[locks clicking]
[grunting]
[Tracy panting]
Help me!
He tried to kill me!
Help me! Help me!
Help!
[baby crying faintly]
[gasps, whimpers]
[door slams]
[pensive music playing]
[panting]
[Tracy yelling] Help! Help me, please!
Somebody call the police!
He tried to kill me!
Help me!
[pensive music continues]
-[door slams] -[lock clicks]
[chain lock rattling]
[gasps]
[dials]
[gasps softly]
-[hangs up phone] -[exterior door slams]
[officer] Stay where I can see you.
[Tracy] I'm tellin' you. This is the guy who's killing them. God as my witness.
[knocking on door]
[knocking continues]
[knocking echoes]
[officer, muffled] Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law.
[Tracy] Fuck you!
For what I did, I should be dead.
[sighs]
[Glenda] What did Jeff Dahmer do? 'Cause I know he was doing something!
Clear it out. Make a path! Comin' through!
[sound muffles]
[intense music playing]
I knew you was up to something, Jeff Dahmer!
And I called y'all!
And I told you over and over a million times
that something was going on, and you know what you did?
Y'all did nothing!
Nothing!
What? Y'all motherfuckers knew?
-You knew? -Sir, calm down.
You knew this motherfucker was killing people?
What'd y'all find in there?
[bulb flashes]
Hmm?
And what y'all gonna do about this young man?
You see he obviously needs to be taken care of!
Ma'am, this is police business. Just go back inside.
I called y'all for months!
For months!
And now you finally came?
And it's too late!
Y'all came too late!
[reporter on TV] Some neighbors here complained of a stench for almost a year.
But they never imagined what might be causing it.
Milwaukee Police were led to an apartment in this building
after they were flagged down by a handcuffed man…
[police siren blaring]
[people clamoring]
[siren chirps]
[reporter on TV] Fifteen human bodies,
including three heads preserved in a refrigerator.
[loud banging on door]
[officer] Ma'am, you have to leave the premises.
We're asking all residents to evacuate for our investigation and their safety.
Wha… What?
Wait a minute. [scoffs]
Where exactly am I supposed to go?
The entire building's a crime scene.
There's toxic chemicals in here that could be a hazard.
Wait.
How many did you find?
Bodies?
[man on walkie-talkie] Come out front. Over.
[officer] Copy that.
Ma'am, just pack your things and vacate the building, okay?
[man on TV] On to the news desk. Ann?
[Ann] Thanks, Brian.
In the news this morning, on a serious note,
police in Wisconsin this morning are investigating a grisly discovery
in a Milwaukee apartment.
The discovery of pieces of bodies.
Police found parts of as many as 15 human bodies inside.
Police were led there by a man
who told them he'd been attacked with a butcher knife.
Police are questioning the 31-year-old man who lives in the apartment.
The Milwaukee newspapers reporting the man had--
-[police siren chirps] -[horn honks]
[bangs shut]
[man] So far, we've identified 11 different bodies.
From what Dahmer's told our detectives, we think there's more.
How many more?
Not sure. Sixteen, 17, maybe.
[sighs] Jesus.
Apparently, he killed his first victim in Ohio.
[indistinct chatter]
The bodies in the apartment, have we been able to establish identities?
Based on the condition of the victims, we thought it might take a while,
but Dahmer's kept more than their bodies.
He kept their IDs.
One of his victims was only 14 years old.
Christ, could this case get any worse?
What?
So, you're saying that one of the victims had actually managed to escape,
and two of your officers escorted him back to Dahmer's?
[chief] Looks that way.
The Laotian boy, we're still investigating the matter,
but apparently a concerned citizen tried to intervene and save the boy,
but she was ignored.
Glenda Cleveland.
-I hesitate to ask… She's Black.
Goddammit!
Are you planning to discipline these two officers?
I'd like to finish our internal investigation first.
Can't you at least suspend them to give the public the impression
that you're doing something about this?
Mayor, I have to tread carefully.
I've been chief in Milwaukee two years,
but the cops here still consider me an outsider.
The police union tends to protect its own.
Okay, and I would advise you to protect your own ass and mine
before this becomes more than just a story about a deranged serial killer.
Understood.
Have you notified the victims' families yet?
[sighs]
We're about to.
[car doors slam]
[doorbell rings]
-Yes? -Afternoon. I'm Detective Kennedy.
This is Detective Murphy.
Are you related to Errol Lindsey?
Yes. Tony's my son.
[knocking]
Uh, hi. Uh, we're with the Milwaukee Police Department.
What's going on?
Um…
These men are with the police.
Is he… dead?
[in Laotian]
-Can we speak to your mother and father? -Pa?
-It's about Konerak? -[Kennedy] May we come in?
[Sounthone in Laotian]
Is he okay?
-[boy in English] It's about Konerak. -[Sounthone] Is he okay?
[Kennedy] Mr. and Mrs. Sinthasomphone,
I'm sorry to say that your son is dead.
[sobbing] Y'all found Errol's body with those other ones, didn't ya?
[Kennedy] It appears he was murdered by a man named Jeffrey Dahmer.
-That man molested my brother Somsack! -[woman sobbing]
He was supposed to be in jail!
You knew about him!
-Well… No, we didn't. -No, no, we only found out--
-[boy] Konerak was only 14 years old! -[woman sobbing]
Can we come in, ma'am?
No, you may not!
Glenda, can I have a word?
Mr. Lively, he saw the newspaper article where you gave an interview.
I'm surprised he saw it. They buried it on page 27.
Did the article upset him?
Yes. Yes, it did.
This is a very conservative business with a very conservative clientele.
-And in the article… -Mm-hmm.
Well, what you said was very upsetting.
[Glenda] Well, when the police arrived on the scene,
they believed Jeff over my daughter and my niece who called 911.
Jeff told them this child was his 19-year-old lover,
and they believed it!
Even though the baby ain't had on no clothes,
couldn't speak a full sentence, and was obviously drunk, drugged up.
Baby, can you tell us your name?
I don't know what grown person in their right mind
could've looked at that baby and not think he was in danger,
no less a man.
But I couldn't get that baby off my mind.
And I called the police over and over
to… to check on his welfare and make sure he was okay.
But they just told me they had it handled.
[woman] Mr. Lively is worried about the press.
Our clients would not like that kind of attention.
And Glenda…
Yes?
There have been some complaints about you
from some of the other ladies who work in your division.
They see you crying sometimes at your desk.
Well, I try not to cause a scene.
I… I… I do. I try. You gotta understand that.
I get up. I excuse myself.
I go to the restroom for a private moment when those feelings rise up.
[sniffles]
[woman] This is becoming an HR issue.
And while I personally understand. I do--
Do you?
[quietly] I'm sorry. I am… I am so sorry. It…
[sighs]
I just feel…
I just feel the pressure of the situation.
About your neighbor.
Who made the zombies.
Did you ever see the zombies?
I'm… I'm just curious.
[sobbing softly]
[reporter on radio] We have an update for you on the case of Jeffrey Dahmer,
the 31-year-old suspect involved in a chain of grisly murders
throughout Milwaukee.
We are learning that Dahmer would drug and asphyxiate…
Reverend Jackson, I have to confess,
I have my reservations about you getting involved in this case.
Go on, son, speak your mind.
Well…
Rodney King,
Latasha Harlins,
the Central Park Five,
I understand how those cases fit into our civil rights agenda.
But this Jeffrey Dahmer dude?
A gay serial killer who eats people?
Who, it appears, mostly targeted young Black and brown men.
I feel terrible for the victims and their families, of course,
but it doesn't really feel like our fight.
Why? Because some of the victims might have been gay?
You told me to speak my mind, Reverend.
It may not look like it, but this Dahmer case,
it is our fight.
If you want to slay a dragon, son, you got to attack it from all angles.
And injustice is one hell of a beast.
[dramatic music playing]
[Jesse] I was shocked by the Dahmer murders like everyone else.
But the more I learned about the case,
the more I realized it was not just a gruesome horror show.
It's a metaphor for all the social ills that plague our nation.
Bad policing, underserved communities,
the low value we assign our young Black and brown men,
especially if they happen to be gay.
The fact that Black and brown folks still don't have a voice
and when we do speak up, we're too often ignored.
And I'm hoping that as the leaders of this fine city,
that both of you men would take swift,
immediate action to address and redress these wrongs.
Reverend Jackson, we understand your reasons for coming here,
but to be honest,
we're worried your presence may complicate our own efforts.
How so?
The Dahmer case, I mean, what he did to those young men
and that 14-year-old boy…
The whole city's on edge,
and we are doing our best to address the community's concerns.
But it's a delicate situation.
Our cops have been getting rocks thrown at them.
We nearly had a riot break out. The last thing that we need right now--
What?
A national civil rights leader shining a light
on your police department's incompetence?
For an outside agitator to further inflame racial tensions.
With all due respect, Chief, I think we are well past that.
[muffled yelling]
[Jesse] You got Black and brown folks angry at the police,
calling for justice.
You got a city that's been traumatized by these horrific murders, yes.
But also years of poverty, high unemployment,
discrimination, police brutality.
Yes, Chief, I did come to Milwaukee to be an agitator.
To hold you gentlemen accountable
and demand an end to this pattern of racism and neglect.
I also came here to do whatever's in my power,
as a leader, as a Christian,
to help this broken community heal.
So like it or not, gentlemen,
you're not getting rid of me.
Now, I assume you spoke with Glenda Cleveland.
Actually, no, not yet.
Can you at least tell me where I might find her?
-[knocking on door] -[door unlocks]
Ms. Cleveland.
-Yeah? -I'm--
I know who you are, Reverend Jackson.
I voted for you. Twice.
May I come in?
Huh? Yeah.
[splutters] Uh, yes. Yes, yes.
[Jesse] So I hear you're a data entry clerk.
[Glenda] Yes, that is right, Reverend.
I been doing it since my daughter Sandra was a baby.
[Jesse] How old is Sandra?
-Just turned 18. -Mm.
It's crazy 'cause I was that age when I had her.
My mama had me at 16.
In Greenville, right?
I told you I voted for you twice.
You remind me of my mother. Strong, resilient.
[chuckles]
Now, I know a Southern girl when I hear one.
Where are you from originally?
-Mississippi. -Mm-hmm.
[laughs] A little farming town called Carthage,
but as good as it was,
I knew I wanted better for Sandra.
So, after I had her, we moved to Milwaukee in '73.
Been just the two of us here ever since.
[sighs]
Mmm.
Lord knows it ain't always been easy.
I read the interview.
How you tried to save that Laotian boy.
[Glenda] It ain't right, Reverend.
And, you know, the police still ain't called to talk to me.
I'm aware. It's inexcusable.
Here I am, being pestered by reporters from France.
Paris, France!
And the cops right here in Milwaukee ain't interested in what I got to say.
It's like… It's like our people don't count.
No matter what we do or how loud we shout, it…
They never listen.
I'll listen.
[soft emotional music playing]
[chuckles softly]
Well,
after the Konerak incident,
things with Jeff got really bad.
[chuckles]
[indistinct chatter on TV]
[faint clattering]
[can pops open]
[crowd laughing on TV]
[sniffs, gags]
[knocking]
[bottle clatters]
[locks clicking]
Glenda, hey.
Jeff, sorry to bother you,
but there's a smell coming from your apartment.
A smell?
A stench came through the vent so strong, I almost threw up.
Oh…
I'm sorry.
It might've been the barbecue.
I was trying out a new way to cook it.
I guess I let the meat sit out too long.
You can smell it through your vent?
Like it was in the next room.
Hmm.
[sighs]
Well…
I promise I'll throw it out first thing,
and I won't cook it like that again.
-I really am sorry. Good night. -Wait, Jeff, is every--
[locks clicking]
[baby crying faintly]
[grunts]
-[man 2] Can I take those? -Get back!
Oh, I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to scare you.
I'm Dean. I just moved in, 308.
[sighs with relief]
Mm. Glenda, 215.
Sorry I snapped on you.
You just… You gotta be careful in this neighborhood.
Well, I'm a good guy. Scout's honor.
Um… May I?
-Okay. -Okay. [chuckles]
[Dean grunts]
And don't leave your door unlocked. We've had a string of robberies lately.
Mostly addicts looking to score money for their next fix.
This crack is out of control.
Most of the people in this building are good and decent.
Now, you do got a few shady characters that you gotta look out for.
Well, I'll keep my eyes open. Thanks, Glenda. You have a good one.
You too, Dean.
[Jeffrey] Hey! You're the new guy, right?
[Dean] Yeah, I'm Dean.
Jeff.
Hey, Jeff.
I've seen you around.
[Dean chuckles] Have you, now?
[Jeffrey] So, Dean, what kind of stuff you into?
Um, well…
I'm into building monster models.
Monster models?
That's a thing?
[chuckles] Cool.
Mm. [laughs]
Well, um, maybe I could bring some brewskis by your place,
and we could, uh, build one together.
[Dean] Brewskis?
[Jeffrey] A six-pack.
[Dean laughs] Sure. Yeah, um… Yeah, I'm down.
308.
-[Jeffrey] Let me get your phone number. -[Dean] Sure.
[sighs]
[bottles rattling]
[objects clattering]
[clattering]
[knocking on door]
[R&B music playing softly]
-Hey. -Hey.
So, uh, I was thinking about grabbing a beer and a slice over at Sal's,
if you, um, care to join.
[Dean chuckles] Um…
Unless you'd rather stay here with Frankenstein.
He can wait. Let me get my keys and shit.
-Sure. -Okay.
[song stops]
-[game show bell chimes] -[audience applauds]
[woman on TV] A P.
[chattering indistinctly]
[game show bell chimes]
[Glenda sighs]
[man faintly] No! No!
No!
-[objects clattering] -[muffled yelp]
It wasn't my imagination.
I definitely heard somebody screaming,
and it was coming from Jeff Dahmer's apartment.
[man 3] What do you want me to do, Ms. Cleveland?
Your job! It's my fourth time calling.
I want you to go over there and see what the hell he's up to.
I am telling you, between the noises and the smells,
something ain't right!
I can give him a warning about the noise complaint and the smells,
but Mr. Dahmer's a good tenant.
Yeah, I… I called, and I complained about him before.
I think I spoke with an Officer Baznorak or Bouziak or…
[man 4] Yes, I see a record of the conversation.
So what's the issue, ma'am?
Okay, well, a few minutes ago, I heard screaming coming from his apartment.
Screaming? Like an argument?
No, like somebody in pain.
Do you still hear it?
No, it stopped.
But, Officer, can you please just send somebody out here to check it out?
I can send a unit to stop by his place tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
Sir, tomorrow could be too late.
[man 4] I'm sorry, ma'am.
Unless it's an active situation, that's the best I can do.
[Glenda] Whenever I call y'all, you say the same thing.
"Oh, I'm gonna send somebody tomorrow!" And nobody ever shows!
[man 4] Is there anything else I can help you with, ma'am?
-[Glenda] Thank you for your time. -[hangs up phone]
[knocking on door]
[reggae music playing softly]
-[man 5] Ms. Cleveland. We need to talk.
[man 5] Building manager.
[knocking]
Okay, see?
This letter is postmarked two weeks ago.
That's around the time I saw him talking to Jeff.
He ain't picked up his mail since.
Mr. Vaughn?
We comin' to drop off your mail, Dean.
See? Open the door.
Glenda, the guy's not here. I can't just let you into his apartment.
[Glenda] Take a good whiff.
Does that smell right to you?
[manager] And you didn't cook anything strange?
No, I'm telling you, it's next door.
It's coming from this vent.
[sniffs]
Ugh.
Yeah, okay.
[Glenda] He keeps making excuses.
"Oh, it's the meat that went bad,"
and then nothing happens.
And then I complain, and nobody does anything.
And I know I'm not the only one complaining, sir!
Yes, yes, I know. I was going to--
Pamela Bass, she complained about the smell.
Pat from across the hall, she complained to you,
and there ain't nobody listening to us.
It's gotten so bad
that me and my daughter can't stand to sleep in our own home.
Smells so bad most nights, she goes and stays at her boyfriend's.
Right now I got the fan going and the window open,
and I still can barely stand to be in here.
So I am asking you,
Mr. Princewill,
to please evict him.
[faint whirring]
-[whirring continues] -Mr. Dahmer…
Uh…
you know, you've been a good tenant, you pay your rent on time--
[slurring] Sorry, what?
Could you just step outside, please?
[chuckles]
Uh…
I'm sorry, but I gotta give you this.
Okay.
It's an eviction notice. I'm sorry.
What?
[tense music playing]
What are you talking about?
No, no, come on.
It's the smell, Jeff. I keep getting complaints.
[tense music playing]
Well, that's why I got a cleaning crew in!
Cost me $49.
Well, okay, but it doesn't matter.
You have 30 days. Okay? I'm sorry.
[inhales sharply]
[intense music playing]
Come on, man. You know I just got fired today.
I'm sorry, Jeff.
People have been complaining.
You're not the only person I've got to look out for.
Fuck!
Hey, Sopa. Look, I'm sorry. I just, like…
I never meant to cause any trouble. I just--
I'm sorry, Jeff.
I really am.
It was Glenda, wasn't it?
She's the one who complained!
I'm sorry, Jeff.
[soft knock on door]
Hey, Glenda.
Hi.
[Jeffrey] So listen, I just want to say I'm really sorry. Okay?
And if you take back the complaint,
I promise I won't cook anymore.
No, Jeff. It's done.
All right?
Wait, hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Can I just… Can I come inside just for a sec?
Why?
Because I got a cleaning crew in today that cost me $49,
which I don't have 'cause I just got fired.
So, I just wanted to see if I was still stinking up your place.
Okay?
[Glenda sighs]
Okay.
[Jeffrey sniffing]
See?
Smells nice.
I don't smell nothing.
Is your daughter here?
What is that?
That's your present.
What is it?
Are you gonna sit down, or are you just gonna stand there?
Like, what?
You're scared of me.
I am not scared of you.
Well, come on. Sit down then.
Jeez. I got you something.
I'll sit down with you. But it ain't gonna change nothing.
You're getting evicted, and it ain't my problem.
I know, 'kay?
I'm just trying to make peace here.
Say I'm sorry.
So you gonna open your gift?
It's a sandwich.
Thank you. I'll eat it later.
No. Eat it now.
I used to be a butcher.
I made that just for you.
Go ahead.
I don't know what's in that.
It's just meat.
What kind of meat?
It's like a, uh…
pulled pork.
I'm not eating that.
Why?
Are you a vegetarian?
No, I'm not a vegetarian,
but I'm not eating a sandwich that my neighbor made
when his apartment been smelling like a dead raccoon's ass,
stinking up my house since the day he moved in.
Okay.
Fine.
Try to do a nice thing, you know?
You're just like my mom.
My grandma too.
Telling on me when I ain't done nothing wrong.
I ain't your mama, Jeff.
Take back the complaint.
I told you, it's done.
No, it isn't. It doesn't even smell in here.
Take back the complaint.
I made you a sandwich.
What do you do in there? Huh?
-Where? -In that damn apartment.
The smells, all… all the power tools going all hours of the night.
I'm just building something.
Well, what about the screaming?
What screaming?
I hear screaming coming from your apartment.
Mm.
Sometimes I have nightmares.
What about that little Asian boy?
[sighs] I don't know.
We broke up.
And what about Dean Vaughn?
You was talking to him in the hallway, then I never saw him after that.
Tell you what,
you tell me where he is,
I'll take back the complaint.
I don't know where he went.
All right then.
You're movin' out.
Eat the sandwich. I made it for you.
I'll eat it later.
I want to see you try it. See if you like it.
[suspenseful music playing]
Get out of my apartment.
Eat it.
Get outta my house.
-[doorknob turning] -[keys jangling]
[girl] You better open up!
[indistinct yelling]
[door bangs]
[suspenseful music continues]
Okay.
-[door shuts] -[gasps]
[exhales sharply]
[TV host] All right. Here we go.
Top seven answers are on the board.
We asked 100 married women…
[door slams]
[Jeffrey] Relax.
[man 6] I know. I'm just saying, I got a wife and two kids, okay?
[Jeffrey] Oh, that's not a big deal.
It's just some photos, you know? Artsy stuff.
It ain't gonna take long.
Besides, it's 100 bucks.
-[man screams] No! -[loud clattering]
Ow!
-[clattering] -[man screaming]
[loud groans]
[clattering]
-[man 6] No… -[Jeffrey] Hey, hey…
[man 6] Stop! No! It hurts!
-[Jeffrey grunting] -[dull thuds]
[clanging]
[Glenda gasps]
[silence]
[dialing]
[line ringing]
[operator] 911.
Hello, this is Glenda Cleveland.
Can you send an officer to the Oxford Apartments?
What's the emergency?
Well, I… I think it's a fight going on next door,
and somebody… somebody is either being hurt or killed.
Can you go make sure?
What? What? No, I can't!
I said I think somebody is being killed. I ain't going next door!
We'll send a car over.
Wait. You're not even going to ask me the apartment number?
Ma'am, I said we'd send somebody.
Y'all always say you gonna send somebody, and nobody ever shows!
I done called y'all like 50 times!
-I need you to lower your voice, okay? -[loud whirring]
If you keep calling us all the time,
how are we gonna know when it's an emergency?
911 is a resource, okay?
I am saying somebody is being killed!
Do you get that?
[intense music playing]
[faint clattering through vent]
[metal clanging]
[sniffles]
[electric saw whirring]
[whirring stops]
[sobs softly]
[electric saw whirring]
[whirring stops]
[water running]
[water stops running]
[metal scraping]
[Glenda softly] Please…
[metal scraping]
[clattering]
[Polaroid camera clicking, whirring]
-[electric saw whirring] -[splattering]
-[gasps, gags] -[cracking sounds]
[sobs]
[intense music fades]
You knew he was a monster.
[softly] I knew.
But nobody heard me.
I hear you, Glenda.
I hear you,
and finally others have too.
Tomorrow, Chief Arreola's suspending the two officers
who ignored you about the boy.
I'll be honest.
It's just the first step in a marathon.
It's nearly impossible to hold cops accountable,
but this first step wouldn't have happened without you, Glenda.
Your voice is gonna make a difference.
[sniffles] Oh.
-[whimpers] -Let it out, now.
[sobs]
Yeah.
[sobbing]
[continues sobbing]
[muffled sobbing]
[eerie music playing]
[music continues]