Milwaukee, Wisconsin. February 7th, 1992.
Alongside the testimony of several psychiatrists tasked with trying to evaluate the defendant, the court calls upon numerous lay witnesses: those who had met or known ‘Jeff’ on a more personal level – however ephemerally.
One such witness is 20-something-year old, Michael Salinas – the last of three young men1 who will today testify on their escape from death at the hands of Jeffrey Dahmer.
Salinas – whose physical identity is anonymised in Court TV’s coverage of the trial – had been ending a night at one of Milwaukee’s gay bars when he and a friend were invited back to Dahmer’s pre-booked hotel room.
A few hours later, both men had awoke to find the peculiar stranger gone – along with the underwear of Salinas’ friend. Evidence of an assault was also present on Salinas, and a hazy recollection of what had happened in the hotel had followed him the next day.
Seven months after recognising Dahmer in the news, Salinas will now describe the events of that night to the best of his recollection.
Below follows the entire transcript of that testimony as recorded in 1992 by Court TV. Some minor alterations have been made for the sake of clarity and grammar, but other than that, everything that follows is in the words of Michael Salinas; assistant District Attorney, Carol White; and assistant defence attorney, Wendy Patrickus
Encountering Jeffrey Dahmer
CAROL WHITE: Mr. Salinas, after information concerning the case of Mr. Dahmer came into the news media, did you recall an incident where you had an encounter with Mr. Dahmer?
MICHAEL SALINAS: Not initially. In the beginning, the face from the media looked vaguely familiar at the initial outset of the case. However, upon looking at a photo of Jeffrey Dahmer – an older photo taken – I then recognised him. And [had] also seen a profile photo of him and recognised him from the incident [in that profile picture].
CW: And you recalled having an encounter with Mr. Dahmer?
MS: Yes, I do.
W: And you reported that to the police, correct?
S: No, I didn’t.
W: Alright. Were you spoken to?
S: I’m sorry: I reported it to the police once I identified him.
W: That’s what I meant. You didn’t report it at the time –
(photo circa 2015)
S: No, not at the time of the incident.
W: And at the time you reported it to the police, you recalled it as occurring in the spring of 1986. Or that was your estimation, correct?
S: That’s correct at the time.
W: When do you recall it as having occurred actually?
S: Actually, I recalled it occurring in the spring of ’87.
W: What brought to your mind that it must have been the spring of 1987?
S: Because during that time of the incident I was working at the Performing Arts Center. And upon looking at a past resume, I noticed that – at that time – it was in 1987.
W: Now, where did you encounter Mr. Dahmer on that date?
S: Outside the C’est La Vie. During bar close.
One of several gay bars frequented by Dahmer
W: And were you alone or with someone else?
S: I was with somebody else.
W: And was that person a friend of yours?
S: Yes, he was.
W: What happened when the two of you encountered Jeffrey Dahmer?
S: A conversation was started as to the fact that he stated his name – his first name – and then said that he was from Chicago and that he had a room that he had rented out. And that he had a bottle of rum and if we would like to come and finish it.
W: And was he the one that started the conversation?
S: Yes, he was.
W: Then what happened?
S: We then took a cab.
W: Who called the cab?
S: Jeffrey did.
W: Then what happened?
S: We went into the cab and were dropped off at the Ambassador Hotel.
W: All three of you?
S: Right.
Sodas and Something Strange
Though its mid-00s rennovation helped improve its reputation, in the 80s it was a known hotspot for drug dealers, down-and-outs, and prostitutes attempting to solicit clients through messages written in lipstick on the bathroom mirrors
W: What happened when you got to the Ambassador Hotel?
S: We went – strangely enough, it seemed to be through a side door. I found it odd that I didn’t see anybody in that building at all. And [we] went up a flight of stairs.
W: All three of you?
S: Yes, we did.
W: Then what happened?
S: We went inside the room and he mentioned that he needed to go downstairs and get some sodas out of the soda machine for the room.
W: Mr. Dahmer mentioned that?
S: Yes, he did.
W: Now, at this point, about how much time had you spent with him?
S: I’d estimate approximately half an hour to 45 minutes.
W: Before he went downstairs to get sodas?
S: Yes.
W: And had you been carrying on a conversation with him?
S: Not during the cab rideā¦ Actually, when we entered the room, not much of a conversation either – other than the fact that he asked us what kind of soda we liked.
W: And then what did he do?
S: He came back from getting the sodas and, at that time, we had already seated ourselves. I was sitting on the bed on the chair – facing a wall or against a wall – and my friend was on the floor, in front of the TV.
W: And what happened with regard to the drinks?
“[It] usually rendered them unconscious for about four hours.” – Dahmer
S: He began to make the drinks and I found it also odd at the time that – when he had made them – his back was turned. It was something that had stuck out at me.
W: Now you said his back was turned. Do you mean that he was blocking your vision of what he was doing while he was making the drinks?
S: That’s correct.
W: And you said your friend was seated on the floorā¦ First of all, how many beds were there in this room?
S: There was two.
W: One closer to the door, one further inside?
S: Right.
W: And there was a television?
S: Right.
W: And where was that?
S: That was at the foot of the bed that was farther from the door.
W: And where was your friend seated?
S: On the floor in front of the television.
W: And where were you?
S: On the chair that was on the side where the farther bed was from the door.
W: All right. So if you came in, there’d be one bed, then a second bed, and then beyond that there was a chair?
S: A chair facing that bed, correct.
W: And you were seated in that chair and your friend was seated at the end of the bed.
S: Right. On the floor.
W: And after Mr. Dahmer mixed the drinks, what did he do?
S: He then gave us the drinks.
W: And what did he do next?
S: He did sit on the bed – or lay on the bed – but then he did something very strange. He had gotten up and stripped off all of his clothes.
W: And? What did he say to that?
S: He laid back on the bed and asked us if we’d like to strip off our clothes. And at that point I told him “no”.
W: Then what happened? Did you have the drink already at this point?
S: I did have the drink. It was with me and I had taken maybe a sip or two out of it.
W: When he did this – when he took off his clothes and laid down on the bed – had he touched either you or your friend?
S: No, he didn’t.
W: Did you and your friend, like, exchange glances when he did this?
S: Yes, we did.
W: What happened next?
S: After we had exchanged glances, I began to talk to Mr. Dahmer – small talk – for a little while. What I can remember was something to do with his past history in the Armyā¦
(colourised)
W: He was telling you about his Army days?
S: Right.
W: And what was your friend doing?
S: Watching a television show.
W: Were you particularly nervous or frightened?
S: No, I wasn’t.
W: There were two of you there at the time?
S: Yes, there was.
W: Did you start drinking the drink?
S: Yes, I did.
W: What happened next?
S: I don’t remember. I estimate that I probably had a few sips out of the drink – I know that I didn’t finish it – and that was it. I blacked out.
Ripped and Rugburnt
W: What’s the next thing you remember?
S: I woke up at the foot of the chair on the floor with my pants unbuckled.
W: And what about your friend, where was he?
S: He was lying on the bed and I got up and went to wake him up.
W: What happened next?
S: We got up and we looked around the room, looking to see where Mr. Dahmer had gone to. We walked and looked in the bathroom and decided that we should leave. The door, I believe, was wide open.
W: About how long were you passed out?
S: I’d estimate three to four hours.
W: And prior to that, how long had you spent with Mr. Dahmer? From the time you met him until the time you did pass out.
S: Approximately an hour and a half.
W: When he had conversation with you, was he coherent?
S: Yes, he was.
W: He described his past life or his time in the army?
S: Yeah.
“Beginning Friday afternoon he would drink, pass out, wake up and start again,” said a former army mate. “He’d be in his own little world.”
W: Were any of his thoughts rambling or unconnected?
S: No.
W: Except for the fact that he, when he came into the room, took off his clothes – did he explain why he did that to you?
S: No, he didn’t. Just that he said that he preferred to have his clothes off.
W: Okay. And he invited you to take yours off too, correct?
S: Yes, he did.
W: Did he react in any way when you said no, or did he just let it go?
S: No, he didn’t. He had small talk with me and had his hands behind his head and appeared to be very relaxed.
W: While he was lying on the bed?
– Lionel Dahmer reflecting on his son in 2004
S: Right.
W: Right, so he’s lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, his clothes off, and he’s just having small talk with you.
S: That’s right.
W: At any time was his conversation unconnected or incoherent?
S: No. Actually it was quite a nice conversation, from what I remember.
W: And after a few sips of the drinks, the next thing you remember is waking up several hours later.
S: Yes.
W: Other than your pants being unbuckled, did you notice anything else about your clothing?
S: Once we had stepped outside, my friend had noticed that he had a split up the back of his pants. Probably starting from mid-thigh to right up through his buttocks.
W: Did you see that also?
S: Yes, I did.
W: Anything else?
S: It was a very clean cut. It wasn’t a rip.
W: Okay. Did you notice anything else about your clothing?
S: Yes, he had no underwear.
W: Your friend noticed this about his clothing?
S: Yes, he said to me that, “I have no underwear and I had some on last night.”
W: Was your clothing disarranged in any other way?
S: It was disarrayed upon awakening and also the pants weren’t buckled, but I also had an abrasion on my head.
W: Okay. Where on your head did you have an abrasion?
S: Smack dab in the middle of my forehead. It appeared to be a rug burn. It was very red and there was a bump and very symmetrical. About the size of – actually, it was a little larger than a quarter size.
W: And prior to that evening, you didn’t have any injury there? Prior to going to the Ambassador Hotel?
S: Prior to that there was none.
W: And when did you first notice the injury to your head?
S: I didn’t notice it until I had gotten home and looked in the mirror.
W: And it was right in the middle of your forehead, you indicated?
S: That’s right.
W: Your Honor, I’d also indicate at this point that I’ve spoken to counsel and there’s a stipulation that the Mr. Dahmer referred to is Jeffrey Dahmer, the defendant in this trial. Is that correct?
WENDY PATRICKUS: That’s correct.
* Judge Gram takes a moment to explain to the jury that when the attorneys ‘stipulate’ it means they’ve mututally agreed that something has proven to be true. In this instance, there is no doubt that the Mr. Dahmer sat in the courtroom is the ‘Jeffrey Dahmer’ Salinas has been referring to in his testimony. *
W: I have nothing further of this witness. Thank you.
* Salinas will now be cross-examined by Wendy Patrickus of Dahmer’s defence team. *
ā CROSS EXAMINATION ā
No Fear
WENDY PATRICKUS: Mr. Salinas, I just have a couple of questions for clarification, okay?
S: That’s all right.
WP: First off, you had indicated here today that you believe now that it was in the spring of ’87 rather than ’86. Is that correct?
S: That’s right.
P: You’re fairly certain of that?
S: I’m very certain, yeah.
P: Okay. You’ve indicated that you were at C’est La Vie tavern with your friend, correct?
S: Right.
P: Was this a friend that you had gone there with or was this somebody that you had met at the bar?
S: It was a friend of mine that I met there.
P: Is this a close friend that you would normally call up and hang out with?
S: At the time it was a close friend, yeah.
P: Okay. You indicated that you had gone – after you met with Mr. Dahmer – over to the Ambassador Hotel. And you stated that you went into a side door, is that correct?
S: It appeared to be a side doorā¦ Upon opening the door there was stairs immediately in front of us.
P: Okay. Do you recall giving a report relative to this matter to the police department when you had called it in? This was after everything was all done and this story had broke. You called in and you talked to a detective about this?
S: Yes. Okay.
P: Do you recall that at the time – in the report that gave – it said that you entered the front? Is this just now that you remember better that it wasn’t the front, it was the side?
S: Yeah, just upon memorisation of the way that I came in. I’m saying it appeared to be a side door because I didn’t see anything else but the stairs.
P: Okay. You’ve also indicated here today that you went up to the room and then Jeffrey Dahmer had left and gone back down and picked up sodas. Is that correct?
S: That’s right.
P: Okay. You indicated again in this other report that, in fact, on your way up to the room you had picked up the sodas at the same time. Giving the impression that all of you had done this. Now do you remember which is better?
S: Yeah, upon remembrance, I do remember now being up in the room and him asking what types of soda we liked and then he ran down to go get them.
P: Okay. So it wasn’t that you all had just been passing the soda machine –
S: No, because when he came back we had already been seated.
P: Okay. And likewise too – just for clarifications sake – you had indicated (as you reported this) that there was just one double bed in the room, and now you’re indicating that there was in fact two? Was that correct?
S: I was always under the assumption there was two.
P: Okay, that’s fine. Like I said, just trying to get some clarification here… Further, you had indicated that – at the time when Mr. Dahmer had taken off his clothing – you and your friend had exchanged glances.
S: That’s right.
P: Did you say anything? Was there anything spoken about the fact or –
S: No, we didn’t say anything. We had just thought it was strange at the time.
P: Okay. Further you have indicated that you felt it was of a suspicious nature the way he was turning his back and making the drinks. Is that correct?
S: That’s right.
P: I’d like to ask you – with the fact that you felt it was suspicious and had taken note of it at the time that he had turned his back a certain way to make the drinks and also had taken off his clothing – did that in any way make you feel uncomfortable?
S: No, in no way at all did I feel threatened by him. The fact that I remembered him turning his back at the time just struck me as rather peculiar. Something that just stuck out at me. But at that time – through the whole night, before I had blacked out – I had no fear or suspicion of Jeffrey Dahmer.
P: Okay.
S: I must say that those were the two only odd incidents through that whole night that came to mind.
P: So there was nothing else that you or your friend – did your friend ever say to you: “well, hey, this is a little weird. Let’s leave?”
S: No, he didn’t.
P: Okay, nothing more than just a glance.
S: No, actually he hardly spoke through the whole thing.
Waking Up and Recognising
P: Okay. You indicated further that when you woke up you had a bump or a swelling on your head?
S: Yes, I did.
P: You indicated a rug burn?
S: It appeared to be one.
P: Okay. And further in this report that you gave, you’d indicated that you felt – when you woke up – that you were a little drugged up. That you were in somewhat of a type of stupor. That you’d realised that, in fact, you had been drugged.
S: Yeah, the next day I didn’t recall anything – or didn’t recall half the things that I did the next day. I did have to go to work the next day and a lot of the activities that I did that following day were unclear to me. I don’t recall a lot of the things that I did.
P: When you awoke, you said the only other person that was there was your friend that you had gone there with, correct?
S: That’s right.
P: Mr. Dahmer wasn’t there?
S: No, he was gone.
P: And did he likewise feel as though he had been drugged?
S: Yes, he did.
P: Did either of you think about perhaps going to the hospital? I mean, this is an instance where you’re with somebody for an evening, you didn’t know him, he says he’s from Chicago, you both all of a sudden black out, you both wake upā¦ Did you have any conversation about the fact that maybe you should go to the hospital?
S: No, we didn’t. We thought it was strange, but we had just put it off that somebody slipped us a Mickey or something and took advantage of us for some reason or another. I was quite angry though, after that. And for five days after did go looking for him and didn’t see him anywhere.
Stranger-danger advice from 1991 for members of Wisconsin’s gay community. Published regularly in ‘In-Step’ – a queer issues zine circulating the state3
P: Okay. You had indicated further that you, in fact, never reported this to police at the time.
S: No, I didn’t.
P: Did your friend report it?
S: No, he didn’t.
P: Did your friend go to the hospital?
S: No, he didn’t. I did ask him if he hurt in the buttocks and he said no, he didn’t.
P: Okay, so neither of you reported to the hospital and neither of you had reported it to the police. But you’ve indicated that you went to look for him. Was it because you wanted to find him so you could report it to the police?
S: No. Actually, at that time, I was quite angry and quite young and went after him to go beat him up.
P: Okay. Did you ever check in the hotel as far as who signed in for the room? Did you ever check a name?
S: No, I didn’t. I didn’t investigate any further than that.
P: Okay. Now you’ve indicated that you waited until after this had all broke and it was out of the newspapers and then you’d recognise Mr. Dahmer and that’s why you brought it to the police’s attention. How long was it after the story broke that you actually brought it to the police’s attention?
S: Oh, I identified the picture after coming back from camping on Labor Day weekend. I was camping and came back and saw a picture of him in the Milwaukee Journal of a family photo, back in the early 80s. And his hair was a little more ruffled in another photo that I had seen of him in the past – and that’s when I recognised him.
P: So Labor Day of ’91?
S: Right.
P: So that would have been September?
S: Yeah. I believe I came back from camping either late August or near around that time.
P: Do you recall giving a report at any time on August 1st of ’91?
S: No. I do know that I went camping around that time and through some media – through some newspaper photos of him from a few years younger – I did recognise him. And after that I did call the police.
P: I just ask for clarification because this report here indicates that you in fact talked to a detective on August 1st and now you’re in September. I was just wondering how long it was that you actually waited… After this all broke and you decided to bring it to the police department’s attention, did you ever contact your friend and ask him if he had any thoughts to give you? If he wanted to come with you to talk to the police?
S: I hadn’t seen him. I had moved away and lost touch with him. I knew one person that had known him in the past and did call to see if he had seen him. But he said that he hadn’t seen him in a couple years, so I have not seen him for quite a while.
P: So you never discussed it with him? You never called him as far as bringing him to the police?
S: I’m sorry, we did. After the incident we often discussed it and talked about just how strange it was.
P: When was that? Right after the incident?
S: Yeah, a few months after the incident.
P: Okay, but not at the time that you actually did bring it to their attention in ’91?
S: Oh, no. No.
P: Okay. Without necessarily having to tell us, do you know what your friend’s last name is?
S: No, I don’t.
P: Okay. Did you ever – by chance that next day – call the management of the hotel? Just anonymously call in and say, “look, there’s a guy that’s up in room such-and-such, that’s drugging people.”
S: No, I never investigated any further.
P: You never warned anybody about the fact that this was happening? That this had happened, in fact, to you?
S: No, other than just discussion between me and my friend and maybe a couple other people. We thought it had been a common occurrence for people sometimes to be slipped something in their drink, and so we thought it was something similar to that. And so we didn’t investigate it any further other than the fact that I went looking for him.
P: Just one more question… When you woke up the next morning, you said you indicated that there was a bump on your head, that you had some other problems and your friend had a slit in his pants…
S: Mm-hmm.
P: Did you notice: was there any property taken? Was there any necklaces, money, anything?
S: No, none of us had noticed anything taken.
P: Nothing was taken?
S: Nothing was taken.
P: No further questions.
Transcribing is time-consuming and can be a financial expense. If you find this transcript useful, please consider referencing me. Iād really appreciate it! š
Sources:
- Court TV
- The Milwaukee Journal
Footnotes:
- Somsack Sinthasomphone (the 13-year-old boy whom Dahmer was charged with molesting in 1989) and Ronald Flowers (the 25-year-old man who had awoken in hospital after being drugged by Dahmer in 1988) will also testify today ā©ļø
- A copy of In-Step – with the same sage advice – was found in Dahmer’s apartment at the time of his arrest. The issue in Dahmer’s apartment had also contained a missing person’s plea for Jeremiah Weinberger – Dahmer’s 15th victim ā©ļø
Thank you for taking the time to share all these informations. I just wish you would post more often š