a group and establish an identity for himself? 

Had Jeffrey been given the opportunity to receive quality mental health assessments and care, some believe he could’ve served as a “guinea pig” in how to treat extreme deviance such as this. 

Jeffrey Dahmer and the question of the “inside”

Jeffrey Dahmer, 1978

The hernia operation

In the year 1964, the three/four year old kid Jeffrey Dahmer, complained due to a pain in the groin area. The doctors found out he suffered from a double hernia, and soon after that he got operated. The recovery isn’t been easy for the kid, the pain was a lot and he even asked if they cut out his penis.

The operation is been traumatic indeed. He was very little, left in the hands of the doctors who he didn’t even know. He was left in a unfamiliar place where strangers operated him in a very private part, while he was immobilized, unable to react, while doctors could see the inside of him. As much as this is the procedure and doctors simply did their job, this was a huge trauma for Jeffrey Dahmer to digest, and it’s when he lost trust in doctors.

The corpses

Jeffrey Dahmer had this morbid fascination towards dead bodies. It was since the early adolescence he went looking for roadkill, dissecting the dead animals he found on the road. He cut them up all along the stomach, from neck to the groin area, exposing the internal organs, to then end preserving the bones.

In the adult age the dissection shifted on human corpses. At first it was born as a necessity to dispose the bodies, but then Dahmer found pleasure on cutting them, exposing the organs. He was attracted by the inside and he loved to place his hands between the innards and feel them. Like in the adolescence years, he preserved and kept the bones of the victims.

A withdraw man

The eldest son of the Dahmer family has never expressed his feelings but kept all to himself. The difference between the two Dahmer brothers was big, while David Dahmer was an extrovert, charismatic and successful boy, Jeffrey was an introvert, quiet and locked up man. He didn’t talk with family, he’d rather preferred to express himself in other ways like his brother remembers “[Jeff] never learned to be open with his feelings of frustration . . . he went out to the forest by himself and cut down trees for firewood.” (The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer). Indeed he felt lot of anger but yet he kept all inside.

When his mother was taken to an hospital due to her mental health, Jeffrey blamed himself for his mother’s illness and wanted to keep the house calmer as possible. He didn’t want to be a trouble and so made himself isolated. His father instead, tried to make him exit from his isolation. He tried to made the son interested in sports or hobbies, but none of that resulted successful. But it was the father himself who apparently made the son so withdraw and private, teaching him how to control his emotions and be quiet. But both father and mother didn’t give him too much attention at the end, they decided to ignore the signals thinking it was just the way Jeff was and there wasn’t nothing wrong at all.

“A little private world”

As the puberty came Jeffrey Dahmer realized his thoughts and sexual desires weren’t sane and normal at all. He started fantasizing about lifeless bodies he could explore while they were still, he even targeted a jogger hoping he could hit him with a baseball bat to make him unconscious. Adding to that he knew of his sexual orientation, but knowing he wouldn’t have meet the favor of his family he kept this secret to himself.

When he started to accept the thoughts, he put everything together and called the place where he kept them “a little private world”. It was a metaphor he used to describe his welcomed lifestyle where he was free to live and act how he wanted. At job or with his family he hid the thoughts and acted normally while inside of him he had a whole horror world he exposed only in gay bars or indoors his home.

Important announcement!

Hello everyone, Pyramid here.

I wanted to tell you I’ll take a break from tumblr and from Jeffrey Dahmer’s case in general. My mental health needs a pause because it’s suffering a lot from it. I already had my personal issues and now they got worse, and Dahmer case’s not helping, but it brings lot of negativity and depression instead. Actually I only need to take a breath and a change of scenery. The comeback’s date is still unsure, it all depends on my recovery. I frankly hope it will be as soon as possible because I love to manage this blog and I still have a lot to say, I want to give my contribute because I’m so fascinated by Jeffrey Dahmer, but at the same time I don’t want to force anything and I want to take my time.

So bye for now, hopefully we will see each other again soon! Stay healthy and take care!

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer - The Child

The baby was born at the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Milwaukee at 4.34 p.m. on 21 May, 1960. Weighing 6 pounds and 15 ounces, he was 181⁄2 inches long, with auburn hair and luminously blue eyes. Lionel and Joyce were entranced by him, their life together momentarily joyous as a result. Joyce began a baby scrapbook in which his every twitch and turn were lovingly recorded, remarking that the baby ‘scared us by having correctional casts on his legs from birth till four months’, but all was fine. He would only need 1 1⁄8 inch lifts on his shoes up to about the age of six. Otherwise, he was absolutely perfect. They named him Jeffrey Lionel.

If you’re interested to know more support the author and get the book!