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Netflix just dropped another series on the cannibalistic serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, aka the Milwaukee Cannibal.
The three-episode documentary series titled Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes by Joe Berlinger explores the crimes of the convicted killer. This time, however, it is done via witness accounts and recordings of conversations with Dahmer.
Apart from all the gory details that have already been covered by a number of series and documentaries, the series also introduces his defense attorney Wendy Patrickus. Wendy, who was assigned the case three years into her career as a lawyer, talks about her encounter with Dahmer and her experiences while working on the case.
The new docuseries is quite similar to Evan Peters' Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which was released on Netflix a few weeks ago. However, unlike Peters' series, The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes gives a more realistic perspective of the killer's crimes.
Given the latest series' take on the story with his young defense attorney occupying center stage, this article will look into Wendy Patrickus' life.
Attorney Wendy Patrickus was 25 years old at the time of Jeffrey Dahmer's case
Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in July 1991 after years of victimizing several Milwaukee men. His defense team included Wendy Patrickus and Gerald Boyle. Patrickus graduated from St. Norbert College with a bachelor's degree and Western Michigan University Cooley Law School with a law degree. According to LinkedIn, she has been in practice since 1989.
Patrickus was just 25 years old and had recently obtained her legal degree when she was assigned to work on Dahmer's case, for which she served as the second chair.
In the docuseries, Wendy, who subsequently penned a book about the case, said that when she first met Dahmer, she felt like she was way over her head. Stating that she felt nervous, the attorney said that she felt like Clarice Starling from the Silence of the Lambs.
The film, which premiered the same year as Dahmer's arrest, had an FBI agent seeking the help of a cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter, to catch another serial killer.
During the proceedings, Wendy listened to more than 20 hours of interrogation tapes where Dahmer spoke about his heinous acts. She also paid a visit to his home at the Oxford Apartments where he committed most of the murders.
In the documentary, she stated that the grisly crime scene, blood stains, and the smell made her feel nauseous and throw up. However, she said that she had to put forth a non-judgemental persona in front of the killer, regardless of how awful the details of his crimes became at times.
She also said that she made sure that he was comfortable talking about his past acts. Patrickus noted that the killer called her Wendy while she called him Jeff.
In the recordings, she can be heard saying to Dahmer:
"This is okay, Jeff. I mean, don’t be embarrassed about it. Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Additionally, during the course of the trial, she said that she had built a unique bond with him that came after hours and months of talking. Patrickus claimed:
"There were times when I felt like a mother to him, there were times when I felt like he was my brother, there were times when I felt like a therapist."
Wendy Patrickus talks about the bond she built with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
In the series, Wendy discusses her objectives, the relationship she built with her client, and the reasons she still believes that Dahmer's conviction and sentencing were incorrect. At the end of the docuseries, Wendy specifically mentions the bond she shared with Dahmer and says:
"You can't help but to become close with somebody when you spend that many days, weeks, months with them."
The lawyer was concerned about him during the months right before his death inside the prison.
She asserted that there was still a lot more to learn from the case and why he did what he did, as Jeffrey never had a good enough answer for her. Patrickus believes there was more that society could've learned about his actions and mental state. She added that Jeffrey Dahmer was a very complex person who was a "very hurting individual that felt soulless, felt empty."
Wendy continued to note that there were things that she wanted to know about him and talk to him about. She stated:
"It was a waste of an opportunity for people to study what made him tick. There were horrific, terrible things that he did, but if he really couldn't control his conduct, let's find out what's going on here. Maybe we can all learn something as a society."
Irrespective of the bond Dahmer's defense attorney Wendy Patrickus built with him, she never failed to acknowledge the heinouness of his horrific crimes.
She detailed all of this in her 2021 book, Defending the Devil: Inside The Trial Of My Client Jeffrey Dahmer. Wendy shared an insight into Dahmer's attacking methods, cannibalism, and the human shrine he built inside his apartment.
Where is convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's former lawyer Wendy Patrickus now?
Wendy Patrickus has had her own law firm, Patrickus Law, since 2005 and is currently actively engaged in legal practice. She made an appearance on an episode of the documentary series Dark Tourist in 2018, where she spoke about her involvement in the trial of Jeffrey Dahmer with host David Farrier.
As previously mentioned, her book explores more than 20 hours of unreleased tape recordings with the serial killer. In the latest Netflix docuseries, Patrickus is prominently featured as she talks about her connection with Dahmer as his lawyer and the impact the case had on her life.
Wendy now specializes primarily in family and business law. She is also a significant part of the Milwaukee Bar Association and the State of Wisconsin Bar Association's Professionalism Committee.
Watch Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes on Netflix to learn more about defense attorney Wendy Patrickus' role as a young woman sitting by Jeffrey Dahmer's side in court during his trial.
