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The Sad Truth Behind The Story of Tracy Edwards, Dahmer's Survivor

The Sad Truth Behind The Story of Tracy Edwards, Dahmer's Survivor
Image credit: Netflix

Here's what happened to Edwards, portrayed by Shaun J. Brown in Netflix's Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, after Dahmer's conviction.

Tracy Edwards was lucky enough to escape from Jeffrey Dahmer and basically make sure he was finally arrested by authorities.

His terrifying experience was reflected in the new Netflix series, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Among other things, Dahmer told Edwards that he was going to "eat his heart". However, Tracy was able to distract the serial killer, strike him, and then flee — only to lead police to apprehend the maniac.

However, Edwards' life after Dahmer's conviction was all but inspiring. In 2011, he was arrested and then convicted of numerous crimes, including theft and drug possession. Besides, Edwards was charged with involvement into a fight that led to a homeless man's death. In 2012, he was sentenced for aiding a felon, subsequently serving a year and a half behind bars.

Since 2002, Edwards was homeless himself. His essential role in the conviction of Jeffrey Dahmer did not seem to prevent his life from taking an unfortunate path.

"It's like Humpty Dumpty," Edwards' defense attorney Paul Ksicinski told ABC News in 2011. "It's like he was never able to put the pieces back together again."

In the Netflix series, Edwards is portrayed by Shaun J. Brown. The show is following the unsettling Jeffrey Dahmer story from the perspective of his victims. Among other victims of the Milwaukee Monster were Steven Hicks, Steven Tuomi, Edward Smith, Konerak Sinthasomphone, and a dozen more. In total, Dahmer murdered 17 young men and teenagers.

Dahmer premiered on Netflix on September 21, immediately drawing a lot of attention. A lot of people enjoyed the series, particularly praising Evan Peters' chilling performance, but many also lambasted Netflix for "romanticizing" the figure of Jeffrey Dahmer.