At about 11:30 on the night of July 22, 1991, Milwaukee Police Department patrol units saw a partially clothed man stumbling down the road near an apartment building on North 25th Street. The young man told police he had been threatened with a knife inside the apartment building, which led the officers to launch an investigation. They were then led to the unthinkable.  

The Netflix series Monster came out in 2022, while attempting to portray his crimes with accuracy, also gave significant screen time to Dahmer’s personal life, presenting him as a troubled individual. Due to these series, there was a surge in Halloween costumes portraying Dahmer; since then, eBay has had to ban sales made on their platform including Halloween costumes of Dahmer, meant to portray the frightening murderer. According to Entertainment Weekly, an eBay spokesperson remarks, “I can confirm that these items are banned on eBay and are being removed under our ‘Violence and Violent Criminal Policy.’” 

While serving in prison between 1992 and 1994, Dahmer was sent hundreds of letters, replying to only a few. In these letters, various people sent him money, cigarettes, books, and Bible literature from as far away as South Africa and France. Based on a New York Times article, a 74 year-old nun sent Dahmer $10 to reimburse him for postage on two art books that he mailed to her. The nun then defends Dahmer saying, “He did awful things, but deep down he isn’t a bad kid”. 

This unintentionally blurs the lines between understanding his mental illness and excusing his behavior. The media often focuses on the shock value of Dahmer’s crimes. The gruesome details, his desire to control and keep his victims alive for longer periods through various means, have been highlighted repeatedly. However, the media portrayal can sometimes obscure the real psychological and social implications, focusing more on the salacious details and his personality than on the suffering he caused. This has been the case with numerous people who commit these ghastly crimes. 

Theodore Robert Bundy, also known as Ted Bundy, known for his charisma involving women, per Biography, was a rapist, serial killer and necrophiliac who killed 30 women in the 1970s, though some speculate it may be closer to 100. He was arrested in 1978 and received three separate death sentences for the murders of two Chi Omega sorority members at Florida State University, and a 12-year-old girl. There are at least 10 films regarding his life story, and his crimes. These include, “Bundy and the Green River Killer (2019)”, “Bundy: An American Icon (2008)”, “American Boogeyman (2021)”, etc. 

The use of the term “icon” in the name of a film about Ted Bundy is suggestive; it implies to people who see the title that if you are responsible for the death and misery of dozens, you will be rewarded in society, being marked an icon. Definitions from Oxford Dictionary explain that an icon is, “a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration”. Per the film synopsis of “Bundy: An American Icon” the film is described as quote, “Ted Bundy is attractive, intelligent, and suave. He is also a serial killer about to embark on a murder spree in the 1970s”. 

With the title already implying Bundy is a legend for taking the lives of innocent women, the film’s synopsis goes into even more depth about how the writer and director of the film, Michael Feifer, describes Bundy with complimentary words, characterizing him as a hero. It in fact does not help the audience view Bundy as only a serial killer after including those four adjectives. Per Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received a 16%. 

The wording of these titles and summaries about Bundy only illustrate that the film industry wants to romanticize Bundy, and turn him into a heartthrob, which regarding serial killers in general, shouldn’t even be an adjective considered. 

All of these serial killers have fan followings. Girlfriends, women who write them letters, and some being good looking, coercing their victims with their charm. The media exploits these stories because people are attracted to gruesome and unusual stories. The fact that they’re good looking makes it even more intriguing. Richard Ramirez an American serial killer, rapist and burglar has some of these fan followings in common. 

Richard Ramirez, also known as The Night Stalker, was responsible for murdering 13 people in California from 1984-85. Based on reports, when he was 12, his cousin who was a Vietnam war veteran showed him pictures of Vietnamese women he allegedly raped, tortured and killed. The next year, Ramirez was a witness to his cousin shooting his wife. Shortly after this, he started breaking into people’s homes. Murdering at least 13 people, most occurring in the Los Angeles area. Some of Ramirez’s victims, a few of whom survived, were regularly beaten and sexually assaulted, with Satanic symbols discovered at numerous crime scenes. 

As Ramirez gained notoriety for his crimes, Oxygen: True Crime features a quote from Gary Brucato, a forensic psychologist stating, “The public is fascinated by Ramirez, he has admirers, he’s sort of the vampiric figure who is hypnotizing them.” This proved to be true.

People admired him because he was attractive, and magnetic in a way. Eva O., a musician wrote a song titled, “Night Stalker,” in lieu of him. Some of the lyrics of this song are:

Richard, Richard

Can you close your eyes?

You’ve got me hypnotized

I want to speak to 

Mr. R.R.

Would he have spared me?

Arguably, one of the most horrific variables about the adoration society has for these false idols is that their praise is veiled, many not even aware to what extent they are worshipping these killers. A multitude of people who write these murderers letters, send them gifts, or have tried to see them in person for the sole purpose of feeling a glimpse of their energy, are usually the people who have had the magnitude of death hidden from them in their life. The concept of death is something so heavy, and containing so many layers, that a lot of these fans can’t comprehend that these feral brutes took a human life, a human life exact to the one they bear. 

A huge problem within our society is the fact that the principle of death is regularly swept under the carpet. Because the general public doesn’t know Dahmer’s victims, or weren’t related to them biologically or emotionally, the public is unable to feel true remorse for the victims, causing society to blatantly forget about the pain these monsters caused, and still cause. 

Of the dozens of victims who fell prey to these monsters, they all had names. All were loved. The victims were mothers, fathers, friends, family, cousins, siblings, yet can you name one? Their stories matter and should be told. Conversely, it seems the exact opposite with mass shooters. 

Recently, the media has taken a different approach when reporting on mass shootings. Extreme care is taken to honor the victims and rarely mention the name of the shooter. The intent is to not give notoriety to these perpetrators to avoid fame, and copy-cats. Serial killers enjoy the attention and spotlight that comes. By paying less attention to the killer themselves, we do not participate in their desires.

 Sharing news of a murder, or in these cases murders, does serve a purpose. In an effort to protect the public, seek a conviction, and to prevent future crimes, these stories should be told. Care should be taken not to glamourize the killers themselves.

 It is time as a society that we decide to honor victims of crime. It is their stories we should be sharing; these are the names we should remember:

Per USA Today, Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims include: Steven Hicks (18), Ernest Miller (24), Steven Tuomi (28), David Thomas (23), Jamie Doxtator (14), Curtis Straughter (18), Richard Guerrero (25), Errol Lindsey (19), Anthony Sears (24), Anthony Hughes (31), Ricky Beeks (33), Konerak Sinthasomphone (14), Eddie Smith (28), Matt Turner (20), Jeremiah Weinberger (23), Oliver Lacy (23), Joseph Bradehoft (25).

Per All That’s Interesting, Ted Bundy’s victims include: Karen Sparks (18), Lynda Ann Healey (21), Donna Manson (19), Susan Rancourt (18), Roberta Parks (UNK), Brenda Ball (22), Georgann Hawkins (UNK), Janice Ott (UNK), Denise Naslund (UNK), Nancy Wilcox (16), Rhonda Stapley (survived), Melissa Smith (17), Laura Ann Aime (17), Carol Daronch (18), Debi Kent (17), Caryn Eileen Campbell (23), Julie Cunningham (26), Denise Lynn Oliverson (24), Lynette Culver (12), Susan Curtis (15), Margaret Elizabeth Bowman (21), Lisa Levy (20), Karen Chandler (survivor), Cheryl Thomas (survived), Kimberly Leach (12).

Per The US Sun, Richard Ramirez’ victims include: Jennie Vincow (79), Dayle Yoshie Okazaki (34), Maria Hernandez (survived), Tsai Lian “Veronica” Yu (UNK), Vincent Charles Zazzara (UNK), Maxine Levenia Zazzara (UNK), Bill Doi (UNK), Lillian Doi (survived), Mabel “Ma” Bell (83), Florence “Nettie” Lang (survived), Carol Kyle (42), Mary Louise Cannon (UNK), Whitney Bennett (survived), Joyce Lucille Nelson (survived), Sophie Dickman (survived), Maxon Kneiding (UNK), Lela Kneiding (UNK), Chainarong Khovananth (UNK), Somkid Khovananth (survived), Christopher Peterson (survived), Virginia Peterson (survived), Sakina Abowath (survived), Elyas Abowath (UNK), Peter Pan (UNK), Barbara Pan (UNK), Bill Carns (survived), Inez Erickson (survived).