Serial killers often disturb the world not just through their body counts but through the grotesque methods they employ. Among the most horrifying behaviors ever documented are cannibalism and necrophilia — crimes that confront our deepest taboos and reveal the darkest corridors of the human mind.
The psychology behind these acts is not always straightforward. In many cases, killers have reported motives of loneliness, control, or the desire to own someone completely. Others acted from psychological disorders, sexual deviance, or the lingering effects of childhood trauma.
In this chapter, we explore two of the most shocking case studies: Jeffrey Dahmer, the Milwaukee Cannibal, and Armin Meiwes, the Rotenburg Cannibal. Though vastly different in personality and background, they share a chilling desire — to make someone a permanent part of themselves by consuming them.
Case Study 1: Jeffrey Dahmer – The Compelled Cannibal
Active Years: 1978–1991
Victims: 17 young men and boys
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Crimes: Murder, rape, necrophilia, cannibalism
Jeffrey Dahmer was not driven by hatred or greed — he was driven by control, domination, and an obsessive desire to keep his victims with him forever. He lured young men into his apartment, drugged them, and killed them — often through strangulation. What followed was even more horrific: dismemberment, necrophilia, and cannibalism.
Dahmer admitted to eating parts of his victims, including thighs, biceps, and hearts. He preserved skulls and body parts as trophies and attempted to create "zombie" sex slaves by injecting acid into the skulls of living victims — desperate to keep them submissive and present.
He later told investigators he felt lonely, and consuming his victims made them "a permanent part" of him. But this was more than loneliness — it was compulsion.
Case Study 2: Armin Meiwes – The Consensual Cannibal
Crime Year: 2001
Victim: Bernd Brandes (consenting)
Location: Rotenburg, Germany
Crime: Cannibalism, murder, mutilation
Armin Meiwes shocked the world not just by killing and eating another human being — but because his victim consented. Meiwes posted an ad online looking for someone willing to be killed and consumed. Bernd Brandes responded.
The two met at Meiwes' home. Brandes allowed Meiwes to amputate his penis, and the two attempted to eat it together. Hours later, Meiwes killed him, dismembered the body, and ate over 20 kilograms of flesh, freezing the rest for later meals.
Unlike Dahmer, Meiwes did not display compulsion or uncontrollable urges. He was methodical, planned the crime carefully, and committed it once. His motive was deeply connected to a sexual fetish — specifically vorarephilia (arousal from the idea of eating or being eaten).
Fetish vs. Compulsion: Understanding the Drive Behind Dark Desires
When analyzing extreme criminal behavior like necrophilia or cannibalism, it's critical to differentiate between fetishistic desire and psychological compulsion. Though both involve intense urges, the origin, frequency, and control involved are very different — and essential in criminal psychology.
Fetish: A Specific Sexual Fixation
A fetish is a psychological condition in which a person derives sexual arousal from an object, body part, or act that is not typically sexual.
Key Characteristics:
Controlled: The person can choose whether or not to act on the fetish.
Focused: Usually centered on specific, often harmless elements (e.g., feet, latex, uniforms).
Fantasy-based: May be satisfied through imagination or roleplay.
Not inherently violent, unless paired with other disorders.
Example – Armin Meiwes:
Had a long-standing fetish for being intimate with flesh and consumption.
Carefully planned his actions.
Sought and received consent, making it a controlled act.
Committed the act once, with no signs of escalating compulsion.
Compulsion: An Uncontrollable Drive
A compulsion is an intense, often irresistible urge to perform a behavior repeatedly, even when the person knows it's wrong or harmful.
Key Characteristics:
Uncontrollable: The behavior overwhelms rational thought.
Escalating: Tends to become more intense and frequent.
Psychological pressure: The act relieves internal tension, guilt, or anxiety — often temporarily.
Linked to disorders: Especially paraphilic disorders, OCD, or psychopathy.
Example – Jeffrey Dahmer:
Reported overwhelming sexual and psychological urges to kill and dominate.
Tried to stop, but couldn't control his need to possess his victims.
Crimes became more extreme over time.
Repeatedly engaged in necrophilia, cannibalism, and control-based rituals.
Conclusion: When Desire Turns to Darkness
Cannibalism and necrophilia are not just acts of violence — they are psychological symbols of ownership, dominance, and distorted intimacy. In some killers, these are driven by fetishistic fantasies that spiral into real-world crimes. In others, it is compulsion, a destructive force that overrides willpower and morality.
Understanding the difference between fetish and compulsion is not just clinical — it's essential to grasp how far the human mind can descend when fantasy becomes reality, and when the boundary between consent and chaos disappears.