Reporter Who Worked the Jeffrey Dahmer Case Calls Ryan Murphy’s Netflix Series ‘Not Accurate’
Anne E. Schwartz covered the Jeffrey Dahmer case for the Milwaukee Journal when the serial killer was arrested in 1991. After watching Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Schwartz noticed many things were portrayed inaccurately. Find out what Murphy took artistic license with in the Netflix series and how it compares to what Schwartz reported.
‘The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ incorrectly depicts Milwaukee police as racist and homophobic
Murphy’s Netflix series focuses on Dahmer’s victims instead of the serial killer, whose story has been told multiple times in movies and television. Throughout the episodes, cops ignore calls from Oxford Apartment resident Glenda Cleveland (Niecy Nash), who suspects something sinister is happening in Jeffrey Dahmer’s (Evan Peters) apartment. Only when Reverend Jesse Jackson (Nigel Gibbs) steps in do city officials start to listen to the underserved Milwaukee community.
In reality, Schwartz says that depiction is inaccurate. She previously worked in communications for the Milwaukee police and the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Schwartz says “the depiction of city police officers as racist and homophobic was incorrect” (via The Independent).
“Again this is a dramatization, but at a time when it is not exactly easy for law enforcement to get trust and buy in from the community,” Schwartz explained. “It’s not a very helpful representation.”
Glenda Cleveland wasn’t involved the day Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested
The Netflix series shows Cleveland living next door to Dahmer and suffering from the horrible smells that flow out of his apartment. However, in real life, Cleveland lived in another building that was next to the Oxford Apartments.
“In the first five minutes of the first episode, you have Glenda Cleveland knocking on his door,” Schwartz said. “None of that ever happened.” The reporter who experienced the aftermath of Dahmer’s crimes says she “had trouble with buy-in” watching the Netflix series because she “knew that was not accurate.” Still, she understands why people tune in — “for entertainment.”
Dean Vaughn wasn’t one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims
Yet another inaccuracy in Murphy’s story is what happened to Dean Vaughn, a resident of the Oxford Apartments. Brandon Black portrays Vaughn, who shows up in episode 7 of The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. After Cleveland warns him about the neighborhood, Vaughn is befriended by Dahmer and is eventually killed.
However, in real lfe, Vaughn was found dead in his apartment on May 3, 1991, a few months before Dahmer’s arrest. Dahmer was questioned for the murder when it happened and again when he was arrested in July, but Vaughn’s death remains an unsolved cold case.
Jeffrey Dahmer did kill 17 people
The over-arching story told in Murphy’s series is rooted in truth. Dahmer did admit to killing 17 people over 13 years. The gruesome way Dahmer murdered and disposed of his victim’s bodies is another thing the Netflix series accurately portrays.
In the end, Dahmer was sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences. However, he was killed in prison at the hands of a fellow inmate in November 1994.
DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available on Netflix.
