A defense psychiatrist who had characterized serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as suffering from "cancer of the mind" testified Tuesday that Dahmer's brutal acts were not impulsive.
District Attorney E. Michael McMann attempted to break down testimony from Fred Berlin, an expert on sexual deviation from Johns Hopkins University, by getting him to say that Dahmer had planned his killings.On Monday Berlin had tried to outline Dahmer's motives behind the killing of 17 young men and boys.
Dahmer, 31, has pleaded guilty but insane to 15 of the slayings. He also has said he ate body parts of some of his victims.
Berlin was the first of what is expected to be a series of psychiatrists testifying about Dahmer's sanity.
He said Dahmer suffers from a type of sexual deviation called necrophilia, the desire to have sex with a dead body.
In response to a question from defense attorney Gerald Boyle, Berlin said Dahmer's fascination could have driven him to kill and dismember his victims.
"One of my patients in describing the disorder called it a `cancer of the mind.' It's a broken mind," Berlin said.
Berlin said he thinks Dahmer "was fighting very hard not to give into these urges."
"This is a love sickness," Berlin said. "He wanted to sustain a relationship with these people."
Berlin said Dahmer's illness worsened with time.
"He was responding to these sick cravings," Berlin said. "These urges were overpowering him."
Berlin admitted, however, Dahmer was able to control himself when the situation called for it.