Jeffrey Dahmer petition: calls for Netflix to apologise to families of serial killer’s victims - explained

A petition has been created in the wake of Netflix’s latest true-crime drama series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The petition has been launched on the site Care2, calling for the streaming service to apologise to the families of Dahmer’s 17 victims as well as donate all the show’s profits to them.

It comes after the 10-episode limited edition series starring Evan Peters as the Milwaukee Monster, Jeffrey Dahmer, caused backlash for “re-traumatising” the victims’ families.

The petition named, ‘Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer Show is an insult to his victims and their families’ is asking for 10,000 signatures and at time of writing has achieved nearly 6,000 of those.

It states: “It’s clear Netflix needs to do better when it comes to producing true crime stories. The company is profiting off of real pain and trauma, causing serious and negative impacts on the survivors.”

American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, but was ultimately convicted of 15 murders when he was sentenced in February 1992.

While Netflix suggests that the Monster show gives the “victims a voice”, families of the victims have stepped forward and said that instead the dramatisation of their loved ones’ deaths, and even portraying themselves, has “re-traumatized” and upset them, 30 years later.

Rita Isbell, the sister of Jeffrey Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, shared an emotional statement claiming that Netflix never consulted her about dramatising her speech she made during Dahmer’s 1992 trial.

She said: “I was never contacted about the show. I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything.

“I’m not money hungry, and that’s what this show is about, Netflix trying to get paid. It’s sad that they are making money off of this tragedy. That’s just greed.”

Rita Isbell was played by DaShawn ‘Dash’ Barnes in Netflix’s depiction, which has been viewed by 56 million households since its first release on 21 September.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has broken records as it has become the ninth most-watched English-speaking series on Netflix of all time.

The petition explains that a former Netflix designer has said that they prioritise making a profit and being dominant in their industry over its potential other effects.

They said: “Netflix will continue to sponsor this type of content because it is helping to push the bottom line of the business…they will do what they can to reach that level of success.”