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What it was like to grow up with Jeffrey Dahmer

Cartoonist Derf Backderf's latest graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer, tells the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, a person Backderf actually grew up with in Ohio.
CBC Radio ·
US cartoonist Derf Backderf poses during a photocall for the movie, My friend Dahmer. (AFP/Getty Images)

We all have those people from high school whom we've lost touch with over the years, but every now and then they pop back into your mind. For cartoonist Derf Backderf, that was the case for his friend, Jeffrey Dahmer. 

After high school, Dahmer vanished and it wasn't until years later that Backderf would find out what became of him. On July 22, 1991, Dahmer was arrested for the murder of 17 young men and teenage boys. His crimes left America reeling, especially the residents of his hometown of Bath, Ohio. These were the people who grew up with Dahmer and their memories, along with his own, are what Backderf eventually channeled into a graphic novel called My Friend Dahmer, which is now being adapted for the screen. 

In My Friend Dahmer, Backderf pieces together Dahmer's early life and tries to offer insight into how he became a serial killer. Today, Backderf joins Tom Power to discuss his latest novel and what it was like growing up with Jeffrey Dahmer. 

— Produced by Vanessa Nigro

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