The Dahmer Files

Aftermath of Jeffrey Dahmer

On August 5, 1991, as the nature and scale of Dahmer's crimes initially came to light, a candlelight vigil to celebrate and heal the Milwaukee community was attended by more than 400 people. Present at the vigil were the community leaders, gay rights activists, and family members of several of Dahmer's victims. Organizers stated the purpose of the vigil was to enable Milwaukeeans to "share their feelings of pain and anger over what happened."

Dahmer's murders were committed at a time of heightened racial tension in Milwaukee. A professor of community studies at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Walter Farrell, later stated race relations in the city had been "in a state of disrepair for nearly a decade" at the time of Dahmer's arrest. In an August 1991 interview given to the Christian Science Monitor, Farrell stated that news of the murders, as well as the conduct of Milwaukee police officers John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish with regards to the victim Konerak Sinthasomphone, exacerbated and highlighted racial tensions within the city.

Milwaukee's gay scene was generally underground and transient in nature at the time of Dahmer's murders, with many sexual active gay men using aliases. Many in the city's gay community were nervous of the intentions of others after the extent of Dahmer's murders became known, although the fear and distrust generated by Dahmer's crimes was short lived. As the 1990s progressed, the usage of aliases became less common among members of Milwaukee's gay community.

The Oxford Apartments at 924 North 25th Street, where Dahmer had killed 12 of his victims, were demolished in November 1992. The site is now a vacant lot. Alternate plans to convert the site into either a memorial garden, a playground, or to reconstruct a new housing have failed to materialize.

Dahmer's estate was awarded to the families of 11 of his victims who had sued for the damages. In 1996, Thomas Jacobson, a lawyer representing eight of the families, announced a planned auction of Dahmer's estate. Although victims relatives stated the motivation was not greed, the announcement sparked controversy. A Civic group, Milwaukee Civic Pride, was quickly established in an effort to raise the funds to purchase and destroy many of Dahmer's possessions. The group pledged $407,225, including a $100,000 gift by Milwaukee real estate developer Joseph Zilber, for purchase of Dahmer's estate; five of the eight families represented by Jacobson agreed to the terms, and Dahmer's possessions were subsequently destroyed and buried in a undisclosed Illinois landfill.

Lionel Dahmer is retired; he lived with his second wife, Shari, until her death in 2023. Both refused to change their surname and professed their love of Dahmer in spite of his crimes. In 1994, Lionel published a book, A Father's Story, and donated a portion of the proceeds from his book to the victim's families. Most of the families showed support for Lionel and Shari, although three families subsequently sued Lionel: two for using their names in the book without obtaining prior consent, and a third family that of Steven Hicks filing a wrongful death suit against the Lionel, Shari, and former wife Joyce, citing parental negligence as the cause for the claim.

Joyce Flint died of cancer on November 27th 2000. Prior to her death she had attempted suicide on at least one occasion. Dahmer's younger brother David changed his surname and lives in anonymity.