Lionel Dahmer Net Worth: How Rich is Jeffrey Dahmer’s Father?

Lionel Dahmer is the father of American serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. His son is known for committing the murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between the years 1978 and 1991. As of 2022, Lionel Dahmer net worth is roughly around $5 million.

Lionel Dahmer is a 86 year old analytical chemist. He has made numerous TV show appearances and appeared in several interviews over the past two decades.

Dahmer has been living a relatively reclusive life away from public attention. Lionel opened up about his life with his son, Jeffrey, and his criminal activities in Investigation Discovery’s 2020 series, Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster. He came into the limelight again after the Netflix series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered on September 21.

Early Life

Lionel Dahmer was born in July 1936 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Not much is revealed about his previous life and parents. He belongs to German and Welsh ancestry.

Regarding his education, Lionel studied at Marquette University. As per sources, Dahmer has been registered and legible to vote in Medina County since August 2004.

Career

Lionel Dahmer has been in the limelight merely because of his infamous son, Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeffrey was arrested for the 17 victims he had raped, murdered, and dismembered. He was sentenced to prison for 10 months after being convicted of second-degree sexual assault. In 1990, Dahmer wrote a letter to Judge William Gardner just 10 months into Jeffrey’s prison sentence.

Through the letter, Lionel pleads for some sort of help or intervention before his son gets released. Later, he appeared in the 2020 series and shared his immediate reaction to Jeffrey’s unexpected death in 1994. Dahmer revealed that he felt devastated when he find out Jeffrey was murdered.

That same year, he released the memoir titled “A Father’s Story”. In the book, he recounts his son’s upbringing as he tried to search for contributing factors that he believed would lead to his son’s actions. Dahmer discussed on his son’s behavior on CNN”s Larry King Live and said that Jeffrey missed a deviant behavior in his son.

Lionel further revealed that Jeffrey would ride around rural roads and collect dead animals in his growing age between 12-14. Remembering his son’s action, he advised other parents to look for in rearing their kids. Lionel also told other parents not to disregard shyness. Instead, they should talk deeply and intensely.

Dahmer’s relationship with Jeffrey changed after his incarceration. He discussed the rekindling relationship between father and son on the Oprah Winfrey Show in a 1994 interview. At that time, he used to Jeffrey once a month. In addition, he used to speak to Jeffrey on the phone at least once a week. Lionel was blamed for using his book and claims for mere publicity. On the matter, he revealed that he want to help raise awareness and help create treatment options rather than sharing his tragic story with his son.

Dahmer was sued by Jeffrey’s two victims’ families in March 1994. The victims’ families accused him of invading their privacy by including them in his book. According to the law, he should have gotten the written consent of the two families before writing about them in his book. Knowingly or unknowingly, he didn’t follow the protocol and included David Thomas and Richard Guerrero in his memoir, A Father’s Story, However, the ruling in the matter was not made public.

Personal Life

Lionel Dahmer was married to Joyce Flint. Together, they had two kids, David and Jeffrey. He found out about Joyce’s extra affair in 1997. After that, they decided to part ways with divorce. Dahmer revealed that his ex-wife was mentally ill when she was pregnant with Jeffrey.

His ex-wife, Joyce was also a hypochondriac when Jeffrey was just a kid. She also refused to comfort Jeffrey and had a fear of contracting a communicable disease. Following separation from his first wife, he has since remarried. However, his second wife has remained out of the spotlight. Lionel’s reel character was played by Richard Jenkins in the Netflix series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Lionel Dahmer Net Worth

Lionel Dahmer’s personal wealth is estimated to be around $5 million as of 2022. He has worked as a research and analytical chemist in Akron, Ohio. His other source of income details is still not available.

Dahmer requested his son Jeffrey’s brain to be cremated by Columbia County Circuit Judge, Daniel George. The court judge ultimately ruled in December 1995 that Jeffrey’s brain would be cremated, which was preserved in formaldehyde since his autopsy.