Shraman Mitra
Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story‘ takes the viewer through the murders committed by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, whose reign of terror stretched from 1978 to 1991. Interestingly, he killed at least three people while living with his grandmother, Catherine Jemima Hughes, in her house, although some were lucky enough to escape with their lives. As most serial killers are addicted to murder, we cannot blame viewers for wondering if Jeffrey was also responsible for killing his grandmother. So, if you are curious about his grandmother’s fate and want to know if the prolific serial killer had female victims, we have you covered.
Did Jeffrey Dahmer Kill His Grandmother?
No, Jeffrey Dahmer did not kill his grandmother. Instead, Catherine Jemima Hughes was the only person he ever showed compassion to. When Jeffrey’s father, Lionel, saw that his son had dropped out of University and was honorably discharged from the army, he believed that his grandmother might be able to help him turn his life around. Hence, hoping for Catherine to be a good influence, Lionel sent Jeffrey to stay with her in West Allis, Wisconsin, in December 1981.
Jeffrey initially followed Catherine’s rules at her house and started working as a phlebotomist at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center. However, that job lasted for just ten months, and reports claimed that in the meantime, he got in trouble with the law for indecent public behavior. Jeffrey landed his second job as a mixer at the Milwaukee Ambrosia Chocolate Factory in 1985, yet he was unable to shake off his murderous instincts, and on November 20, 1987, he made his first kill when living with his grandmother.
Incidentally, Jeffrey killed the victim, Steven Tuomi, at the Ambassador Hotel but carried his body in a suitcase to Catherine’s house before disposing of it. Subsequently, on January 16, 1988, he fatally strangled James Edward Doxtator in his grandmother’s residence, whereas Richard Guerrero was drugged and strangled at the same West Allis house on March 24, 1988. Besides, Anthony Lee Sears became the last victim killed in Catherine’s house as he was drugged and strangled on March 25, 1989.
It is unclear whether Catherine knew about the murders, yet Jeffrey believed she had suspicions. Furthermore, in one instance, she noticed her grandson with Ronald Flowers, an intended victim, which made the serial killer decide not to kill the latter. Catherine would reportedly often notice foul odors coming from her basement, and while Jeffrey gave her false explanations, she never investigated much on her own.
Ultimately, in 1989, Jeffrey pled guilty to second-degree sexual assault and tempting a child for immoral purposes, which netted him a sentence of one year in prison with work release and five years probation. After his release, the serial killer returned to Catherine’s house but soon moved out permanently to a Milwaukee apartment. Hence, we can confirm that Jeffrey never hurt or harmed his grandmother. Catherine was alive when he was captured in 1991, and she passed away at 88 in 1992.
Did Jeffrey Dahmer Kill Any Women?
No, Jeffrey Dahmer did not have a single female victim; he murdered around 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. With him being gay, reports mentioned that he was sexually attracted to most of his victims and ended up murdering them out of a desire to own them completely. Moreover, even Jeffrey’s lawyer, Gerald Boyle, claimed he was more obsessed with body form than color. Although the angle of racism in Jeffrey Dahmer’s murders has been debated extensively, most historians and experts agree that since the murders were sexually driven, he never even thought of murdering women and only focused on males he found attractive.
