Jeffrey Dahmer deaths: How many people did he kill?

True crime fans are in for an in-depth look at one of the most notorious serial killers in American history very soon. Heading into the spooky season, Evan Peters will portray Jeffrey Dahmer in a 10-episode Netflix series titled Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and in early October we’ll get a new season of Conversations With a Killer on Netflix, this time focusing on the Milwaukee Cannibal.

Though Dahmer is one of the most well-known serial killers, there are likely plenty of people who aren’t that familiar with his story. And just a warning here that it’s a very gruesome one. Dahmer grew up in Wisconsin before moving to Ohio as a child. He claimed he didn’t face abuse in his childhood, though his parents went through a pretty nasty divorce and his mom suffered from depression. When he became a teenager, Dahmer realized he was gay, and would soon have fantasies about dominating and controlling other men.

After Dahmer graduated from high school, he committed his first murder. The victim was a hitchhiker named Steven Hicks, who Dahmer took an interest in sexually. When it became apparent Hicks didn’t feel the same attraction, Dahmer killed him so he couldn’t leave.

How many people did Jeffrey Dahmer murder?

Hicks was Dahmer’s first of many victims. He later confessed to having killed 17 people, all of whom were young men. And he didn’t stop the crimes after murdering them.

Did Jeffrey Dahmer actually eat people?

If you don’t know the full story about Dahmer but know who he is, chances are you’ve heard that he was a cannibal. It’s a pretty well-known thing in the media, with Juicy J even rapping in the 2014 Katy Perry song “Dark Horse”: “She eats your heart out like Jeffrey Dahmer.” If you’re wondering if that’s true or just a rumor, unfortunately, it’s very true. Dahmer was a cannibal.

After murdering many of his victims, Dahmer consumed parts of their bodies and performed sexual acts with their corpses. These were truly heinous crimes, which is why his story is so infamous.

Learn more about Jeffrey Dahmer if you dare with Netflix’s two upcoming releases. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premieres on Netflix this Wednesday, Sept. 21. And look out for Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes when it hits the streamer on Friday, Oct. 7.