Jeffrey Dahmer was found guilty of killing 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991 and dismembering them.
Wendy Patrickus was tasked with representing Dahmer throughout the trial, and in a recent Netflix documentary, she has opened up about doing so.
Who is Wendy Patrickus? Jeffrey Dahmer’s defence lawyer
As a result of his conviction for 17 murders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer has been the subject of numerous films throughout the years.
He will be the subject of Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, a new documentary that will be released in 2022.
Wendy Patrickus, a former Jeffrey Dahmer defence attorney, is taking part in the Netflix series.
Patrickus had only graduated from law school a year prior and had recently relocated to Milwaukee when she was given the Dahmer’s Case assignment.
Her boss, Gerald Boyle, who was also serving as the murderer’s attorney at the time, was the one who initially instructed her to speak with Dahmer.
The former defence attorney remarked in the documentary: “When I initially went to see him, it was a pretty little interview room.
”There was Jeff sitting in the corner of the table.
“I was incredibly nervous, because this is something that I felt was way over my head. I felt like Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.”
In the brand-new Netflix documentary, Patrickus describes how, in order to perform her job, she needed to get along with the serial killer.
The lawyer has only revealed details of her interactions with Dahmer three times in the past 30 years.
In reference to developing a relationship with Dahmer, she said: “You have to be non-judgemental and cultivate trust in order to be a competent defence lawyer.
“He called me Wendy, and I called him Jeff.”
Patrickus is heard on the recordings telling Dahmer, “This is okay, Jeff. Don’t be ashamed of it, I mean. Do I have you feeling uneasy?
Dahmer continues by saying that he found it difficult to talk about his misdeeds.
Patrickus also discussed Dahmer in a book she co-wrote with Rusty Lemorande that was released in March 2022.
Patrickus divulges more than 20 hours of previously revealed secret recordings of her chats with the notorious killer in her book, Defending the Devil: Inside The Trial Of My Client Jeffrey Dahmer.
The book also provides insight into Dahmer’s attack strategies, the rationale for his cannibalism, and the shrines he erected in his flat using human bones as building materials.
She also discusses her objectives, the relationship she built with her client, and the reasons she still thinks Dahmer’s conviction and sentencing were incorrect.
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