Where is Christopher Scarver now? Christopher Scarver — the man who killed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer inside a Wisconsin prison in 1994 — is still behind bars, serving multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole. His name is trending again as renewed public interest in the Dahmer case sends people searching for the inmate who ended the “Milwaukee Cannibal’s” life. Last updated: June 28, 2026.
Who Is Christopher Scarver?
Christopher J. Scarver Sr. was born on July 6, 1969, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the second of five children. He attended James Madison High School but dropped out in the eleventh grade. As a young man he joined a Wisconsin Conservation Corps job-training program, where he trained as a carpenter and was reportedly promised full-time work once he completed the program.
That promise fell apart. After his supervisor left, Scarver lost his traineeship in January 1990, and the disappointment appears to have been a turning point. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and described by mental-health experts as suffering from messianic delusions — at one point telling a court he believed he was the son of God, reasoning that he and Jesus were both carpenters with mothers named Mary.
The Crime That Sent Him to Prison
On June 1, 1990, the 21-year-old Scarver returned to the Wisconsin Conservation Corps training office armed with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. He demanded money in what investigators described as an attempted robbery, and a site manager handed him roughly $15. Scarver then shot and killed 27-year-old Steve Lohman, a visiting carpenter, firing multiple times. A second man, John Feyen, survived.
On April 13, 1992, a Milwaukee County jury convicted Scarver of first-degree intentional homicide for Lohman’s death. He was sentenced to life in prison, with an additional 20-year term for the attempted murder of Feyen. He was sent to the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin — the same maximum-security facility that would soon house one of America’s most notorious killers.
How He Killed Jeffrey Dahmer
On November 28, 1994, Scarver, Jeffrey Dahmer, and another convicted murderer named Jesse Anderson were assigned to a work detail in the prison gym, cleaning a locker room with minimal staff supervision. Scarver, who was much larger than Dahmer, attacked both men with a roughly 20-inch metal bar taken from the weight room. Dahmer died of his injuries on the way to the hospital; Anderson died days later.
Scarver later said the killing was not random. In a 2015 interview with the New York Post, he claimed Dahmer tormented other inmates — including fashioning severed limbs out of prison food to mock his victims — and that he was repulsed by Dahmer’s crimes. He also said at various points that God had directed his actions. For the two prison murders, Scarver received two more life sentences in 1995, bringing his total to three consecutive life terms. You can read more about how Jeffrey Dahmer died in prison and how long Dahmer was incarcerated in our related guides.
Why Christopher Scarver Is Trending Now
Scarver’s name surges in search interest whenever the Dahmer story re-enters pop culture. The continued popularity of Netflix’s dramatized Dahmer content and a steady stream of true-crime documentaries, podcasts, and social-media clips have repeatedly pushed his name back into the spotlight. Each wave of renewed attention prompts the same questions: who killed Dahmer, why he did it, and whether the man responsible is still alive and behind bars. Search data from June 2026 shows a sharp spike in queries for his name, driven almost entirely by this renewed interest rather than any new legal development in his own case.
How Life Sentences Work in the US Prison System
Christopher Scarver’s situation is a useful window into how serious sentences work in the United States. Because his original homicide conviction came in Wisconsin state court, he began his term in the state prison system. After the Dahmer killing, however, officials moved him out of Wisconsin and into the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons and other states for his own safety — a common practice when an inmate becomes a high-profile target. Reports place him for years at high-security facilities in Colorado, including the federal supermax and state penitentiary system in Cañon City.
A “life sentence” does not mean the same thing everywhere. In many states an inmate serving life becomes eligible for parole after a set minimum — sometimes 15, 25, or more years. But Scarver is reported to be serving life without the possibility of parole, meaning there is no future date at which he can be released. The difference between parole-eligible and parole-ineligible sentences is one of the most important distinctions in American corrections, and it is why two people who both received “life” can face very different futures. To understand the broader picture, see our overview of life inside US prisons and the latest US prison population statistics.
Where Is Christopher Scarver Today?
As of 2026, Christopher Scarver remains incarcerated and is reported to be held in the Colorado correctional system after years of transfers between high-security facilities. He is serving three life sentences without parole and will, by every available account, spend the rest of his life in prison. Over the years he has corresponded through letters, religious writings, and artwork, has filed lawsuits over his conditions of confinement, and has been the subject of a book about his life. He is not eligible for release, and there is no pending parole hearing or appeal that would change that status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Christopher Scarver still in prison in 2026?
Yes. Christopher Scarver is still incarcerated and is reported to be held in a high-security facility in the Colorado prison system. He is serving multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole.
How many life sentences is Christopher Scarver serving?
He is serving three consecutive life sentences — one for the 1990 murder of Steve Lohman, and two more for the 1994 killings of Jeffrey Dahmer and fellow inmate Jesse Anderson. He also received an additional 20-year term for an attempted murder.
Will Christopher Scarver ever be released on parole?
No. Scarver is reported to be serving life without the possibility of parole, which means there is no date at which he becomes eligible for release. Barring an extraordinary and unlikely legal reversal, he will remain in prison for life.
Why did Christopher Scarver kill Jeffrey Dahmer?
Scarver has said he was disgusted by Dahmer’s crimes and claimed Dahmer taunted other inmates, including by shaping prison food to resemble severed body parts. He has also said at times that he believed God directed him to act. Dahmer’s notoriety made him a frequent target inside prison.
What prison was Jeffrey Dahmer killed in?
Dahmer was killed at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, on November 28, 1994, during a supervised work detail in the prison gym. You can read more in our guide on how Jeffrey Dahmer died in prison.