TULSA, Okla. — A new show trending now on Netflix takes an in-depth look at the serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Along with hours and hours of taped confessionals, it also features Oklahoma Christian University graduate, Roy Ratcliff.
He is the man famous for baptizing Jeffrey Dahmer in prison.
Between 1978 and 1991, American serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer preyed on 17 men and boys.
He raped, murdered, and dismembered them, and at times, dabbled in necrophilia, cannibalism, and preserving body parts.
After he was caught, he was given 16 consecutive life sentences.
News outlets from around the world reached out to interview Dahmer, including Dateline NBC anchor, Stone Phillips.
"Jeff had been interviewed by Stone Phillips on a national level and the guy had pressed him about his evil urges and so forth, and two people watching it felt like they needed to do something, and one was a prison minister from Crescent, Oklahoma," says Roy Ratcliff.
That prison minister from Oklahoma got in touch with a pastor in Milwaukee, but he wasn't free, so he reached out to Roy Ratcliff.
"He called me and said a prisoner needs to be baptized and so I said Ok, who is it, what's his name and where is he at?
He said well you might want to sit down. His name is Jeffrey Dahmer and, of course, everyone knew who Jeffrey Dahmer was because he had been in the news at that time," says Ratcliff.
2 News asked Ratcliff if he was surprised to learn the inmate, he would be meeting with was Jeffrey Dahmer.
"I'm wondering first off why Jeff is asking to be baptized, and what does he know about baptism and what is his background," says Ratcliff.
"For a second there, I'm realizing that I'm sitting in a room with the guy who murdered other people. This could be kind of bad. Yeah, there was a moment there where I was like what am doing," he says.
Ratcliff says the first question he asked was, why do you want to be baptized, and that's when he says Dahmer started to quote scripture to him.
"I'm surprised and like wow, you actually studied these things, and you know what these verses are about," says Ratcliff.
It was at that point that Ratcliff agreed to baptize him.
"When I agreed to baptize him then he makes a sound which I thought was strange and he kind of heaved a sigh. I said, why did you make that sound and he said, well, I was afraid of meeting you.
I said why were you afraid of meeting me, you know. Because he said, I was afraid you would say I can't baptize you because you've been too evil, too wicked, too sinful," says Ratcliff.
Ratcliff reminded him that even a serial killer could receive the gospel of Christ and be saved if he confessed his sins and asked Jesus into his heart.
So, on May 10th, 1994, Roy Ratcliff baptized Jeffrey Dahmer in a whirlpool type of tub inside the prison. Ratcliff says the tub was normally used for prisoners with back issues.
Ratcliff says Dahmer wore a white, polyester type of outfit during the baptism.
"It was a unique day in that it was a total solar eclipse on that day and so the sky had gotten dark, and some people thought there was ominous meaning in that.
It was also the day that John Wayne Gacy, who was also a famous murderer was executed on that day, so some find a great deal of irony that one man died to his sins, and another died to his sins in physical life on the very same day," says Ratcliff.
Because he was the man who baptized Jeffrey Dahmer, Roy Ratcliff is listed as a notable alumnus on the Oklahoma Christian University website.
Following the baptism, Ratcliff says he continued to meet with Dahmer once a week for about an hour.
He says Dahmer even gave him a Thanksgiving card on their last visit together before he was killed by another inmate at the prison.
Inside the card, it read:
"Thank you for your friendship and for taking the time and effort to help me understand God's word.
God bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dahmer
Ratcliff continued to do prison ministry even after Dahmer's death.
He was invited back to Oklahoma Christian University to talk about his time with Jeffrey Dahmer and continues to speak about his experiences to this day.
Above all else, Ratcliff stresses that no one, regardless of their sins or how evil they are, is beyond the reach of God's grace and mercy.
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