Rita Isbell, sister of Jeffrey Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, has spoken out against Ryan Murphy’s Netflix serial killer series.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was released on September 21 and tells the story of Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
He was arrested and eventually imprisoned in 1992, before being murdered during his incarceration at the age of 34.
The crime drama see American horror story star Evan Peters take on the role of Dahmer, who was convicted between 1978 and 1991 for brutally killing a total of 17 victims, all males.
After its release, a scene from the series went viral online for its resemblance to footage from the real-life lawsuit.
The scene features Isbell, played by DaShawn Barnes, the sister of Errol Lindsey, a 19-year-old victim of Dahmer.
Isbell has spoken about the effect the series has on her after watching it.
“When I saw part of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself – when I saw my name appear on the screen and this lady literally said what I said,” she shared. Insider.
“If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was me. Her hair was like mine, she had the same clothes on. That’s why it felt like I had to relive it all again. It brought back all the emotions I felt then.’
She claims that Netflix did not contact her before the series was released and that she believes the streaming platform should have asked the family about their feelings about the show being made.
Isbell added that if the show benefited the victims’ relatives, it “wouldn’t feel so harsh and careless.”
“It’s sad that they’re just making money from this tragedy. That’s just greed,’ she said.
She revealed that the episode that featured her appearance in court is all she’s seen of the series, stating that “she’s been through it,” so she didn’t feel the need to watch more.
Isbell also paid tribute to her brother, saying that his spirit will always be kept alive by memories of him and his daughter Tatiana Banks.
A cousin of Isbell and Lindsey has also slammed the show, claiming that their… family was ‘retraumatized’ through the series.
“I’m not telling anyone what to watch. I know true crime media is huge right now, but if you’re really curious about the victims, my family (the Isbells) love this show,” Twitter user @ericthulu wrote on their page, who says Lindsey and Isbell are his cousins.
‘It’s traumatizing again and again, and for what? How many films/shows/documentaries do we need?’
Netflix has also been criticized for add the LGBTQ+ tag to the serieswhich has since been removed.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix for comment.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available to stream on Netflix.
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