Christopher Scarver
Encyclopedia
Christopher J. Scarver is an American
convicted murder
er who, while in prison, murdered notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
and convicted murderer Jesse Anderson
. He described the killings as "the work of God
".
. He attended James Madison High School
before dropping out in the eleventh grade. Eventually his mother forced him to leave the house because of his increasing alcoholism
.
Scarver was hired as a trainee carpenter
in a Youth Conservation Corps
job program. He said that he had been promised by Edward Patts, a supervisor, that upon completion of this program he would be hired full time, but Patts was dismissed, and as a result, Scarver's full time position never materialized.
in Portage
, Wisconsin
in 1992. While imprisoned, he complained of experiencing messianic
delusions and was diagnosed with schizophrenia
.
and infamous serial killer
Jeffrey Dahmer
that included cleaning the prison gymnasium bathroom. When corrections officers left the three unsupervised, Scarver beat the other two men with a broomstick handle. When he returned to his cell early, an officer asked him why he was not still working. He explained "God told me to do it. You will hear about it on the 6 o'clock news. Jesse Anderson and Jeffrey Dahmer are dead." During that time two officers found the bodies of Dahmer and Anderson. Dahmer was pronounced dead on his way to the hospital from extensive head injuries, and Anderson died two days later. Scarver received two more life sentences for these murders.
In 2005, Scarver brought a civil rights suit against the officials of the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in which he argued that he had been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, contrary to his constitutional rights. A district judge dismissed the suit against several of the defendants and ruled that the actions of the remaining officials could not be considered unlawful. Scarver appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld the decision of the district judge in 2006.
Scarver remains incarcerated in the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility
.
band Macabre
wrote a song entitled "Christopher Scarver" on their Dahmer album.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
convicted murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er who, while in prison, murdered notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
and convicted murderer Jesse Anderson
Jesse Anderson
Jesse Michael Anderson was an American criminal who was murdered in prison, along with infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.-Early life:...
. He described the killings as "the work of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
".
Early life
Scarver is the second son of five children born in Milwaukee, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He attended James Madison High School
Madison University High School
Madison University High School is a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. It changed its name in 1996 to reflect a higher emphasis on meeting academic standards....
before dropping out in the eleventh grade. Eventually his mother forced him to leave the house because of his increasing alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
Scarver was hired as a trainee carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
in a Youth Conservation Corps
Youth Conservation Corps
The Youth Conservation Corps ' is a summer work youth program in federally managed lands. The National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management employ teens each summer to participate in the YCC experience...
job program. He said that he had been promised by Edward Patts, a supervisor, that upon completion of this program he would be hired full time, but Patts was dismissed, and as a result, Scarver's full time position never materialized.
Murder conviction
On June 1, 1990, he went to the training program office, expecting to find only John P. Feyen, the site manager, there, but saw Steve Lohman, the supervisor who replaced Patts. He ordered Lohman at gunpoint to give him his money. When he received only $15, Scarver shot Lohman in the head. At the same time, he demanded money from Feyen. According to authorities, Scarver said, "Do you think I'm kidding, Mr. Hitler? I need more money." Scarver shot Lohman twice more before Feyen was able to run away after giving a check for $3,000 to Scarver. Scarver was convicted and sentenced to life in prison and sent to the Columbia Correctional InstitutionColumbia Correctional Institution
Columbia Correctional Institution, , is an adult male maximum-security correctional facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions in Portage, Wisconsin. The facility was constructed on at a cost of $38.6 million dollars. It has inside the perimeter...
in Portage
Portage, Wisconsin
Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,662 at the 2010 census making it the largest city in Columbia County...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in 1992. While imprisoned, he complained of experiencing messianic
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
delusions and was diagnosed with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
Conduct in prison
On the morning of November 28, 1994, Scarver was assigned to a work detail with Jesse AndersonJesse Anderson
Jesse Michael Anderson was an American criminal who was murdered in prison, along with infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.-Early life:...
and infamous serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
that included cleaning the prison gymnasium bathroom. When corrections officers left the three unsupervised, Scarver beat the other two men with a broomstick handle. When he returned to his cell early, an officer asked him why he was not still working. He explained "God told me to do it. You will hear about it on the 6 o'clock news. Jesse Anderson and Jeffrey Dahmer are dead." During that time two officers found the bodies of Dahmer and Anderson. Dahmer was pronounced dead on his way to the hospital from extensive head injuries, and Anderson died two days later. Scarver received two more life sentences for these murders.
In 2005, Scarver brought a civil rights suit against the officials of the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in which he argued that he had been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, contrary to his constitutional rights. A district judge dismissed the suit against several of the defendants and ruled that the actions of the remaining officials could not be considered unlawful. Scarver appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld the decision of the district judge in 2006.
Scarver remains incarcerated in the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility
Wisconsin Secure Program Facility
The Wisconsin Secure Program Facility , originally the Supermax Correctional Institution, is a Wisconsin Department of Corrections prison for men, located in Boscobel, Wisconsin."." Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Retrieved on October 10, 2010...
.
In popular culture
The American murder metalMurder Metal
-Track listing:# "Acid Bath Vampire" – 3:46 - John George Haigh# "You're Dying to Be with Me" – 2:43 - Dennis Nilsen# "Fatal Foot Fetish" – 2:08 - Jerry Brudos# "The Hillside Stranglers" – 1:38 - Angelo Buono, Jr...
band Macabre
Macabre (band)
Macabre is an extreme metal band from Illinois. They were formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois, and have never had a line-up change. They blend thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore to form their own unique style dubbed murder metal...
wrote a song entitled "Christopher Scarver" on their Dahmer album.