People usually come to this topic because they’ve seen a Netflix show or a documentary, but the reality is much heavier than a binge-watch. When we ask who did jeffrey dahmer kill, we aren't just looking for a body count. We are looking at seventeen lives that were systematically erased over thirteen years. It wasn’t just a "spree." It was a slow, agonizing failure of the system that allowed a man to hunt in plain sight.
Dahmer didn't just pick people at random from a hat. He targeted specific communities—mostly gay men of color—knowing that the police in the 1980s and early 90s were often looking the other way. This isn't just true-crime trivia. It's a look at a specific failure of society.
The First Victim: Steven Hicks
It started in 1978. Steven Hicks was just 18 years old. He was hitchhiking to a rock concert when Dahmer picked him up.
Most people think Dahmer stayed active from the start, but that’s not true. After he killed Hicks in his parents' Ohio home, he actually stopped for nearly a decade. He went into the Army. He lived with his grandmother. He drifted. But that first murder set a template of control that he couldn’t seem to shake. Hicks was a young man with his whole life ahead of him, and his disappearance went unsolved for years because Dahmer had basically pulverized the evidence.
The Milwaukee Years: A List of Names
Once Dahmer moved to Milwaukee, the pace changed. It got faster. It got more reckless. Between 1987 and 1991, the apartment at 213 North 92nd Street became a house of horrors.
Steven Tuomi was the first in Milwaukee, though Dahmer claimed he didn't remember the actual act because he was in a "blackout." Then came Jamie Doxtator, who was only 14. That’s a detail that often gets lost in the sensationalism—the age of these victims. Richard Guerrero followed. Then Anthony Sears.
The victims weren't just numbers. Ricky Beeks was a father. Eddie Smith was known as a friendly face in the local neighborhood. Ernest Miller had a family that never stopped looking for him. When you look at who did jeffrey dahmer kill, you see a cross-section of a community that was already marginalized.
The Tragedy of Konerak Sinthasomphone
Perhaps the most infuriating story in the entire case is that of Konerak Sinthasomphone. He was 14 years old.
In May 1991, Konerak actually managed to escape Dahmer’s apartment. He was found wandering the streets, drugged and bleeding. Two heroic women, Glenda Cleveland’s daughter and niece, stayed with him and called the police. But when the cops arrived, Dahmer convinced them that Konerak was his adult lover and they were just having a "spat."
The police literally helped Konerak back into the apartment.
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He was killed later that night. This wasn't just Dahmer being "smart." This was a systemic failure where the police chose to believe a calm white man over two concerned Black women and a literal child who couldn't speak.
A Timeline of the Final Victims
The end came quickly in 1991. The frequency was terrifying.
- Matt Turner and Jeremiah Weinberger: Killed in July 1991.
- Oliver Lacy: A 23-year-old who was just trying to make a life for himself.
- Joseph Bradehoft: The final victim.
Bradehoft was 25. He had a wife and three children. He was just looking for work in Milwaukee. His story is particularly heartbreaking because it shows how Dahmer exploited the vulnerability of people who were just trying to get by.
Why the Context Matters
A lot of "expert" analysis focuses on Dahmer’s psychology—the abandonment issues, the necrophilia, the bizarre "shrine" he wanted to build. Honestly? That's what Dahmer wanted people to focus on.
The more important context is the geography. Most of these men were killed in the North Side of Milwaukee. At the time, the relationship between the Milwaukee Police Department and the Black community was strained, to put it mildly. Dahmer knew this. He frequented gay bars like the 211 Club and used the "outcast" status of his victims as a shield.
If these men had been from wealthy, white suburbs, the investigation would have started after victim two or three. Instead, it took seventeen.
The Full List of Those We Lost
It's important to see the names together. It's the only way to counteract the "celebrity" status of the killer.
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- Steven Hicks (18) - 1978
- Steven Tuomi (24) - 1987
- Jamie Doxtator (14) - 1988
- Richard Guerrero (25) - 1988
- Anthony Sears (26) - 1989
- Raymond Smith (Ricky Beeks) (33) - 1990
- Edward W. Smith (28) - 1990
- Ernest Miller (22) - 1990
- David C. Thomas (23) - 1990
- Curtis Straughter (18) - 1991
- Errol Lindsey (19) - 1991
- Anthony Hughes (31) - 1991
- Konerak Sinthasomphone (14) - 1991
- Edward I. Turner (24) - 1991
- Matt Turner (20) - 1991
- Jeremiah Weinberger (23) - 1991
- Oliver Lacy (23) - 1991
- Joseph Bradehoft (25) - 1991
(Note: Some counts list 17, as Steven Tuomi's body was never recovered and Dahmer was never officially charged with his death, though he confessed to it.)
The Misconception of the "Genius" Killer
One thing you've gotta understand: Jeffrey Dahmer wasn't a criminal mastermind. He was sloppy.
He left bodies in his basement. He left a stench so bad that neighbors complained for months. He used his real name. He was arrested and on probation during several of the murders. The reason he wasn't caught isn't that he was "smart," it's that the people he killed were considered "disposable" by the powers that be at the time.
The court cases and the later civil suits brought by the families (like the one led by the legendary attorney Wendy Patrickus) highlighted just how many times the ball was dropped.
Actionable Steps for True Crime Readers
If you are researching this case, don't stop at the gore. True crime has a responsibility to the victims.
Verify the Source: If a documentary focuses more on the "coolness" of the killer's glasses than the lives of the men he killed, find a better source. "The Man, The Monster" narratives are usually trash.
Support Victim Advocacy: Many families of the Milwaukee Seventeen are still active in their communities. Look into organizations like the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC).
Understand the Geography: Research the history of Milwaukee’s redlining and policing in the 80s. It provides the "why" that a psychiatric evaluation never can.
Honor the Names: When discussing the case, try to lead with the victims. They were brothers, sons, and fathers. They weren't just characters in a horror story.
The story of who did jeffrey dahmer kill is a story of seventeen stolen futures. Keeping their names at the forefront is the only way to ensure they aren't erased again.