Gerald Boyle, Lawyer Who Defended Jeffrey Dahmer, Dies at 88

Gerald Boyle, the Wisconsin attorney known for defending serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, has died.

Boyle’s daughter, Bridget Boyle, announced her father’s death in a Facebook post, confirming he died on Sunday, Nov. 17. Multiple news outlets, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fox 6 and WTMJ, report Boyle was 88. A cause of death was not revealed.

“A distinguished attorney, he dedicated his life to the relentless pursuit of justice,” Bridget wrote. “Over a remarkable career spanning decades, he fearlessly championed countless high-profile cases, earning widespread respect for his sharp legal mind and compassionate heart. For those he represented, he was a beacon of hope and unwavering support.”

Boyle gained fame as Dahmer’s defense attorney during the serial killer’s 1992 murder trial in Milwaukee.

“He was like Halley’s comet,” Boyle, who mounted an unsuccessful insanity defense, told PEOPLE in 1994. “A criminal like him comes around every 75 years and, thankfully, isn’t seen again for another 75.”

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Dahmer raped, murdered and dismembered at least 17 men and boys in in the city between 1978 and 1991. 

In 1991, Dahmer was arrested on charges involving decapitation, necrophilia and cannibalism. He confessed to the murders of the 11 victims whose severed heads were found in his Milwaukee apartment and later confessed to six others.

Boyle said Dahmer had told him, “This is my fault. There is a time to be honest,” per an August 1991 PEOPLE cover story.

Dahmer entered prison in February 1992 at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisc., where he was ordered to serve 15 consecutive life terms for his crimes. He was beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver in November 1994. He was 34.

Boyle is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marna, and daughters Bridget and Ellen, per Bridget’s Facebook post.