How accurate is the show’s depiction of Joyce Dahmer though, and what happened to Dahmer’s mother after his arrest?
Joyce Dahmer is played by Penelope Ann Miller in Dahmer and, for the most part, her storyline in the show is based on fact. As shown in Dahmer, Joyce had multiple mental health struggles during Dahmer’s childhood. In Lionel Dahmer’s memoir, A Father’s Story, Lionel claims that Joyce was dependent on prescription drugs and had a distant relationship with her son.
When Dahmer’s crimes came to light, Joyce was working as the manager of the Central Valley Aids Team. She struggled to cope with the reality of what her son had done and, just like in the Netflix series, she attempted to take her own life by using her gas oven. However, she survived and later said in interviews that she was grateful she didn’t die.
Speaking about Jeffrey in an interview with Hard Copy, Joyce defended her son. She said: “I know this sounds strange but he did not mean to hurt anyone. I still love my son. I never stopped loving my son. Jeff was a victim of a compulsion. An obsession.”
Joyce then argued that Jeffrey deserved therapy in prison. She claimed: “He’s not a monster. He’s a human being and I think he deserves some help.” Joyce also said that she wanted to start a support group for parents of killers.
Jeffrey Dahmer was murdered by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver in 1994. Following Dahmer’s murder, Joyce continued to help HIV-positive patients as part of the Central Valley Aids Team. She passed away from breast cancer in 2000 at the age of 64.
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