Forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz was hired to psychologically evaluate Jeffrey Dahmer in January, 1992.
Although Dietz made it clear to every perp he interviewed that he was not there to treat them or be their friend, Dahmer nevertheless felt comfortable enough to divulge most of the graphic details of his crimes (and compliment Dietz’s Cartier Santos wristwatch within moments of meeting him).
“It was a straightforward discussion of such details as which way he held the knife when dismembering the body, and how he protected himself from getting acid burns when he was disposing of the acid in which he disintegrated the soft tissues of his victims, and the right temperature settings for properly preserving a skull,” Dietz told ‘The New Yorker’ in a 1994 profile. He later admitted he had “liked the man [as] he was interested in understanding himself,” and had answered Dietz’s questions “articulately, willingly, and with curiosity.”
“I hestitate to call it a treat,” he reflected afterwards about his time interviewing Dahmer, “but if it weren’t for how it sounded, that would be an accurate term.”
Although Dietz was permitted to testify for either the prosecution or the defence, depending on the conclusion he reached, after 18 hours with the convicted cannibal, Dietz deemed Dahmer sane under Wisconsin law – and stressed that Dahmer’s paraphilia did not create an irresistible impulse.
“There was no force driving him to kill,” Dietz told the court. “There was merely a desire to spend more time with the victim.”
The jury echoed Dietz’s assessment, and Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms in prison – cut short when he was bludgeoned to death by a fellow inmate at the age of 34.
“They [the jury] listened to the right expert,” Dietz later quipped during a TV interview.
In 2021, the British-based ‘Real Crime’ magazine published another interview with the doctor — now in his 70s — drawing on his experience with Dahmer and a career spanning decades and nearly every sexual deviance known to man.
Scans of the full interview can be found below.
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Sources: Real Crime magazine, The New Yorker, The Courier-News
GIF by 213Dahmer
I’ve never seen that interview. Do you have a Tumblr, Sophie?
This is great. I’ve never read this one and I’ve been a fan of Doctor D for years.
Great post, again! Thanks!
damn, even dietz was wearing Aviators 🐐
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I can always tell your Park Dietz posts are as much about your appreciation for the good doctor himself as they are your interest in the case. Keep up the great work!
How does this adorable angel run a site on such a disgusting human being and crush so hard on this doctor guy???
you’re a Dietz fanatic, is it true that his tapes with Jeff will never be released? suppose if anyone deserved them it’d be someone like you. Tyia!