Mother of Jeffrey Dahmer victim condemns Netflix series: “It didn’t happen like that”

The mother of Toney Hughes, one of the many men murdered by Jeffrey Dahmer, has condemned the recently released Netflix series about the serial killer.

Speaking to The Guardian, Shirley Hughes said that she hadn’t seen all of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which focused one of its 10 episodes on her son. However, she concluded that the events depicted “didn’t happen like that,” before questioning how such a show came to be made.

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

Series creator Ryan Murphy and Dahmer actor Evan Peters have previously insisted that the show strived to the put the victims’ stories and their families’ trauma at the heart of the production.

However, Hughes is one of many grieving relatives to speak out against the show, with another stating it had “retraumatised” their family.

In September, one person took to Twitter to discuss a court scene featuring Rita Isbell, the older sister of Errol Lindsey, a 19-year-old man who was killed by Dahmer between 1978 and 1991.

The scene featuring Isbell, played by DaShawn Barnes in the series, went viral online, comparing the real-life footage of the 1992 trial with Ryan Murphy’s recreation.

“I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge right now, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbells) are pissed about this show,” tweeted Isbell and Erroll’s cousin Eric Perry.

“It’s retraumatising over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”

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 perry. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022

He added: “Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD.”

On Instagram, Eric shared another post, writing: “No I will not be watching [Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story].

“No my family is not happy. RIP to my cousin Errol Lindsey and all the other victims.”

Earlier this month, a crew member from the series claimed that it was “one of the worst” shows she’s worked on as a person of colour, claiming that she was often mistaken for another Black colleague on the set.

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