Murder charge for hero who led police to cannibal's lair

Tracy Edwards: In 1991, he was lured to the home of Jeffrey Dahmer, who was later convicted of abusing and killing 17 young men and boys. (AP)

The man who became a hero after escaping death at the hands of Jeffrey Dahmer, the cannibalistic serial killer, and leading police to his grisly lair in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1991, is facing murder charges of his own.

Tracy Edwards, 52, was originally charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, after being spotted pushing a man off a bridge to his death in Milwaukee this summer. Prosecutors have now upgraded the charge to reckless homicide. If found guilty, he could serve up to 60 years in the same prison where Dahmer was bludgeoned to death by an inmate in 1994.

Mr Edwards has not lived a trouble-free life. He had reportedly been homeless for years and had run-ins with police before the incident on the bridge. His defence lawyer, Paul Ksicinski, said yesterday: "It's like he was never able to put the pieces back together again."

Dahmer, one of America's most infamous killers, met Mr Edwards in 1991 and lured him back to his house where, after drinking beer and watching The Exorcist, he abruptly turned violent, threatening to cut out his guest's heart.

Mr Edwards managed to escape and was found half-naked in the street by police. He led them back to Dahmer's flat, where officers found 17 dismembered victims, mostly young men and boys Dahmer had picked up for sex. He had kept and ate some of their body parts and officers found remains in his fridge. Mr Edwards is expected to enter a plea next month.