"Someone's Son": The Families of Jeffrey Dahmer's Victims Address the Court, 1992

Name: "Someone's Son": The Families of Jeffrey Dahmer's Victims Address the Court, 1992
Uploaded: 2022-09-25T00:00:00Z
Duration: 31 min 19 s
Description: Court TV's footage of the first part of Jeffrey Dahmer's sentencing hearing in Milwaukee on February 17, 1992: relatives of nine of his victims address him in open court, followed by defense attorney Gerald Boyle's remarks.

Court TV's footage of the first part of Jeffrey Dahmer's sentencing hearing in Milwaukee on February 17, 1992: relatives of nine of his victims address him in open court, followed by defense attorney Gerald Boyle's remarks.

Subject: Jeffrey Dahmer
Recorded: February 17, 1992
Runtime: 31:19

Content warning: Relatives speak of the murders of their sons and brothers and address the killer directly; one statement refers to the manner of a killing (drugging, a cut throat, the tools found in the apartment), and one ends in an emotional outburst in the courtroom.

The Interview

This is not an interview, and Jeffrey Dahmer does not speak in it. It is unnarrated Court TV footage of the first part of his sentencing hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on February 17, 1992. After the case is called and the lawyers enter their appearances, relatives of nine of the men Dahmer killed address the court and Dahmer in turn.

Historical Context

Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee on July 22, 1991. In January 1992 he pleaded guilty but insane to fifteen counts of murder, and a trial was held only to decide whether he was legally insane. On February 15, 1992, the jury found that he was not. Wisconsin has no death penalty. Two days later he was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life terms.

Circumstances

District Attorney E. Michael McCann asked to hear from the victims' families before sentence, and the Milwaukee County Victim/Witness Program arranged their appearances. The speakers identify themselves on the tape: J.W. Smith, brother of Edward Warren Smith; Stanley Miller, Ernest Miller's uncle, for the Miller family; Shirley Hughes, mother of Tony Anthony Hughes; Dorothy Straughter, mother of Curtis Straughter; Janie Hagen, sister of Richard Guerrero; Inez Thomas, mother of David Thomas; Donald Bradehoft, for the family of Joseph Bradehoft; Marilyn Sears, mother of Anthony Lee Sears; and Rita Isbell, oldest sister of Errol Lindsey. Two surnames (Bradehoft and Sears) are given as heard and are not yet verified (see WARNINGS).

What the Recording Covers

J.W. Smith reads short statements written by his brothers and sisters and their mother, then describes Edward as "uniquely flamboyant", witty and compassionate, and says he "tried to be Jeffrey Dahmer's friend. As a result, he lost his life." Stanley Miller asks for the maximum sentence and tells Dahmer: "Did you ever stop to think that this was someone's son?" Shirley Hughes reads a poem written by a friend of her son, who was deaf, ending with the sign for "I love you". Dorothy Straughter says that the next day would be a year since she last saw her 17-year-old son and that she refuses to let Dahmer destroy her. Janie Hagen speaks of four years of searching for her brother, calls Dahmer "the devil" in Spanish, and asks that he never see daylight again. Inez Thomas speaks of her son's two-year-old daughter, who asks when her father is coming. Donald Bradehoft tells Dahmer he hopes he goes to hell. Marilyn Sears asks why it had to be her son. Rita Isbell's statement ends in an outburst; Court TV's description says she rushed at Dahmer, and most of what follows is inaudible.

After an apparent edit, Gerald Boyle tells the court that the defense experts came forward to explain how a human mind could "dissipate to such a degree" that it could commit such acts, praises the families' dignity, and quotes at length F. Lee Bailey's foreword to a book on mass murder by Jack Levin and James Alan Fox, about the lost chance to study Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler. He hopes Wisconsin will allow Dahmer to be studied so that others like him can be treated before they cause harm.

What Makes the Recording Significant

Rita Isbell's confrontation is among the most widely seen moments of any serial killer's sentencing; Court TV's own description ties it to the 2022 Netflix series about the case.

Archival Importance

The footage is unnarrated and comes from Court TV's own archive, so the statements survive as spoken, with date and source.

Important Caveats

Dahmer is not heard. The statements are victim impact statements at sentencing, not trial testimony. Boyle's account of the defense experts and of what the case would teach is an advocate's view; the jury rejected the insanity defense. Court TV's description calls Rita Isbell "the mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer's victims"; on the tape she identifies herself as Errol Lindsey's oldest sister. The disturbance at the end of her statement is largely inaudible, and the footage is edited before Boyle's remarks. Two speakers' names, Donald Bradehoft and Marilyn Sears, are given as heard (see WARNINGS).

Court Officer: All right. [unclear: "here we go, here we go" (Whisper) / "Harry, Harry" (captions)], Branch 33 [unclear] Milwaukee County [unclear] [inaudible]. [unclear: "Time for the commands to be seated" (Whisper)]

Judge: We're missing... oh, no. Okay, we're set. I, I looked the wrong direction for you. Okay, why don't you call the case so we can make a [unclear: "director" (both sources)] of who's here.

Clerk: It's case number F91-2542, State of Wisconsin versus Jeffrey L. Dahmer.

Judge: [unclear: "Appearances" / "Parties"] for the record, please.

District Attorney: Michael McCann, District Attorney of Milwaukee County, appearing for the State of Wisconsin. With me at counsel table is Assistant District Attorney Carol White and Assistant District Attorney Greg O'Meara. Also at counsel table is Lieutenant Kenneth Meuler of the Milwaukee Police Department, who has been with us through this hearing. I've also invited City of Milwaukee Police Lieutenant Roosevelt Harrell to join us. He would have been with us throughout at counsel table had we been contesting the murder counts, in terms of the, the, to which the plea was entered.

Judge: Okay. Mr. Boyle, appearances for the defense.

Defense Attorney: Good morning, Your Honor. On behalf of the defendant Jeffrey Dahmer, who appears in his own person, he appears by his attorneys, Gerald P. Boyle, Wendy Patrickus, Ellen Ryan, Scott Hansen, and seated at counsel table is Dr. Kenneth Smail, who has been of great assistance to me, and I wanted him here today.

Judge: We're here for sentencing today. Uh, Mr. McCann, we talked about hearing from the, uh, the families of the victims. Do you want to proceed with that first?

District Attorney: Yes, I do. Does the court wish any particular order?

Judge: I, I'll let that be your call.

District Attorney: Mr. Roger Griffin of our Victim/Witness Program is with us, and I'm going to ask him to orchestrate that, as the families have their appearances. [02:05 to 02:19: no speech.]

Judge: Sir, first of all, you want to tell us who you are?

J.W. Smith: Okay. I'm J.W. Smith, uh, brother of Edward Warren Smith.

Judge: Okay. Go ahead, sir.

Speaker Not Identified: There, you can give a copy of this to Judge Gram. That's what I'm going to say.

Judge: Okay, sir, you've handed the bailiff a written statement, and you're going to read from that statement, is that correct? Go ahead.

J.W. Smith: Our parents, Walter and Josephine Smith, were two hardworking Americans who raised 13 children. Of the survivors, I've been selected to express a statement of each one's personal pain. Joseph Patrick: "Edward is gone, and I find comfort in these words: 'Whosoever believeth in me shall never die.'" Michael Fitzgerald: "I'm sure Edward was a friend to Jeffrey Dahmer, as he was to us who knew him well. I have these pictures in my mind that are running continuously. How can anyone comprehend or come to accept that never again in this life will Edward be?"

J.W. Smith: Ernest Richard: "The death of Eddie has shown me the injustices in the world today." John Andrew: "Jeffrey Dahmer has erased a million future memories for me of my closest brother." Teresa: "I need to tell my brother that I love him, and it hurts thinking about what he could have become." [unclear: "Henry Gale" / "Henry Gil"]: "I will never get over the effects that Jeffrey Dahmer has placed in my mind and forever imprinted in my life. May God send Eddie's soul to rest in peace."

J.W. Smith: Carolyn Ann: "Jeffrey Dahmer took away my best friend, my better half, my roommate. He took away the laughter. His biggest dream was to be a model, and I hope that one day I can fulfill his dream of being a queen-size model and keep people laughing as much as he did." Robert Esther: "I miss you, Edward, and I love you. And maybe now you can finally be at rest."

J.W. Smith: James Willie, myself: "Our dad is gone, and now so are you. I never had the chance to say goodbye to either of you. Dad taught us to love and accept each other and expect that..." Oh, excuse me, I lost my place here. For they... "Dad taught us to love and accept each person for who they are. You were unique, and I loved you."

J.W. Smith: [unclear: "Mia"]: "I wanted to see justice done, and no dollar amount can bring my brother back. If you feel any remorse, let's change the Son of Sam law to Jeffrey Dahmer law." Walter Lewis: "It is hard to conceive that a person could take another's life. Ed belonged to someone. How can you fix what is broken, replace what is lost?" [unclear: "Warren" (captions "waren") / "Worry" (Whisper)]: "It is easy for me to forgive the sin done to my brother Ed, but to forget, I cannot. I find each day an inward struggle, but in my faith, I find comfort."

J.W. Smith: Josephine Helen, our mother: "This is a terrible tragedy to my family, but I still have 12 children to live for, and in them, hopefully, I will overcome it."

J.W. Smith: Let me tell you briefly about Edward Warren Smith on a more personal level. Ed was raised in a Christian home in Brookfield, where he learned how to be a loving, trusting, respectful human being. Eddie inherited all the blessings that a family structure had to offer. The greatest of these blessings was love. Eddie's style of life and dress was uniquely flamboyant. He was intelligent, witty, compassionate toward the human race. At the time Eddie's life was taken from him, he was searching for his place amongst you and me.

J.W. Smith: Although we have tried, it is impossible to summarize 27 years of this young man's life in five minutes. Perhaps it can best be said in St. John, chapter 15, verse 13: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Edward Warren Smith tried to be Jeffrey Dahmer's friend. As a result, he lost his life. Mr. Dahmer, Eddie's gone now, the victim of your senseless killing. Where do we go from here?

J.W. Smith: We ask ourselves, why did this happen to a person like Eddie? He gave so much and asked so little. All he wanted was a chance to be himself, a chance to be happy. When all the facts are known, we hope that society will have gained some knowledge that will help prevent a tragedy such as the one Eddie suffered. There was no sacrifice too large or too small for Eddie. He truly loved giving and gave of himself abundantly. Thank you.

Judge: Thank you, sir. [07:35 to 07:53: no speech.]

Judge: Morning, sir. Would you likewise identify yourself for the record?

Stanley Miller: Morning. My name is Stanley Miller. I'm [unclear: "an Ern Miller" (captions only)], and I've been given this opportunity to come before you on behalf of the Miller family. We want to say that there is no place in a civilized society for anyone who shows no regards for life, especially in the form and manner that Jeffrey Dahmer has shown. We can't afford to have anyone preying nor stalking our people, no matter what our difference may be. How can we as a civilized people accept the responsibility of ever considering putting someone of this nature back into society?

Stanley Miller: Uh, Judge Gram, we ask that you see fit to give Jeffrey Dahmer the maximum sentence. To Jeffrey Dahmer: you have become a hero to a few, but you have become a nightmare to so many more. That's including myself. Before I settle in for the night, I find myself looking in closets, under beds, anywhere that you may be found. Jeffrey Dahmer, due to your actions, this has caused my family a great deal of pain and emotional distress.

Stanley Miller: Jeffrey Dahmer, through your, through your selfish actions, you have caused my family to suffer the loss of society and companionship of Ernest. This was done without any cause or provocation on the part of Ernest, despite the fact that you had the knives, the saws, the bats, the acid, the drills, and possibly a gun. Even while he was in a semiconscious state of mind, you didn't give him the chance to fight for his life. You took his life like a thief in the night by cutting his throat. Rather than facing him and let him fight for the thing that he felt most dear, you took the coward way out.

Stanley Miller: Did you ever stop to think that this was someone's son? Did you ever stop to think that this is someone's brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, grandson, or just someone's friend that's missing him dearly? Jeffrey Dahmer, just a couple of things about Ernest that you didn't take the time out to find out. First, Ernest was a dancer. This came naturally, and this was his dream, although his short, all through his short-lived life. Second, he had a family that loved him. He has a niece now that's four months old that he'll never get to hold or play or just watch grow up. He'll have to look from heaven now.

Stanley Miller: I hope that you live a long life, so that one day you can appreciate life. On that day, you would, you would know my family's suffering. Furthermore, fortunate for you, Wisconsin doesn't ask you for what you have taken, but then you can only give once. I'm not for the death penalty, but you are a perfect candidate.

Stanley Miller: To Mr. Boyle, first, to you I want to say thank you for not laying any other blame on the victims. You didn't fail; it's just that God take care of his people. Truth shall always stand. The verdict was appropriate and absolute. Third, third, you and your staff had a job to do, and you did it well, and we respect that. To Mr. McCann: thank you for fighting the battle that Ernest couldn't fight for himself. As we sat back and fought the battle of faith, you taught us all a lesson on responsibility that we'll never forget. You and your staff has my family's deepest respect. To the Dahmer family: I know that there are some dark days for your family, but the morning will come. So look to the hills, and you will make it through. Thank you.

Judge: Thank you, sir. [11:30 to 11:50: no speech.]

Judge: Again, ma'am, would you first identify yourself, please?

Shirley Hughes: My name is Shirley Hughes, and I'm Tony Anthony Hughes' mother. First of all, thank God, and to give thanks to the judge and to Mr. McCann for the verdict that came in. I would like to say to Jeffrey Dahmer that he don't know the pain, the hurt, the loss, and the mental state that he put our family in. But I'd just like to read a poem that a good friend of my son wrote.

Shirley Hughes: "Tony thought [unclear: "he was" / "you was"] his friend. He knew you. Why am I a victim in your cruel and [unclear: "ruthless" / "ruthful"] world? Although I can't communicate with a loud voice, listen to me anyway. Try to have mercy on my moans. Look at the tears roll down my face. See that each one is a cry for help, and realize my signs are showing you that I want to live. Tell me just what is it that I've done to you to make you such a monster, to make you such a maniac, to make you such a devil. My God, who are you? What are you? You have never shown me this side of you. I put my trust in you. I thought you were my friend until the end. Yet I didn't know you as well as I thought. I never felt the end would be this way.

Shirley Hughes: "Is there anyone that can help me? Mom, Dad, sister, brother, someone? Please help me. What's happening to me? Everything seems to be slowing down. I'm confused. I'm drowsy. My coordination has been contaminated. My friend, what is it that you're giving me? What is it that you're doing to me? I'm helpless. Is that a thrill to you, to know that I can't fight you back? And that the hardest struggle in my life is fighting to keep my eyes open with the hope of seeing the dawn of a new day? Yet you have total control over me. My life is in the hands of once a friend, but now a [unclear: "total"] stranger, who have become my worst nightmare.

Shirley Hughes: "But one day I know you'll get caught. You think you're smooth at what you're doing. Remember, whatever's done in the dark, it will come to the light, and the whole world will know just how ugly a person you really are. Mom, I'm gone. My hope, my breath, my want to live have been taken away from me unwillingly and emotionally. I know that there's a dragon piercing your heart day and night because of this, but yet I'm not far away.

Shirley Hughes: "When you get cold, I wrap my arms around you to warm you. If you get sad, I'll softly grab your heart and cheer you up. If you smile, I'll smile right along with you. And when you're happy, I'll be, I'll become, I'll know it, because you're thinking that two fingers and one thumb means I love you in sign language." My son was deaf. "When you cry, take one teardrop and place it outside your window ledge, and when I pass by, I'll exchange it for one of mine. Two fingers and one thumb, Mom."

Judge: Thank you, ma'am. [15:03 to 15:17: no speech.]

Judge: Again, ma'am, would you first identify yourself?

Dorothy Straughter: My name is Dorothy Straughter. I'm Curtis Straughter's mother. Um, I don't have nothing prepared to say. It's just a few things that I would like to say. You took my 17-year-old son away from me. I'll never get a chance to tell him that I loved him. I [unclear: "had" / "have"] a chance to tell him that I love him the last time I saw him, which will be a year tomorrow. You took my daughter's only brother away from her. She'll never have a chance to sing and dance with him again. You took my mother's oldest grandchild from her, and for that, I can never forgive you.

Dorothy Straughter: I hope you, I hope you can deal with what you've done. I'm trying hard to. You almost destroyed me, but I refuse to let you destroy me. I will carry on.

Judge: Thank you, ma'am. [16:07 to 16:24: no speech.]

Judge: Ma'am, again, would you identify yourself first, Miss?

Janie Hagen: Yes. Good morning, Your Honor. I'm Janie Hagen, the sister of Richard Guerrero. I am here as a spokesperson for my family. The first thing I would like to do is thank Mr. McCann and his staff for doing a fantastic job. It has been a long four years of searching and grieving for my family, friends and others who loved Richard. On March 24th, 1988, Richard disappeared at the age 21. And I also want to state that my family did everything in our power in finding our beloved Richard Guerrero. He was a young man full of life and energy, with the ambition to make others happy. As a loving person, he would always take the needs of others before his own.

Janie Hagen: So, Jeffrey, when you killed my brother, Richard Guerrero, you also killed my father and my mother's youngest future, and my three brothers' lives, including my life, my husband and my three children would never forget this tragedy that you inflicted upon us. Therefore, I would like to end my speech by saying in my language that, Jeffrey, you are el diablo, el puro diablo, que [unclear: "tava" (Whisper); Telemundo (2022) quotes "estaba"] suelto en las [unclear: "caes" (Whisper); Telemundo quotes "calles"] de nosotros. That means the devil, the pure devil that walked our streets and was loose. So, Your Honor, please, I beg you, don't let this man ever walk our streets or see daylight again. Thank you.

Judge: Thank you, ma'am. [17:55 to 18:13: no speech.]

Inez Thomas: Good morning, Your Honor. My name is Inez Thomas, and I'm the mother of David Thomas. First, I want to let you know, Jeffrey Dahmer, about the pain that you caused my family. That was my baby boy that you took away from me, his sisters and brothers, and they can't hardly deal with this. He has a little child, (child's name withheld), that will never see her father again. She was only two. And now she sits in the window, and she says, she asks her mother, "Mommy, where is Day Day?" She calls him Day Day. "Where is Day Day? When is Day Day coming?" And I think that's a sad thing for a child to see, to go through all her life and not know her father.

Inez Thomas: Another thing I want to talk about is the feelings. You know, I don't understand how a person could really harm a person and to say that, well, "I did this because he wasn't my type." Well, if everybody go around doing something to somebody because [unclear: "it's their type" / "they're tight"], this will be a sad world today. And I just feel that this man should never be able to walk the face of the earth or to be able to harm anyone else again.

Inez Thomas: I, I want, a few more things I wanted to say in my heart. I want to thank the jury for seeing this man for what he is, a sneaky, conniving person, that if he had a chance, he'll constantly do this again. So I thank the jury for seeing this man for what he is. I want to thank E. Michael McCann, District Attorney, for being there with the families, seeing the family suffer this way, and to realize that we all have feelings, that we lost a loved one that Lord knows will never come back. And I appreciate it, and I thank the Lord for him, for being in there in our corner. Thank you, Your Honor.

Judge: Thank you, ma'am.

Inez Thomas: Thank you. [20:11 to 20:27: no speech.]

Donald Bradehoft: Morning, Honor. My name is Donald Bradehoft. I'm for the Bradehoft family. As much as love in our family is close, my mother gave five beautiful kids. We lost... He destroyed the baby of the family. And I hope you go to hell. I love this world. You guys did a wonderful job. Bottom of my heart, thank God, I've got a lot of strength. Thank you all. God bless America. Excuse me. [21:07 to 21:24: no speech.]

Marilyn Sears: Hello. My name is Marilyn Sears. I'm the mother of Anthony Lee Sears. And I just wanted to know, you know, just why. You know, why would it be my son? You know. Um, I just want to thank Michael McCann for the good job he did. [unclear: "Boyle" / "Boy"], you did a good job, too, but I'm glad McCann won it. And I want to thank the jury, and I want to thank you, Judge. And just keep this man off the street, please. [21:51 to 22:05: no speech.]

Rita Isbell: I don't even need a microphone. My name is Rita Isbell...

Speaker Not Identified: No, ma'am, you'll address [unclear: "support from" (captions)]...

Rita Isbell: My name is Rita Isbell, and I'm the oldest sister of Errol Lindsey. [unclear: "J..."], whatever your name is, Satan, I'm mad. This is how you act when you are out of control. I don't want to ever see my mother have to go through this again. Never, Jeffrey. Jeffrey, I hate you! [unclear: "I st..."] out of control. Don't, [unclear: "Jeffrey" / "Jey"], I [unclear: "kill you"]... [22:33 to 23:11: overlapping voices in the courtroom, largely inaudible; the captions catch only "guys, look at me" (22:33 to 22:47) and "have" (22:47). Court TV's description says Ms. Isbell "rushes at Dahmer". The recording then appears to be edited: Gerald Boyle is next heard from mid-sentence.]

Defense Attorney: [unclear: "conson"] one penny for the presentation of the defense in this matter. There was never going to be a time where it was going to be asked for help to put forth a defense. And what we did was, we went out and we got good doctors to come in and express their theories as to why, in their honest opinion, not Jeffrey Dahmer being freed, that was never going to be an issue, ever, but to explain to the world at large how a human being's mind can dissipate to such a degree that it could commit these horrendous acts.

Defense Attorney: And it took great courage for these doctors, who are not in the private practice and not in practice to, to get business, but to come forth and subject themselves to vigorous cross-examination by one of the nation's finest lawyers, to come forth and express their theories so that a jury could determine whether or not he fit the definition. But even if he didn't fit the definition, there was no decision to be made. No lawyer has a right to make judgments concerning another person's due process rights. Not only has society learned that there are people out there who have these disorders, but also lawyers in the future will know what problems there are, when and if they're confronted with the same kind of situation as was confronted in this case.

Defense Attorney: I am confident, as I said the very first day, when it was a very troublesome time in my life, of making the decision to stay or to run, that I was not going to run. And I told that audience that was [unclear: "present at" / "president of"] the Wisconsin Club, 50 or 60 press entities, that some good will come of this. I don't know what good will come of it, but hopefully some good. And then I decided that these families had a right to know everything, if they chose to, and I've invited, I tried to get that message to them. I don't know how I would react. Certainly, I don't know if I'd have the dignity of some of these people and the way they have acted in this horrendous episode from the day one.

Defense Attorney: But more than anything, Your Honor, I was hopeful, not from an evangelistic standpoint. We all know if we follow the good book, it'll be a very easy world. But to let people out there know that if you're in the gutter of trash, you're going to get dirty and bad. And that's exactly what happened here. There is no human being in the world who is troubled right now who can't learn from what happened in this courtroom: that no matter what is wrong with them, there is help out there. And you know from your many years of experience as a judge, as Mr. McCann does as a district attorney, as I do as both, having served in that office and as a defense lawyer, that there's a lot of people who come into these courts with a sickness, and had they been treated, and had somebody seen it, and had somebody brought some help to them before it caused harm, then maybe some of the horrendous things that happened in their lives would not have happened. And I know we've accomplished that goal, Your Honor.

Defense Attorney: I would like to tell you that I had to do a lot of reading on this to understand, try and learn how these kinds of things could happen. And one of the things that I read was a book. There was the authorities on, on mass murderers, Levin and Fox, and they were known as, then and now, as the people who have done more study on the field of serial killings and mass murders than anyone. And obviously, in the interest of trying to find out what this is all about, I, I bought the book, and the lawyer F. Lee Bailey wrote the foreword. And I was very moved when I, when I read it, because, um, it, it was very relevant to what I, what I was concerned about.

Defense Attorney: And I, I would like to put on the record the reason. Mr. Bailey was the lawyer for the Boston Strangler, as the court well knows and as society knows, was a, a very, very bad human being who killed a lot of people. And, and he had a, a criminal psychiatrist look at Mr., uh, the Boston Strangler, Mr., I think his name was DeSalvo. And Mr. Bailey recounts in the foreword to this very fine and very well-written book, he said: "The handling of the Strangler case yielded a number of disappointments, but two stand out in my mind. The first occurred when the doctor, one of the foremost criminal psychiatrists of the era, informed me after a detailed examination of DeSalvo," quote, "'Mr. Bailey, I hate to disappoint you, but I do not find your client to be insane in the legal sense, nor psychotic in the mental sense, medical sense. He is a sociopath, and only that. The law does not recognize the sociopath as having a mental illness which will excuse criminal responsibility. I thoroughly disagree with the law on this point, but as things are, my testimony would not help you.'" Close quote.

Defense Attorney: Mr. Bailey says: "The second disappointment, perhaps [unclear: "disillusionment" / "delusion"] is a better word, came after DeSalvo had been convicted of some of these offenses and was sentenced to life imprisonment." I'm quoting Mr. Bailey: "I literally begged the authorities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts not to forfeit a valuable opportunity to painstakingly scrutinize a specimen serial killer who was in captivity. I felt that by learning all we could about Albert," meaning DeSalvo, "from his early years until his apprehension in his early 30s, there was much data to be recorded that could, together with other similar histories of multiple murders, be useful in pursuing a most worthwhile objective, that is, defining a profile of a potential homicidal maniac in his or her early or adolescent years, so that preventative steps could be taken consistent with basic constitutional rights."

Defense Attorney: And I'm so moved by that, because I say the same thing here. I say that now the story has been told, as I saw on the television last night at one of the inner city's churches, there was a call for healing. It's going to take a long time to heal for these families, if ever. But I'd like very much to state that it is my hope, on a personal basis, that the institution in the State of Wisconsin, which I know it will, will recognize that they have an opportunity to do what Mr. Bailey said so well in the foreword to the book that I just quoted. Unfortunately, Mr. DeSalvo was killed in prison, and the study never took place.

Defense Attorney: I would hope that Mr. Dahmer, and I think the court, after the court and the world at large hear what he has to say, will recognize that he will be ready for such a study, so that someday, somehow, out there, somebody may see some soft signs that will cause them to call the kind of people that I consider to have been heroes in this courtroom, Dr. Berlin and Dr. Becker and Dr. Wahlstrom, because, Your Honor, they treat this sickness. The other psychiatrists, albeit great, are not treating psychiatrists.

Defense Attorney: I am hopeful that whomever is out there hearing what goes on in this courtroom today and in the past will take steps to make sure that somebody like Jeffrey Dahmer never occurs again, regardless of whether we're talking about mental illness, paraphilia, mental disease and jury verdicts. What's important is to treat people who are sick. And I know that this exercise that we have gone through these past three weeks will yield some good. I am confident of it. I have nothing more to say, other than to thank the court for the courtesy it's shown me. And I would like to ask Mr. Dahmer to come forward and make the statement that he has prepared to make. Thank you.

Judge: Mr. Dahmer, you do have the right to address the court at this time. You may step to the podium. [The video ends here. Dahmer's statement follows directly in V208.] ---