The Case of Ernest Miller

Ernest Miller, 22, was murdered by Jeffrey Dahmer in Milwaukee in September 1990. Dahmer met Miller outside a bookstore and offered him money to accompany him to his apartment, where he drugged and strangled him. Miller's remains were later recovered from Dahmer's apartment.

Ernest Miller was 22 years old and lived in Chicago before travelling to Milwaukee. He was studying dance and worked as a dancer and part-time sex worker. In September 1990, Miller encountered Dahmer outside a bookstore in Milwaukee. Dahmer offered him $50 to accompany him to his apartment and pose for photographs. Miller agreed and went with Dahmer to the apartment at 924 North 25th Street.

The murder occurred inside Dahmer's Milwaukee apartment. Dahmer later told investigators that Miller was unusually resistant to the sedative he had been given. Rather than risk making noise by strangling him, Dahmer used a more direct method to kill him. Dahmer subsequently dismembered Miller's body. Unlike several earlier victims, significant portions of Miller's remains were recovered from the apartment following Dahmer's arrest.

Miller's disappearance was not connected to Dahmer while he was alive. After Dahmer's arrest in July 1991, investigators recovered human remains and photographic evidence from his apartment. Dahmer identified Miller as one of his victims and described the circumstances of his murder. Investigators were able to identify Miller from the evidence recovered at the apartment.

Jeffrey Dahmer was never separately tried or convicted for Ernest Miller's murder. He confessed to killing Miller as part of his wider confession to 17 murders. Miller's remains were recovered from Dahmer's apartment after his arrest.

Ernest Miller's murder was significant in Dahmer's offending because it demonstrated his increasing control over his victims and his increasingly systematic methods of disposing of their remains.