You might not be able to put a specific color, shape or size to the description “serial killer eyes” but you would understand exactly what the person is talking about. You could be forgiven for imagining that the notoriously infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is hiding his eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed aviators.
Monster is a Netflix original series starring Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer. The show follows Dahmer from his early years until his murder at the hands of an inmate.
When Dahmer was a teenager living at home with his parents, Lionel and Joyce, he wore aviator glasses in the style of the 1970s and bright yellow contacts for the duration of his case, which began in 1992. We can infer the following about his decision-making process.
Did Jeffrey Dahmer Ever Remove His Spectacles?
To a certain extent, however, there is a very good reason for this. Dahmer took off his glasses in the courtroom, despite having worn them for a large chunk of his life. Shari Dahmer, his biological mother, told Inside Edition in 1992, “As he isn’t wearing glasses, he is unable to identify individuals. Anxiety overwhelms him.”
Aside from the moment when he was sentenced to 15 life terms in prison, Dahmer wore glasses not once but twice during his trial. Since the death penalty was abolished in Wisconsin many years before Dahmer’s crime was committed, he was not eligible to receive it. “Frankly, I wanted death for myself,” Dahmer said.
Why Did Jeffrey Dahmer Wear Yellow Contacts?
A possible explanation for Dahmer’s (and by extension, Evan Peters, who plays Dahmer) unsettling eyes is that he wore colored contacts. Dahmer who was born with blue eyes frequently donned bright yellow contacts before visiting gay bars in search of men to assault.
According to Gisela K., author of “The Milwaukee Monster,” Dahmer was fixated on both Emperor Palpatine from “Star Wars” and “The Exorcist III.” The assailant would put on yellow contacts to really get into character as either of the film’s antagonists.
Gisela K. wrote, “At his trial, The Exorcist III became a focal point as it was his favorite movie that he watched at least two to three times a week for about six months before he was caught.” She elaborated, saying, “He identified so strongly with the main antagonist, the Gemini killer that he bought yellow contact lenses to feel and look like him.”
Why Do Other Serial Killers Appear To Have Worn The Same Glasses?
Numerous serial killers wore eyewear, among them were Dorothea Puente, Harold Shipman, Wayne Williams, Dennis Nilsen, the BTK Strangler a.k.a. Dennis Rader and Ed Kemper. Rader and Kemper wore aviators that looked eerily similar to Dahmer’s signature glasses.
Although the reason why so many serial killers in the 1970s and 1980s wore glasses is unclear, it may have something to do with the fact that glasses hide part of the face and act as a mask. The fact that multiple serial killers’ mugshots feature them wearing the same trendy, widely worn frame style is likely coincidental.
What Happened To Jeffrey Dahmer’s Glasses?
Dahmer’s prison-issued eyewear is currently available for purchase at a price of $150,000. The gold, wire-rimmed frames once worn by the serial killer are for sale at Cult Collectibles in Vancouver British Columbia but they will set you back a hefty sum of money—$150,000 to be exact.
Tony Hughes deserved better. This boy deserved the world and fuck Jeffery Dahmer for taking that from him.
All of Dahmers victims deserved better but Tony’s story shattered my heart #DahmerNetflix #jeffreydahmer pic.twitter.com/l0245YBVpU
— 𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓼 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓸🤎🇩🇴 (@Leonerysm1) September 28, 2022
Supposedly, Lionel Dahmer’s ex-housekeeper contacted James and that’s how he ended up with the frames, as reported by TMZ. James agreed to sell the glasses in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of other Jeffrey Dahmer-related items (including paperwork, cutlery, photographs and a Bible).