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Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes slammed by mother of victim Tony Hughes

19 October 2022, 11:46

Evan Peters opens up about playing Jeffrey Dahmer

By Sam Prance

Shirley Hughes is also calling out Netflix for inspiring the new rise in Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.

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The mother of Jeffrey Dahmer victim Tony Hughes has called out people who are dressing up as the murderer for Halloween.

Ever since Netflix released their new miniseries Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story in September, there has been a renewed interest in Jeffrey Dahmer's horrific crimes. While the drama tries to shine a light on the impact of the serial killer's actions, it has also inspired a variety of disturbing online trends in which people recreate scenes from the Netflix show.

One episode of Dahmer focuses on the story of aspiring model Tony Hughes. Tony was deaf and he became Dahmer's 12th victim. Since the release of Dahmer, Tony's real mother, Shirley Hughes, has slammed the series. Talking to The Guardian about her sadness and anger, she said: "I don’t see how they can use our names and put stuff out like that out there."

Now, Hughes is criticising stores for selling Dahmer costumes for Halloween and she's accused Netflix of encouraging it.

Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes slammed by mother of his victim Tony Hughes. Picture: Netflix, @jack.wright via TikTok

While the majority of major outlets have avoided selling Jeffrey Dahmer costumes this Halloween, people have noticed that eBay has been flooded with Dahmer costumes for sale. There's also been a big rise in sales of blonde wigs, wire-rimmed glasses and any other Dahmer-related items in the days since Netflix released Dahmer.

Speaking to TMZ, Hughes said: "It hurts for Netflix and all the online stores to profit off [my] son's death, while none of the victims' families have seen a dime." She also told TMZ that she "feels all the eBay ads should be taken down ... or at the very least, give the profits to the families."

Hughes said that "the pain never goes away". She then added: "If Netflix hadn't streamed the show, none of the families would be re-victimized ... and then there'd be no Dahmer costumes this year."

Tony Hughes and Shirley Hughes are both portrayed in Netflix's Dahmer. Picture: Netflix

Hughes ended the TMZ interview by calling Dahmer "pure evil" and she said that she doesn't understand "how the folks who choose to dress like him can sleep at night".

eBay has since told TMZ that they are now banning items listed as Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.