Family of Jeffrey Dahmer victim condemns 'evil' Halloween costumes

The mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims has criticised people dressing up in “evil” Halloween costumes as the serial killer this year.

Dahmer, who is the focus of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix, confessed to killing 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

The mother of Dahmer victim Tony Hughes, Shirley Hughes, told TMZ that dressing up as the killer is exploitative of the 17 victims and is traumatising to their families.

The costumes have been the subject of social media backlash over recent weeks, with a number of individuals copying the hair, glasses and short-sleeve shirts to mimic the serial killer’s image.

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One circulating online sees a young woman posing for a mugshot as Dahmer.

Ms Hughes had previously been critical of the Netflix series, of which one episode focuses on her son, who was deaf and aged just 31 when he was killed by Dahmer.

She spoke about the series in an interview with the Guardian and said that “it didn’t happen like that”.

“I don’t see how they can do that… I don’t see how they can use our names and put stuff out like that out there.”

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story stars Mare of Easttown actor Evan Peters as the man also known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal” or the “Milwaukee Monster”

The show has proved controversial since its launch, with viewers saying it is “sick and twisted” and Whoopi Goldberg calling it “enraging”. A production assistant on the series, meanwhile, has labelled the drama “one of the worst shows I’ve ever worked on”.

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