Lionel Dahmer claims he was not contacted prior to the show airing (Picture: REX/Backgrid)
Jeffrey Dahmer’s dad is thinking about suing Netflix following the release of their series, which he says glamorises his son’s grisly murders.
The streaming giant dropped a series based on Dahmer’s crimes earlier this year which, despite achieving record-breaking viewing figures, has been heavily criticised, including by surviving members of the victims’ families.
For a refresh, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender who murdered and 17 boys and men between 1978 and 1991.
Dahmer was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to life in prison back in 1992, before being beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994.
Since the controversial series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters in the titular role, landed on the streaming platform, there’s been an increased interest in the killer’s life.
Now, the killer’s father has spoken out, saying ‘zero care’ was given for his well-being ahead of the series launch.
Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of 16 murders in 1994 (Picture: Reuters)
A source close to Lionel Dahmer, 86, told The U.S. Sun that he was not contacted before the show was made and he is unhappy that Netflix did not seek permission to use tapes recorded by Dahmer’s legal team.
Lionel’s assistant, who asked to only be named as ‘Jeb’ out of fears of being targeted, says Lionel has been a ‘nervous wreck’ since the series premiered, even displaying ‘no trespassing’ signs outside his home.
Lionel has been living in a quiet village in rural Ohio, meanwhile, Jeb revealed he even arms himself for protection.
Jeb, 34, told The U.S. Sun that Lionel is considering taking legal action against Netflix for their handling of the series: ‘From my understanding and from everything that I’ve seen and witnessed personally, Lionel was not contacted about either of these shows on Netflix.’
The series based on his crimes has drawn much criticism, particularly from the victims’ family members (Picture: Ser Baffo/Netflix)
He added: ‘I’ve personally talked to a few lawyers and we’ve talked to his publisher about it too due to all the chaos that is going on and the stories we’ve seen.
‘Lionel and his power of attorney are gathering information and looking at a possible lawsuit against the production team or possibly Netflix.’
Jeb concluded: ‘Everyone is saying that if there was zero correspondence you seek damages.
‘There was zero care whatsoever about Lionel’s well-being.’
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has become the second most successful English series (Picture: Netflix)
After his son’s arrest in the early 1990s, Lionel himself became of interest to the public, and released his own book, A Father’s Story, in January 1994, months before Dahmer died.
Lionel said he had no idea about his son’s murders in the book, only finding out when it became public knowledge.
The Dahmer Netflix series has gone on to become the second most popular English series of all time on the platform, behind Stranger Things.
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Starring American Horror Story actor Evan, the 10-part series is told through the lives of the victims who were impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police, which allowed Dahmer to continue his killing spree.
Also in the true crime drama is Niecy Nash who portrays Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s real-life neighbour who continuously alerted officers to his worrying behaviour but to no avail.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is streaming now on Netflix.
Netflix has been contacted for comment.
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He says ‘zero care’ was given for his well-being ahead of the series.