Dahmer grew up in a middle-class family but showed disturbing behavior from a young age.

He was fascinated by dead animals, often collecting bones and remains.

His parents’ troubled marriage and eventual divorce deeply affected him, increasing his isolation and alcohol abuse.

After high school, he briefly attended college and later joined the U.S. Army, but was discharged due to alcoholism.

Dahmer’s first murder occurred in 1978, soon after finishing high school. His first victim was Steven Hicks, whom he picked up hitchhiking.

Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer killed 17 men and boys, mostly homosexual or minority victims.

He lured them to his apartment by offering money, drinks, or photographs.

Once inside, he would drug, strangle, dismember, and sometimes perform necrophilia or consume body parts.

He took Polaroid photos of his victims at different stages of the crimes and kept skulls, organs, and skeletons as trophies.

Dahmer was finally caught on July 22, 1991, when one intended victim, Tracy Edwards, escaped from his apartment and flagged down two police officers.

When the police entered Dahmer’s apartment, they discovered horrifying evidence:

• Photos of dismembered bodies

• Human heads in the refrigerator and freezer

• Barrels filled with acid used to dissolve remains

• Various body parts preserved in jars

Dahmer confessed to all the murders and described them in chilling detail.

His lawyers attempted an insanity defense, arguing he suffered from mental disorders such as necrophilia and borderline personality disorder.

However, the court found him legally sane and responsible for his actions.

On February 17, 1992, Dahmer was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences (957 years) in prison.

Wisconsin had abolished the death penalty, so he could not be executed.