The Wisconsin attorney who represented serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has died at the age of 88.
Gerald Boyle passed away on November 17 of natural causes while doing something he loved: watching the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears with his wife, the This was reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He had been in poor health since 2017, when he told the newspaper: ‘I’m not going to get better. I’m an old man now, that’s just the reality of life.’
Boyle’s daughter, Bridget Boyle, announced his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
She said her father “always wanted to put the customers first, knowing they were in a bad situation.”
“It was instilled in us that even though they committed the most heinous crimes, they also had a soul, and that they were human.”
Bridget also remembered her father on Facebook as a “prominent lawyer, he dedicated his life to the relentless pursuit of justice,” she wrote.
“During a distinguished career spanning decades, he fearlessly defended countless high-profile cases, earning widespread respect for his sharp legal mind and compassionate heart.
“To those he represented, he was a beacon of hope and unwavering support.”
Gerald Boyle passed away on November 17 of natural causes while doing something he loved: watching the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears with his wife
The attorney rose to national prominence when he represented infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the early 1990s
Boyle grew up in Chicago, Illinois and served in the United States Army for about six years, eventually becoming a captain before moving to Milwaukee to attend Marquette Law School.
After graduating in 1962, Boyle served as a judge on the state Supreme Court.
He then went to work for a private legal firm and joined the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in 1965.
During his first 18 months as prosecutor, he didn’t lose a single case, earning him the title of deputy district attorney, the Journal-Sentinel reports.
But after his failed attempt to work for the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, Boyle decided to go into private practice.
His most famous case came in the early 1990s, when Dahmer was arrested on charges including decapitation, necrophilia and cannibalism.
The serial killer eventually confessed to the murders of eleven victims whose severed heads were found in his Milwaukee apartment, and later admitted to murdering an additional six victims.
At one point he even told Boyle, “This is my fault. There is a time to be honest,” the lawyer said told in a 1991 PEOPLE article.
Boyle also defended former Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura, who was accused in 2000 of sexually assaulting his children’s 17-year-old babysitter at an after-prom party but was later acquitted.
Boyle tried unsuccessfully to mount an insanity defense and gained national attention for his rejoinder to the jury.
“Please note that he represents; and basically defending a cannibal, a serial killer,” said Andy Regal, executive producer for CourtTV at the time.
‘And yet he could be so folksy, smart and compassionate in his communication with the jury.’
However, the lawyer ultimately lost the case and Dahmer entered the Columbia Correctional Institute in February 1992 to serve his fifteen consecutive life terms.
But just two years into his sentence, Dahmer was beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.
After his death, Boyle recalled that the serial killer was “like Halley’s Comet.”
“A criminal like him comes along every 75 years, and fortunately is not seen again for the next 75 years,” he says. told PEOPLE in 1994.
Boyle went on to earn a $24.7 million judgment for a fired Miller Brewing executive, although the victory was later thrown out on appeal
Despite the loss, Boyle continued to have a successful career.
He defended former Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura, who was accused in 2000 of sexually assaulting his children’s 17-year-old babysitter at an after-prom party but was later acquitted.
Boyle also defended John Maloney, a Green Bay arson detective convicted of killing his wife and setting her body on fire, and represented a fired Miller Brewing executive in a case that became the “Seinfeld case.” named.
The director was fired in 1993 after a female colleague complained that he was discussing an episode that made jokes about a female organ.
Boyle won a $24.7 million judgment for the director, but it was later thrown out on appeal and the plaintiff sued Boyle, ultimately receiving $625,000 from his insurer.
Still, those who fought Boyle in the courtrooms say he was a persuasive man.
“When he walked into the courtroom, he wanted to own the courtroom. That was his style,” said former Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher told WTMJ, noting, “We fought.”
Bucher went on to call Boyle an “excellent storyteller.”
“He had the jury in his hands,” the former prosecutor said.
“I tried to distract him (knock a book off the table or spill coffee) to break his stride,” he admitted. “When he gave a closing argument, even I was fascinated.”
Boyle instilled a love of justice in his children, his daughter Bridget said
Boyle also instilled a love of justice in his children, Bridget, Ellen and Gerald.
Both Bridget and Gerald began working as lawyers with their father at different times, and Bridget told the Journal-Sentinel how he would spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with the family visiting clients in prison.
He is now survived by his wife of 59 years, as well as his children, Bridget, Ellen and Gerald.