- Shirley Hughes says the "Dahmer" Netflix show doesn't accurately portray her or her son.
- The series from Ryan Murphy stars Evan Peters as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
Ryan Murphy's latest project with Netflix as part of his deal with the streaming service looks at infamous killer Jeffrey Dahmer, his victims, the trial, and his time in prison up until his death in 1994.
Evan Peters' performance in "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" has been praised by critics, but the show has come under fire online for its portrayal of the killer.
Family members of the victims have also spoken out against the Netflix show, including Shirley Hughes, the mother of Tony Hughes, who Dahmer murdered in 1991. One of the episodes, "Silenced," focuses on his story and how he met Dahmer in a bar.
Hughes' 85-year-old mother, Shirley, spoke to the Guardian about her feelings about the project and explained that it's factually inaccurate. She said: "It didn't happen like that".
Shirley Hughes, who's played by Karen Malina White in the series, added: "I don't see how they can do that.
"I don't see how they can use our names and put stuff out like that out there."
According to the Associated Press, Hughes was often present at Dahmer's court proceedings, following his arrest in 1991 and subsequent conviction.
Hughes isn't the only one of the victim's families who has spoken out about the show, as Rita Isbell penned an emotional essay for Insider about the show, and what it was like giving a victim impact statement regarding the killing of her brother, Errol Lindsay.
Isbell explained that the streaming service didn't contact her in any way about the show, even though her statement and emotional reaction to her brother's killer are recreated and performed by actor DaShawn Barnes.
She said: "I was never contacted about the show. I feel like Netflix should've asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn't ask me anything. They just did it."
Lindsay and Isbell's cousin, Eric Perry, also took to Twitter to blast the series. He recognized that true crime is a popular genre for audiences at the moment, but said that dramatizing events like this can be difficult for the families of the victims.
He wrote: "I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you're actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell's) are p****d about this show. It's retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?"