Olympic champion Simone Biles urges people who have purchased Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes on eBay to “put them back in the closet.”
Following the release of Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix last month, eBay has seen a hike in Dahmer-related merchandise.
“im just gon go head and say it, put the jeffrey dahmer costumes back in the closet. we ain’t having it!!!!!!” Biles tweeted.
Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole in 1992 after pleading guilty to the slayings of 17 young men and boys. Dahmer’s victims were predominantly Black men. Dahmer creators have been accused of “re-traumatizing,” the families of the serial killer’s victims.
Rita Isbell, a family member of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, Errol Lindsay, detailed the negative impact of the series in an essay for Insider.
“When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said,” wrote Isbell. “If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought it was me. Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That’s why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then.”
Isbell shared that the streaming platform did not try to contact her family ahead of or during production.
“I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it,” she continued. “I could even understand it if they gave some of the money to the victims’ children. … The victims have children and grandchildren. If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn’t feel so harsh and careless. It’s sad that they’re just making money off of this tragedy. That’s just greed.”
