Who killed Jeffrey Dahmer and how did the Milwaukee Monster die?

Netflix's new true-crime series on Jeffrey Dahmer has viewers wondering what happened to the Milwaukee Monster after he went to prison...

Who killed Jeffrey Dahmer and how did the Milwaukee Monster die?
(Image credit: Getty)

Netflix's latest true-crime series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, has been widely praised for focusing on the victims of the US serial murderer, but just who was the person who killed Dahmer and how did they do it? 

If you're anything like us, you've already binge-watched your way through all ten episodes of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – and are now on a deep dive of the Internet to find out more details about the twisted tale. 

The limit-run series dropped on Netflix on September 21, joining the US streaming giant's impressive library of true-crime content just in time for the Halloween season. (The Thing About Pam is a must, by the way.) 

From wondering who plays Jeffrey Dahmer to what happened to his only survivor, Tracy Edwards, it's safe to say that the thrilling new show – courtesy of Ryan Murphy – has reignited a morbid fascination with one of the most grotesque serial killers of the century. 

Dahmer was sentenced to 16 terms of life imprisonment in 1992 for killing 17 people between 1978 and 1991, just a few years before he was murdered in prison himself. So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about who killed Jeffrey Dahmer and the brutal manner in which the Milwaukee Monster died.

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(Image credit: Netflix)

Who killed Jeffrey Dahmer? 

Jeffrey Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, on 28 November 1994, less than three years into his 16x life imprisonment term at Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. 

The fatal attack occurred in the prison's gym, where the serial killer had been assigned to clean the showers alongside Scarver and another convicted murderer, Jesse Anderson. Dahmer was found dead on the floor at 8.10am, having been severely bludgeoned by a 20inch, 5lb metal bar. Anderson, who had been assaulted by the same weapon, was discovered alive, but died two days later in hospital.

Dahmer

(Image credit: Getty)

Scarver, who was believed to be schizophrenic, reportedly returned to his cell immediately after the attack and informed officers, "God told me to do it. Jesse Anderson and Jeffrey Dahmer are dead." 

The then-25-year-old, who was already serving a life sentence at Columbia for the 1990 fatal shooting of Steve Lohman, was handed two further sentences of life imprisonment for the killings. 

In a 2015 interview with the New York Post, Scarver revealed shocking details about the build-up to his killings of Dahmer and Anderson. He claimed that Dahmer was never 'repentant' for his crimes, would model human body parts out of food, and was widely disliked by the general prison population. 

"I saw heated interactions between [Dahmer] and other prisoners from time to time," Scarver said, adding that he himself had "no impression" of the notorious cannibal.

His attack on his fellow inmates was triggered by a hostile exchange during his cleaning shift with Dahmer and Anderson, in which he recalls being 'poked' in the back by one of the men. 

"I turned around, and [Dahmer] and Jesse were kind of laughing under their breath,” Scarver said. "I looked right into their eyes, and I couldn't tell which had done it." 

Scarver then claims he headed for the weights room, where he retrieved a metal bar before returning to the gym to confront Dahmer. 

"I asked him if he did those things [the crimes] ’cause I was fiercely disgusted. He was shocked," Scarver recalled. "He started looking for the door pretty quick. I blocked him." He then swung the bar against Dahmer's head twice, knocking him to his death. 

The incident occurred during a 20-minute period when the three men were unsupervised, leading Scarver to believe that the guards deliberately left him alone with Dahmer and Anderson. 

"They had something to do with what took place. Yes," Scarver said. 

Dahmer's body was cremated and his remains were given to his parents, Joyce Annette Flint and Lionel Herbert Dahmer. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.