Mark your calendars because Jeffrey Dahmer’s new special airs on Oxygen on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. EST. The two-part crime program will focus on what many consider to be the most notorious serial killer in America. Dahmer on Dahmer: A Serial Killer Speaks will tackle the terrifying nature of his crimes and why years later the public is still fascinated by the killer.

“[Jeffrey’s behavior] was not something anyone wanted to discuss because it was so abhorrent… He was sexually deviant,” his step-mom, Shari Dahmer, said in an interview with Larry King. “He obviously found satisfaction with something dead.” Keep scrolling to watch the teaser for the new special and to learn more about Jeffrey.

Who is Jeffrey Dahmer?

The Milwaukee, WI native known colloquially as the “Milwaukee Cannibal” was tried and convicted of 17 murders of men and boys between the years of 1978 and 1991. He raped, murdered, and dismembered his victims and sometimes even resorted to necrophilia and cannibalism. The seemingly mild-mannered man would lure his victims into his home where he then drugged them, sexually assaulted them, killed them and in many cases consumed them.

The special will focus on learning more about Jeffrey — who died in 1994 — through the eyes of people who knew him like the investigative journalist, Nancy Glass. Nancy interviewed Jeffrey and developed a candid rapport with him, therefore, gaining an inside look into his psyche.

What was Jeffrey Dahmer’s childhood like?

Jeffrey was what many would call a “happy child,” but he didn’t have the best relationship with his parents. His mother demanded constant attention and once even attempted suicide. His teachers described him as “timid” and “reserved,” but there was clearly something different about him since his days as a young child. For instance, he had a fascination with dead animals at the age of four and would collect their bones to play with.

Once he got to high school he was seen as an outcast among his peers. He began to abuse alcohol during the school day and by the time he hit puberty, he began to have homosexual rape fantasies.

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“The drinking which was out of control (he was self-medicating to try to quell the voices that were pounding inside his skull) — it was a sinister time,” his childhood friend, John “Derf” Backderf, explained. “For a while, he amused us, he was a funny guy… We pulled him into our social net… but at a certain point we pushed him away.”

His parents later divorced and he graduated high school in May 1978. Three weeks after graduation he committed his first murder.

What happened during Jeffrey Dahmer’s trial?

Jeffrey was arrested on July 23, 1991, after holding a man captive in his house. The man escaped, alerted the police who later found dismembered body parts throughout the home. Jeffrey was later questioned by detectives for a total of over 60 hours. He waived his right to an attorney and confessed to killing 17 people. “It was an incessant and never-ending desire to be with someone at whatever cost,” he said. “Someone good looking, really nice looking. It just filled my thoughts all day long.”

He pleaded guilty but insane at his trial and was later convicted and sentenced to a total of 16 life imprisonments. On Nov. 28, 1994, he was murdered by a fellow inmate who told the prison guards, “God told me to do it.”

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