Jeffrey Dahmer Explained Why He Painted the Skulls of His Victims

Many serial killers tend to have a method that they use for their killings, which true crime documentaries always cover between television shows, movies, and podcasts. Jeffrey Dahmer certainly had a pattern of how he would kill his victims, although they became increasingly violent over the course of his spree. Dahmer collected the skulls of his victims, but he finally revealed to a fellow inmate why he decided to keep and paint them.

Jeffrey Dahmer collected the skulls of his victims

Dahmer had disturbing fascinations from a young age. However, they initially started with animals, and he managed to keep them hidden from those around him. He searched out roadkill in the streets, but the brutal cutting and preserving would ultimately turn toward human beings. Dahmer frequently kept the skulls of his victims after boiling the head to melt the flesh off. However, it didn’t always go as planned.

The bleaching process would sometimes leave the bones too brittle for him to keep, so he would pulverize them into small pieces to dispose of. Dahmer always had the goal of perfectly preserving certain aspects of his victims’ bodies, including their skulls. Nevertheless, the dangers of getting caught continued to mount until he was arrested in 1992.

Jeffrey Dahmer painted the skulls as ‘a form of disguise’

Herman Martin told his story to Patricia Lorenz about his encounters with Dahmer in prison. He had the cell right next to the serial killer, but he didn’t converse with him right away. Martin eventually garnered the courage to ask Dahmer some questions. After all, he followed the case even before the serial killer ended up in the same prison as him. Martin inquired Dahmer why he would keep his victims’ skulls. Additionally, he really wanted to know why he decided to paint them.

“They’re proof, along with the photographs, that I did my part,” Dahmer said. “Personally, I found the skulls somewhat erotic. I could sit and stare or fondle them for hours, fantasizing about killing more people. I really liked the skulls. Plus, I knew that if the police ever found a real skull in my possession, it would be confiscated. The paint was a form of disguise so they wouldn’t be taken.”

He explained why he kept certain parts of his victims

Dahmer tried to create a shrine out of the skulls and bones, but law enforcement arrested him before he could complete it. However, he also kept other parts of his victims, including the lungs, intestines, kidneys, bicep muscles, and hearts. Martin asked the serial killer why he would keep all of those parts of his victims.

“It was food,” Dahmer replied. “And it would have been eaten if I’d have had the time to do it. Also, I could take the parts out whenever I needed the rush I got from chopping them up. They were an asset, man.”

Martin still wanted to see some sort of humanity out of Dahmer, although the other inmates didn’t have any hope of that after hearing of his crimes.

Dahmer would eventually die at the hands of fellow inmate named Christopher Scarver in 1994. After only two years of his sentence, the serial killer met his fate.