The 15 Guilty Pleas Jeff Dahmer Supposedly Signed Do Not Exist
At the January 13, 1992 Motion Hearing, Jeff Dahmer supposedly signed 15 guilty pleas. Here is an excerpt from the transcript of that hearing:
Attorney Gerald Boyle: As you can see, on all 15 guilty plea questionnaires, at the beginning of each paragraph are the initials JD. I have certified within my discussion with Mr. Dahmer that in fact he did initial each and every paragraph of every one of the 15 guilty questionnaires in the presence of my associate Ellen Ryan. I asked him if he wanted me to re-read the 15 guilty plea questionnaires and say the same thing 14 more times. He told me it would be a waste of time. His signature is on each and every guilty plea questionnaire and I have discussed the elements of each and every one these crimes with him as have both of my associates and he has signed the document saying that that has all been done. So, I have an…Ellen Ryan…attorney working on this case…has gone over specifically each and every guilty plea questionnaire. In other words, she did it 15 times and then Mr. Dahmer would initial each paragraph, and I asked Mr. Dahmer yesterday if that was a fact and he said it was. But, he did me the courtesy of not having to have me read each one of them. In other words, I’ve just been told by Ms. Ryan that while she read them to him he then initialed them, but she didn’t read the same thing 15 times…but the paragraph number one is the same 15 times and they were then initialed by Mr. Dahmer reflecting that he has read them and obviously has had them read to him by Miss Ryan and by myself.
Judge: OK, <unclear> you have gone over each and every one of these forms with legal counsel. Is that correct?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes, we have, your honor.
Judge: And do you feel you understand what they say.
Jeff Dahmer: I do understand.
Judge: And as to each them there’s a signature at the bottom of the front page. Is that your signature, sir?
Jeff Dahmer: That’s my signature.
Judge: And also on the back side. Is that your signature, sir?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes, it is your honor.
Judge: Has anyone promised you anything or threatened you in any way to get you to do this?
Jeff Dahmer: No, your honor.
Judge: Has your attorney advised you of the maximum penalties for these offenses?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes, he has.
Judge: Did he explain to you that as judge that I could impose up to those maximum penalties, and in fact make the penalties consecutive if I thought it was the right thing to do?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes he’s done that.
Judge: Did he also discuss with you the law in Wisconsin as it exists today regarding…uh parole date…which I guess applies to 13 of them…Did Mr Boyle explain that to you, sir?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes, he did.
Judge: Do you further understand sir that when you plead guilty to these offenses there’s a certain group of rights that you’re giving up. You’re giving up the right to remain silent, the right to confront the witnesses against you, the right to call witnesses on your own behalf, the right to a jury trial, and the right to require the state to prove each and every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt. Are you satisfied that you understand all of that, sir?
Jeff Dahmer: Yes, your honor.
I personally contacted the court and requested copies of the signed guilty pleas. The response I received is shown below:
The above response came from “no-reply@relay.milwaukeecountywi.gov”:
My initial request:
The entire email from Milwaukee County to my ProtonMail account:
Note the sentence in the response: “Defendant Dahmer was found guilty at trial.”
This is incorrect. Jeff was not “found guilty at trial” since he waived all his constitutional rights to a fair trial to prove guilt. The “trial” was about trying to prove “insanity.” You can read a detailed analysis of the “trial” and Gerald Boyle’s peculiar legal maneuvers.
Without any signed guilty pleas, it cannot be said that Jeff Dahmer murdered anyone in Milwaukee.
This article is based on publicly available research and discussion originally posted by “Emotional-Brief-1775” on r/TheDahmerCase. It has been rewritten for clarity and context. The original post can be viewed here.
Note: The email correspondence with Milwaukee County referenced here was initiated and conducted by me through a direct request to the Wisconsin Circuit Court in July 2023. The screenshots included originated from my personal ProtonMail account.
faq
Were Jeffrey Dahmer’s guilty pleas ever signed and filed?
No. Court transcripts reference Jeff Dahmer supposedly signing 15 guilty plea questionnaires in January 1992, but a public records request to Milwaukee County confirmed that no signed guilty pleas exist in the official record.
Why are Jeffrey Dahmer’s guilty pleas missing from the record?
That’s the contradiction. Milwaukee County responded that Jeff Dahmer was “found guilty at trial,” which is false — the proceeding was limited to sanity, not guilt. Without signed guilty pleas, there’s no legal proof he admitted to murder in Wisconsin.