The LGBT tag on Netflix’s upcoming series on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has aroused some eyebrows. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the family of Jeffrey Dahmer’s 11th murder victim, Errol Lindsey, is enraged by the dramatic courtroom drama’s re-enactment.
Eric Thulhu, Errol Lindsey’s cousin, turned to Twitter to speak out against Netflix’s new series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, claiming that a sequence in the film featuring another cousin of his named Rita Isbell traumatized his family yet again.
Rita Isbell, the 19-year-old Errol Lindsey’s sister, yelled at a passive Dahmer in court in 1992, calling him “devil” and threatening to murder him. Errol Lindsey was allegedly enticed to Dahmer’s flat to pose for naked pictures, only to be murdered by the notorious serial murderer.
He is not advising anybody what to watch, he understands true crime media is popular rn, but if one is truly curious about the victims, his family (the Isbells) are upset about this show, Eric Thulhu remarked on Twitter. It’s emotionally traumatic all over again for what? How many films/shows/documentaries do they require?
I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need? https://t.co/CRQjXWAvjx
— eric. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022
Like replicating his cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in front of the man who killed and tortured her brother is WILD, he said. The 33-year-old said in another post that he did not anticipate that tweet to attract this much attention. In response to the primary question, no, they do not tell families when this occurs. They don’t have to tell or pay anybody since it’s all public record. His family found out after everyone else.
Ok, I did not expect that tweet to get this much attention. To answer the main question, no, they don’t notify families when they do this. It’s all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!) anyone. My family found out when everyone else did.
— eric. (@ericthulhu) September 23, 2022
So when they claim they’re doing this with regard to the victims or respecting the integrity of the families, no one approaches them, he continued in the same post. His relatives wake up every few months with a slew of calls and messages, and they know there’s another Dahmer performance on the way. It’s inhumane.
So when they say they’re doing this “with respect to the victims” or “honoring the dignity of the families”, no one contacts them. My cousins wake up every few months at this point with a bunch of calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel.
— eric. (@ericthulhu) September 23, 2022
Dahmer was convicted of the 16 murders he was accused with in 1992 and sentenced to life in prison. Regarding Rita Isbell’s courtroom appearance against Dahmer, she stated in her opening statement that she was Lindsey’s elder sister. She is furious. When one is out of control, one tends to behave like this. She never wants to see her mum go through something like this again. Never, Jeffrey, Rita says in court. ‘Jeffrey, motherf**er, I hate you,’ she screamed at the top of her lungs while flinging her body about at the stand in 1992. This is really out of hand.
Rita loses her cool and charges at Dahmer, yelling, “I could kill you, I could f**king murder you.” Lindsey was sedated by Dahmer, and he began drilling a hole in his head before pouring acid into the opening. Lindsey awoke during the ordeal, forcing Dahmer to choke him.
The actress who portrays Rita in the series, Dashawn ‘Dash’ Barnes, came to Instagram to promote the new Netflix miniseries, stating, she didn’t know the victims’ stories, and could only fathom the effect of his acts on the family and community. She believes it is critical to share these elements of the tale, and hopes that everybody who watches it feels compassion for the victims and all involved.
