The lawyer for families of Jeffrey Dahmer's victims says Emmy nominations 'glorify' Milwaukee serial killer

Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read

Thomas M. Jacobson, the attorney who represented eight of the families of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, blasted the Television Academy for giving the Netflix series "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" 13 Emmy nominations Wednesday.

In a statement sent to entertainment industry news site The Wrap, Jacobson said that the nominations for shows like Ryan Murphy's series contributed "to glamorizing or desensitizing violence and crime in society."

"The choice to award actors for their performances in roles like Jeffrey Dahmer, a real-life serial killer …, could be seen as a form of sensationalism exploiting the suffering of victims and their families for entertainment," Jacobson wrote. "The 13 Emmy Nominations and continued pomp and circumstance surrounding the Dahmer series glorify and romanticizes the monster’s actions and motivations resulting in further trauma for the victims’ families."

From left to right, top to bottom, are 16 people serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer was found guilty of murdering: Curtis Straughter, Steven Mark Hicks, Richard Guerrero, Jeremy Weinberger, Jamie Doxtator, Ricky Beeks, Oliver Lacy, Errol Lindsey, Konerak Sinthasomphone, Ernest Miller, Anthony Hughes, Joseph Bradehoft, Matt Turner, Anthony Sears, David C. Thomas, and Edward W. Smith.

Jacobson reiterated a complaint raised by family members of some of Dahmer's victims last year when "Dahmer" first streamed on Netflix that the producers of the show did not contact or involve the families about the series. (Murphy has said that he had reached out to "around 20" of the family members before the show aired but claimed he got no response.)

"Failure to notify or involve victims’ families in producing such shows demonstrates a lack of empathy and sensitivity towards those directly affected by the crimes," Jacobson wrote Wednesday.

He added that in the future, Netflix and Murphy should prioritize "ethical considerations" in such true-crime projects, and suggested more "collaboration with victim families, compensation, providing a platform to share their experiences and perspectives, and prior notice."

"Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story's" 13 Emmy nominations included outstanding limited or anthology series; lead actor in a limited series, anthology or TV movie for Evan Peters, who played Dahmer; and supporting actress and actor in a limited or anthology series for Niecy Nash-Betts and Richard Jenkins, respectively.

What we know about Dahmer's victims: Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 people before his crimes were discovered

What's real and what's fiction: Inside the Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series, ‘Monster’

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawyer for Dahmer's victims' families: Emmy attention 'glorify' killer