American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer raped, murdered and dismembered at least 17 men and boys from 1978 to 1991. It mostly targeted gay men and black boys. His two youngest victims were 14 years old.

Dahmer’s crimes came to light in 1991 when he tried to persuade three men to pose for nude photos with money, ABC News reported. One of them agreed and followed Dahmer to his home; where Dahmer handcuffed him and expressed his intention to eat his heart.

However, the man eventually managed to escape and notify the police. Dahmer made a detailed confession to the police after his arrest. According to USA Today, he died in prison in 1994 at the age of 34, killed by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

This week’s ‘Shocking Crimes’ series on ABP Live looks at the disturbing case of Jeffrey Dahmer.

Dahmer’s Crimes

Jeffrey Dahmer is believed to have committed his first murder in 1978, just three weeks after graduating from high school. He picked up an 18-year-old hitchhiker named Steven Hicks and took him home. When Hicks tried to leave, Dahmer hit him with a 10-pound dumbbell and strangled him to death, according to Biography.com.

Reflecting on the crime years later, Dahmer told Inside Edition in 1993: “I always knew it was wrong. The first murder was not planned. I was coming back from the mall on 78. “I had fantasies of picking up a hitchhiker and taking him back home and having complete domination and control over him.”

According to the news on Biography.com, Dahmer took Hicks to his family’s home in Ohio and killed him there, then dismembered his body and put it in garbage bags. “For over ten years, no one had any idea what was going on,” Dahmer said of his crimes.

Dahmer later enrolled at Ohio State University. However, he left school after one semester due to alcohol addiction. He later enlisted in the United States Army, where he was honorably discharged due to his excessive drinking, according to the New York Times.

According to Biography.com, Dahmer committed his second murder nine years later. In September 1987, he took 24-year-old Steven Tuomi to a hotel room. Dahmer claimed that his only intention was to drug Tuomi, but when he woke up the next morning, he found him dead and had no memory of killing him. He stuffed the body into a suitcase and carried it to his grandmother’s house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he dismembered it and threw away most of the remains. He stored the skull for a week before boiling it and grinding it into powder.

Two months later, Dahmer lured 14-year-old James Doxtator to his grandmother’s basement and offered him $50 to pose for nude photographs. He then drugged and strangled the child and disposed of the body in the same manner as Tuomi’s.

In March 1989, Dahmer met Anthony Sears, a 24-year-old aspiring model, at a bar. He brought Sears to his grandmother’s basement, where he drugged and killed him. Sears was Dahmer’s first victim, whose “trophies” he hid; He kept his head and genitals in a wooden box, which he kept in his study cabinet for a time.

Murder Spree Comes to an End

Dahmer’s final crime occurred on July 22, 1991, in Milwaukee, when two police officers flagged down 32-year-old Tracey Edwards, who had one wrist cuffed.

According to Biography.com, Dahmer had met Edwards earlier that day and convinced him to come to his home. Once inside, Edwards noticed a foul odor and tainted hydrochloric acid containers. Dahmer managed to handcuff one of Edwards’ wrists, pulled out a knife, and tried to drag her into the bedroom, where he said he wanted to take nude photographs of her.

Edwards managed to escape by punching Dahmer and knocking him out, allowing him to escape through the unlocked front door. He alerted two police officers and took them back to Dahmer’s apartment.

Once inside, officers discovered an open drawer containing Polaroid photographs of the dismembered bodies. When Dahmer saw that the officers had found the photographs, he tried to escape, but the officers quickly subdued him and handcuffed him.

Neighbors later told police and reporters that they noticed a foul odor coming from Dahmer’s apartment, but Dahmer explained it as spoiled meat, according to History.com.

Following his arrest, Dahmer confessed to the murders in detail, confessing to “17 murders in total,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Trial and Death

Following his confession, Dahmer was formally charged with multiple counts of first-degree premeditated murder. He was also accused of cannibalism and necrophilia.

In September 1991, Dahmer initially pleaded “not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity,” but changed his plea to “guilty but insane” in January 1992, A&E True Crime reports. Psychologist Dr. Holly Schiff claimed that Dahmer was insane, explaining that he had the burden of proving to the jury (all 10 of 12 jurors must agree) that he was mentally ill at the time of the murders.

The network added that if Dahmer is found sane, he will be sent to prison, but if he is declared insane, he will be placed in a government institution where he can later petition for release.

Dahmer’s trial began on January 30, 1992, with closing statements delivered on February 14. The next day, the jury declared Dahmer legally sane and not suffering from mental illness at the time of the murders. He was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to 16 consecutive life sentences.