Probation Officer Donna Chester’s Logs on Jeffrey Dahmer:
Early April, 1990: Chester writes that Dahmer tells her he has no friends and has isolated himself from society; he drinks alone, and that is when problems arise for him. She notes that he “felt more comfortable now he knew he was not being judged for his sexual purpose. Subject stated he would be more comfortable talking about his feelings now.”
April 27, 1990: Chester notes a phone call from Lionel Dahmer informing her that his son was abused by a neighbor boy at age eight; “maybe reason why subject has problems with sexuality issues.” Writes that Dahmer seems depressed. He complains about finding a place to live and having no furniture. “Does not want to solve own problems. Looks for others to help him.”
May 15th, 1990: The day after Dahmer has moved into his new apartment. He reports that his job is going well and that he is interested in real estate courses at the Milwaukee Area Technical College.
May 24, 1990: Missed appointment on the 22nd. Dahmer is “unkempt and upset” and tells Chester that he was “ripped off” at his apartment by someone who stole $300, his watch, and all his clothes.
June 11, 1990: Chester notes that Dahmer is again depressed about not getting enough sleep and feeling guilty over preferring male partners. He claims that he is not involved in sexual activity, however, and that he plans to remain celibate.
June 25th, 1990: “Client appears to be depressed all the time.”
July 9th, 1990: Dahmer explains that he is an hour late because he overslept and fell down some stairs. “Client looks rough. Agent believes subject is blowing money, but not sure on what. Subject appears defensive if questioned where his money goes … Subject’s appearance has gone way down since moved on own. Subject depressed, talked about suicide.”
August 13, 1990: Dahmer complains of financial problems, says that he is being sued by West Allis Memorial Hospital for failing to pay a bill, and “the only way I can see a way out is to jump from a tall building.”
August 27, 1990: Dahmer laments about “how miserable life is” and “how hard life” is for him.
September 24, 1990: Dahmer asks about his progress; Chester tells him he is doing “OK, but he has many serious problems both emotionally and physically that need to be addressed and he is not trying to resolve them.”
October,1990: Chester describes Dahmer as a chronic complainer with a negative attitude and a materialistic spendthrift. On Oct 23, she writes, “Subject also gets angry at people who make a lot of money, saying, ‘Why are they so lucky?’ and he ‘hates’ them for having so much.”
November, 1990: Dahmer reports at one meeting that his grandmother phoned him at work to ask how he was doing, and that the call made him feel as if someone cared about him. Near Thanksgiving, Chester writes that he expresses worry over seeing his father and brother at his grandmother’s house because he is ashamed of his lifestyle and he has nothing positive to contribute to a family gathering.
December, 1990: Dahmer reports that there were “no confrontations” at Thanksgiving. At the subject of Christmas on December 17th, however, he admits that he is uncomfortable around his family because “his father is controlling and he has nothing in common with his brother who attends college, and he is embarrassed about his offense.” Dahmer quickly adds that his family is supportive of him, however.
January, 1991: Dahmer states that the only reason he committed his offense was because he had been drinking, and it would never happen again because prison is a deterrent. He also declares to Chester that after a lot of thinking over the holidays, he has admitted to himself that he is gay. “That’s the way I am, so fuck it.”
February, 1991: Early in the month, Dahmer says that he has taken vacation days to rest and work on his money problems. At a later session, he claims to be broke and that he has to walk 16 blocks to work. Chester comments that Dahmer is again unshaven and slovenly and that he obviously has severe problems with his sexuality and is in danger of reoffending if he does not work on them.
March, 1991: Chester notes that Dahmer is happy; he tells her that his mother called him and said that she accepted that he was gay. The two hadn’t spoken in five years.
June 10th, 1991: Chester writes that Dahmer continues to deny sexual involvement or drinking.
July 8th, 1991: Dahmer says that he is “getting close to being fired” due to “lateness and missing work.” He states that losing his job “would be a good reason to commit suicide.”
July 15th, 1991: Chester notes that Dahmer called her to tell her he was fired yesterday and that he has been drinking ever since. She urges him to see her tomorrow, but he says he’s reluctant to because he hasn’t bathed or shaved in three days.
July 17th, 1991: Dahmer calls again to apologize for not showing up on the previous day, giving the excuse that he fell asleep.
July 18th, 1991: “The client has dirty clothes, is unshaven and during the interview was yawning as if having problems staying awake. The client is in severe financial difficulty. He will lose his apartment on the 1st of August. He talks again of suicide.” This is Jeffrey Dahmer and Donna Chester’s final meeting.
(Sources: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brian Masters’ The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer, and Anne E. Schwartz’s The Man Who Could Not Kill Enough)
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