Jeffrey Dahmer's dad is considering suing Netflix for glamorising son's murders
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Film and TV
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Investigation Discovery/Netflix
Topics: Netflix, True crime, Film and TV
Jeffrey Dahmer's father Lionel is considering suing Netflix over its crime thriller series and documentary portraying his serial killer son.
The streaming giant recently released true crime drama Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters, and later followed it up with documentary series Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes.
They ended up being some of the most popular shows on Netflix and brought the serial killer's horrific crimes back to the forefront of public attention.
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While the shows drew in big audiences, they also attracted a strong wave of backlash for the way they have affected the families of Dahmer's victims.
Relatives of the victims have said they've been 'blindsided' by Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story as they were 'never contacted' about the show.
Rita Isbell, whose brother was murdered by Dahmer, said watching the show 'felt like reliving it all over again' and said it was 'sad that they're just making money off this tragedy'.
She said: "I feel like Netflix should've asked if we mind or how we felt about making it.
"They didn't ask me anything. They just did it. But I'm not money hungry, and that's what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid."
Now Dahmer's dad Lionel is considering suing Netflix over its series about his son as he wasn't contacted about the programmes either.
The New York Post reports that the 86-year-old is 'upset' that Netflix didn't reach out to say it was making a show about his son and didn't ask for permission before using tape recordings from Jeffrey Dahmer's legal team for Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes.
There are also reports that fans of his serial killer son, who drugged and murdered 17 men and boys, have shown up at his home.
Lionel wrote a book, A Father's Story, about his son in 1994 shortly before Jeffrey Dahmer was killed by a fellow prison inmate.
In response to the renewed interest in the serial killer following the Netflix shows, eBay has banned the sale of Jeffrey Dahmer costumes on its site ahead of Halloween.
Shirley Hughes, mother of Dahmer victim Tony Hughes, said she had been heartbroken to see costumes relating to the serial killer appearing on the site.
She also said if Netflix hadn't decided to air its shows then 'none of the families would be re-victimised' and 'there'd be no Dahmer costumes this year'.
eBay said that 'out of respect for victims of violent crimes' it would be cracking down on anyone trying to sell merchandise relating to the serial killer.
UNILAD has contacted Netflix for comment.