Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers in history, but the truth about his life and crimes has often been twisted by rumors, media headlines, and pop culture. Over time, countless myths have taken on a life of their own, shaping a false version of events that many still believe today. In this article, we uncover the most shocking lies surrounding Dahmer’s story—and reveal the disturbing facts that were hidden in plain sight.
Glenda did not live in the Oxford Apartments building
Glenda Cleveland (Niecy Nah) is a character who has made real life more interesting. She lives next to Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) in apartment 213 at the Oxford Apartments, 25th Street in Milwaukee.
Cleveland, the real-life Cleveland, lived in a nearby building. The show may have attempted to merge the characters of Pamela Bass and Cleveland into one. Bass said that Dahmer made sandwiches in the building for other residents. This becomes the subject of a troubling exchange between Dahmer’s character and Cleveland later in the series.
It is possible that the Milwaukee Police incident might not have been reported
Despite getting so many details right, the show makes some interesting choices in its newscasts. Cleveland is watching the television news program, and the first words you hear are, “Five white officers were accused of beating a Milwaukee officer on an undercover assignment.”
This then indicates that the incident occurred during a traffic stop. We were unable to find any evidence that this occurred. This was certainly true in the months preceding Dahmer’s 1991 arrest. (This will be shown in the scenes following the newscast). However, an incident in Nashville, Tennessee, in December 1992 fit the description.
Tracy Edwards and Dahmer watched together ‘The Exorcist’
Tracy Edwards (Shaun J.) was shown “The Exorcist” by Dahmer. Edwards, the man who escaped Dahmer’s apartment and led police back to where Dahmer was found (though he claimed it was “The Exorcist III.”
The series also mentions “Return of the Jedi,” another favorite movie of Dahmer.
What number of locks were there on Dahmer’s door?
This episode focuses on the night of July 22, 1991, when Dahmer was arrested after Tracy Edwards, 32, escaped from his apartment and flagged police down. Edwards is seen on the show fiddling around with locks and trying to escape. This became a matter of contention in real life.
Edwards’ story was changed after Dahmer’s arrest. He appeared on talk shows and discussed the numerous locks on the door. However, photos showed only two of them. Other evidence that police found in the apartment was real, including the painted skulls and heads in the fridge.
Milwaukee police officers returned Konerak Sinthasomphone, one of the victims, to Dahmer
“Ten-four. It’ll be a minute; my partner’s gonna get deloused at the station.” These are the words of John Balcerzak (with Joseph Gabrish as his partner). He arrived at the Oxford Apartments on May 27, 1991, for an encounter that would prove to be a significant wedge between the Milwaukee citizens and their leaders.
Konerak Sinthasomphone, a Dahmer victim, was famously returned to Dahmer after the latter convinced the cops that Konerak’s 14-year-old victim was, in fact, his 19-year-old lover who had had too many drinks. The officers returned to the car and radioed in.
Recoiling attitude
Later, they reported that the smell in the apartment was similar to someone who had just used the bathroom. This was not something sinister. “Deloused” was an adjective that critics emphasized as a sign of law enforcement’s flippant and recoiling attitude toward the gay community.
After Dahmer’s murders, those officers and a third officer (Rick Porubcan) were identified, and five more were added to the suspension list. Philip Arreola, the police chief, fired both of them. A judge reinstated them in 1994. They continued their long career as law enforcement officers.
Dahmer actually stole a mannequin from a department store
It was a Boston Store – now a defunct Milwaukee-based chain. This episode also featured a true story from Dahmer’s childhood. He was upset that the tadpoles he had gifted to his teacher were given as a gift to another kid.
Dahmer claimed he went to his friend’s house and killed all the tadpoles with motor oil. This was even more sinister than what the show depicted.
Dahmer was convicted of sexually assaulting one of his future victims’ brothers
In 1988, Dahmer was convicted of the sexual assault of a minor, Sinthasomphone’s younger brother. This incident has been widely regarded as an unfortunate coincidence.
He buys Konerak beer at a convenience store but doesn’t connect the two brothers until Konerak mentions it. In real life, Dahmer said that he met Konerak at the Grand Avenue Mall.
Ohio police released Dahmer with evidence
In his testimony, Dahmer stated that he was stopped near his Ohio home with garbage bags and Hicks’ remains in the backseat in 1978 after he had killed his first victim (Steven Hicks) at age 18. Even though he was swerving, Dahmer persuaded the officers to allow him to drive off. The episode shows this interaction.
After returning from military service, he eventually kept the body but disposed of it two more years later. He scattered the remains in the backyard of his parents’ house. The remains were discovered by investigators in late 1991.
Dahmer’s jogger story is somewhat true
In real life, Dahmer did tell us that he was fascinated by a jogger in the area and considered attacking him with a bat. However, it’s not clear that he did. He promised that if the jogger came back, he would finally act.
Dahmer follows the jogger, stalks him, and approaches him with the bat. Then, he brings the jogger home for a drink. This interaction is revealed to have been a figment of their imagination.
Dahmer photographed in the school’s yearbook photo
Dahmer posed with the Honor Society yearbook photograph group, even though he was not part of the association.
He was photographed in the school’s honor society yearbook photo, even though he wasn’t a member of the organization. Just like in the show, his face was blacked out.
Dahmer worked at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center, but he didn’t consume bags of blood
One scene shows Dahmer obtaining a job at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center as a phlebotomist and bringing home a bag full of blood to drink. Dahmer’s real-life incident was less gory but more daring.
Dahmer claimed that he tried a small amount of blood to taste it and did this on the center’s roof. Dahmer claimed that he spat out the blood on the roof.
Dahmer claimed that he had killed his first victim in Milwaukee at the Ambassador Hotel
According to the show’s portrayal, Steven Tuomi was Dahmer’s first victim here in Milwaukee. However, Dahmer never provided any details and said that he had blacked out. The show portrays it that way.
Dahmer wasn’t officially charged with Tuomi’s death, as no remains were ever found. However, Dahmer did recount parts of the encounter.
Ron Flowers’ close call
Schwartz’s book says that Dahmer claimed he didn’t decide to kill Ron Flowers, a man he led to his grandmother’s home in West Allis and then drugged. This was because Flowers weighed 250 lbs, and Dahmer wasn’t sure he could drag him. Although Ron Flowers (Dyllon Burside) is not as intimidating, he does get saved by Catherine Dahmer (Michael Learned). It is unclear whether she was as involved in real life as she was on the show.
Flowers was offered a lift by Dahmer after his car had broken down. Flowers recalled returning to his house, then waking up at a hospital. He believed he had been assaulted. The show does not include this. After the incident, Dahmer was interviewed by police. However, they found Dahmer’s story credible.
Television news reports contain bizarre information
The background TV news reports are fascinating. One mentions a fire in Stafford, which is a fictional community. Another report states that Allis-Chalmers will close its tractor operations by the end of the year. Allis-Chalmers was closed in 1985, before the depicted events.
Schwartz says that the Milwaukee correctional facility, where Dahmer was sentenced for a year, looks more like a prison on television. Still, it is actually more of a dormitory in real life.
Judge William Gardner received a lot more attention in real life than on the show
Gardner was criticized for his leniency in sending Dahmer to prison for the sexual assault of minors. Still, he is not emphasized in this series. It is unclear if he actually struggled with Sounthone Sinthasomophone’s broken English. He asked that one of his children be a translator (as it was on the show). Schwartz’s book suggests that the family was not present at the sentencing hearing, as no one had told them.
Donna Chester, a probation officer who met with Dahmer during his murder spree but never became wiser about his crimes, was also widely criticized. Still, she does not appear on the show.
According to witnesses, Tony Hughes and Dahmer had known each other for over a year
Although the show is supposed to be about Dahmer’s victims and those who allowed Dahmer to continue his crimes, this episode spends more time with other characters than Dahmer.
Tony Hughes met Dahmer for the first time in 1989. This episode portrays the long-lasting relationship between Dahmer and the deaf man, at least according to the show’s standards.
The disappearance of Hughes
In his confession, the real-life Dahmer stated that he had never met Hughes. However, a friend of Hughes said that they had been friends for over a year and that Dahmer visited her house six times between October 1989 and December 1990 to search for Hughes.
A friend confirmed that they had known each other for 2 years before Hughes was a victim. The disappearance of Hughes was reported by Milwaukee newspapers shortly after he disappeared. This was before the discovery of Dahmer. And there is more – Dahmer called his victims’ family members. He menacingly advised them to stop searching for loved ones, just as the show depicts.
Glenda Cleveland followed up on her suspicions with Milwaukee police repeatedly
Glenda Cleveland was present at the May encounter between Sinthasomphone, Dahmer, and the police. She followed up on several occasions, believing Sinthasomphone to be a child younger than 19 years old. After seeing a newspaper story about Sinthasomphone’s missing, she called them again and said she could recognize him.
She was unsure of the police’s answers and called the FBI to report her suspicions. The FBI decided that it didn’t have jurisdiction. Dahmer was finally arrested seven weeks later. Cleveland said she called the police about it for “a whole month, and even months” in the TV show.
It is true that the tenants living in the Oxford Apartments complained about the smell and heard screams
The manager contacted Dahmer at least three times about the matter, but it isn’t clear if he was threatened or evicted, as he was on the program. To reduce the smell, Dahmer was even assisted by the manager in cleaning out a freezer.
As mentioned, Dahmer and Cleveland have never met. Therefore, the menacing exchange in Dahmer’s insistence that she eat a sandwich he made probably wasn’t a real one. Cleveland passed away in 2011 and never left 25th Street. The city eventually honored the Rev. Cleveland as an example of citizen action. Jesse Jackson visited Milwaukee to draw attention to the double standard in law enforcement’s treatment of Black and White citizens. Cleveland met Jackson in person, as she did in the show.
The family’s testimonies are almost word-for-word, taken from court transcripts, and are the most powerful part of the show
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this show is criticized for not telling the victims’ families a more compelling story. The most memorable scene in this episode is at the end. Family members can speak out in court about how Dahmer’s murders have affected them. Although the speeches almost match the actual transcripts, unfortunately, we haven’t had enough time to get to know these people.
This includes Rita Isbell (DaShawn Barnes), Lindsey’s sister, a passionate display of rage. Isbell did, in fact, attempt to reach across the table and attack Dahmer during the trial. A representative from the Isbell family questioned the purpose of another re-telling of the Dahmer story with the Netflix release.
Lionel Dahmer petitioned Judge Gardner for his son’s release
The show’s central theme is the complex relationship between Lionel Dahmer and Richard Jenkins (Richard Jenkins). True, Lionel did petition William Gardner not to free Dahmer.
He believed he needed treatment for alcoholism and other urges. Dahmer was unable to receive this treatment during his time in the correctional facility.
In 1992, a comic book by Jeffrey Dahmer was published
Dahmer admits to reading a comic book about another Wisconsin serial killer, Ed Gein. Although it’s not clear whether Dahmer actually read an Ed Gein comic when he was younger, there’s a graphic novel.
However, the Jeffrey Dahmer comic book featured in the series was actual, much to the horror and dismay of his family in 1992.
Balcerzak and Gabrish were not awarded “Officer of the Year” by Milwaukee Police
A brief scene in which the police officers involved in the feud between law enforcement and citizens – John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish – are given an “officer-of-the-year” commendation is one of the most important inventions of the show.
This never happened. However, both were reinstated to work in 1994 with back pay. Balcerzak was later elected president of the Milwaukee police officers’ union. However, Cleveland was formally recognized by the Common Council and County Board. Mayor John Norquist described her as a model citizen. The show shows her recognition.
According to the police chief, he believes that Sinthasomphone’s family was being called by police officers
After Konerak Sinthasompone’s family received threats by phone, Philip Arreola, chief of police, offered 24-hour protection. This was after the officers returned their son to Dahmer in May.
Arreola stated in a television interview that other officers had called the family and the spouse of one officer. The family declined the protection offered, and calls stopped after a tracing device had been placed on their phones.
Played differently
Robert Slattery filed a lawsuit against officers and the city on behalf of his family. He said that he had also received threats and calls to his office. Nothing suggests that the officers involved in the interaction at Dahmer’s apartment were part of these phone calls.
The TV show portrays the officers who make one of the calls as being played differently by actors. However, they are similar to the actors playing Balcerzak or Gabrish.
We were unable to find any information regarding Sandra Smith’s arrest
In the episode, Sandra Smith, the daughter of Glenda Cleveland, is accused of assaulting a gawker (and shattering his camera). It is possible that this was a staged incident. We didn’t see any evidence of it happening. The real-life Smith was there when Konerak Sinthasomphone was returned to Dahmer.
And another accurate detail: The apartments were indeed demolished, and nothing has taken their place. The Campus Circle Project purchased the Oxford Apartments for $325,000. This public/private association was affiliated with Marquette University. They were then razed in 1992. The lot at 924 N. 25th Street remains vacant today. It is surrounded by a black fence.
God of forgiveness & God of vengeance
Characters (including Dahmer) try to move on in what could be regarded as one of the series’ weakest episodes. They do so with a theme of faith and forgiveness. Christopher Scarver is the convicted killer who killed Dahmer and another prisoner (Cedarburg murderer Jesse Anderson). He was incarcerated at Columbia Correctional Institution.
The real-life Scarver testified that he believed he was one million years old. He claimed to be the child of God. He may also be susceptible to embellishment. Investigators found that the double murder was not committed by prison staff. Scarver was sentenced to a second life sentence in addition to his initial life sentence.
Here’s How ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ Actors On Netflix Look Compared To The People They Were Portraying
Jeffrey Dahmer
Netflix does a remarkable job of dramatizing true crime. This is also true for the new series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – a great job of making the cast members look precisely like the real-life people they are meant to portray.
Actor Evan Peters, 35, plays serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the series. Dahmer was arrested in 1991 and admitted to the murder of 17 boys and men. Dahmer was murdered in prison after 3 months at the age of 34.
Shari, Lionel and Joyce Dahmer
Shari Jordan, now Dahmer, is Jeffrey Dahmer’s stepmother. She is also married to his father, Lionel. Shari and Lionel did interviews and visited Jeffrey in prison. Larry King interviewed them in 2004 about their belief that Dahmer was mentally ill. Molly Ringwald plays Shari in Monster, a Netflix series.
Richard Jenkins portrays Lionel Dahmer as Jeffrey’s father in the Netflix series. Lionel, 86 years old, is alive and well now. He lives with Shari Dahmer. Joyce Dahmer is Jeffrey’s birth mother and is played by Penelope Ann Miller on the Netflix series. Joyce attempted suicide after battling with her mental health all her life. Joyce Dahmer, 64, died of breast cancer.
Glenda Cleveland
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story sees Niecy Nah play Glenda Cleveland’s neighbor. However, in real life, this character is based on two people. The show’s character is a mix of real-life experiences and another person. Glenda Cleveland was not Dahmer’s neighbor in real life. She actually lived in the next building to Dahmer’s. Jeffrey Dahmer had a neighbor named Pamela Bass.
Glenda, despite living in the next building, was the one who contacted the police about her concerns regarding Dahmer’s behavior. She was unable to convince anyone to take her seriously. Glenda’s phone conversation with the police is real – she called after seeing Dahmer with Konerak Sinthasomphone, a 14-year-old victim.
Tracy Edwards
Tracy Edwards managed to escape Dahmer and led police back toward the killer’s apartment, which resulted in his arrest. Tracy Edwards, played by Shaun J. Brown, was able to escape but ended up in trouble with the law.
According to reports, he was charged with drug possession, property damage, and failure to take care of the bills for child support.
Ronald Flowers
Ronald Flowers was one of the few men to survive his encounter with Jeffrey Dahmer.
The serial killer took him to his grandmother’s house, and he said that if it weren’t for Jeffrey Dahmer’s grandmother, he believed he would be dead. In 2020, Ronald appeared on Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster to talk about his experiences.
Rita Isbell
Rita Isbell, Errol Lindsey’s sister, is one of the victims. Rita gave an emotional victim impact speech in court and in front of Dahmer. Rita said Netflix was “money-hungry” to make another series about Dahmer.
She said she did not allow her breakdown to be portrayed by an actor and that she only discovered this after watching the clip online. Rita is played by DaShawn Barnes in the series.
Christopher Scarver
Christopher Scarver was the man who killed Jeffrey Dahmer while they were both in prison. Scarver was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1990 for killing Steven Lohman (a Wisconsin Conservation Corps worker).
Scarver, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Dahmer and another prisoner, is currently serving multiple life sentences.