Jack the ripper

Jack the ripper was a notorious serial killer who operated near or around the Whitechapel district in London, East End. He was tied to at least 5 women, who were murdered, all of which were prostitutes. These five murders happened between August and November 1888.

The name Jack the Ripper comes from the murderer, who sent taunting letters to the police, claiming he was the killer.

He or she was assumed to be a butcher or a doctor, based on his or her knowledge of human anatomy and the weapons that were used.

Difference between a SERIAL KILLER and a SPREE KILLER

A serial killer is someone who commits at least 3 murders over more than a month with an emotional cooldown period between the murders.

A spree killer is someone who commits more than one murder in more than one location in a very short time frame. Therefore, there is not emotional cooldown period between these murders or there is a very little cooldown period.

CIRCUMSTANCES attributed to the murders

A dozen murders were speculatively attributed to Jack the Ripper between 1888 and 1892. Five of these murders have been considered to be caused by Jack the Ripper.

All but one of these 5 murders happened whilst the victims were soliciting customers along the side of the road.

All of the victims had their throats cut and most of the victims had their bodies mutilated in such a manner to suggest that the killer had knowledge of human anatomy.

In one of the murders, half of a human kidney was sent to the police and as previously stated above, the supposed killer sent letters to the police claiming that his name was Jack the Ripper.

ORDER of the murders

Martha Tabram (6th of August 1888) was considered to be the first victim by a group of people known as 'Ripperologists'. She was stabbed to death.

The official first victim was Mary Ann Nicholls (31st of August 1888).

The second victim was Annie Chapman (8th of September 1888).

The third and fourth victims were Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddoweson (30th of September 1888). They were both murdered the same night.

The final official victim was Mary Jane Kelly (9th of November 1888).

THEORIES

One of the theories put forward was that Queen Victoria's Grandson- Prince Albert Victor- was linked to the murders, but no substantial evidence was found to tie him to the murders.

Although violence towards prostitutes was not uncommon, the nature of the murders suggested that it was the work of a single perpetrator.

The murder victims were all in their 40s and most of them if not all of them were prostitutes/ street workers, apart from 25-year old Mary Jeanette Kelly.

Mary Jeanette Kelly's body was found in her room, in a horrific way. She was found by her rent collector in her room. Her throat was cut, her nose and breasts were cut off and left on a table, her entrails were placed over a picture frame. Her body was skinned and gutted and her heart was nowhere to be seen. She was the last of Jack the Ripper's murders.

PECULIAR facts happening near the crime scenes

In the vicinity of Catherine Eddowes' crime scene, were some words, written on a wall with chalk "The Juwes [sic] are not the men to be blamed for nothing". This incident was thought to have ties with the killer.

SUSPECTS IN THE CASE

William Henry Bury was born on the 25th of May 1859 and died on the 24th of April 1889. He was hanged in Dundee (Scotland) for the murder of his wife. He was suspected of the murders because of the similarities between his wife's murder and the other murders. He was charged with his wife's murder in 1889 and was hanged in Dundee, Scotland, being the last person executed there.

Montague John Druitt was born in 1857. His parents were a local surgeon and a police officer, giving him the knowledge and means necessary for escaping law enforcement all these years and knowledge about human anatomy. He was found dead next to the River Thames a month after losing his assistant job at George Valentine's boarding school in 1888. The reason as to why he was suspected of being Jack the Ripper is because Jack the Ripper's final victim (Mary Jane Kelly) was claimed a short time before Druitt's death. In 1891, a member of the Parliament claimed that Jack the Ripper was the son of a surgeon and had committed suicide on the night of his last murder. Because of this, law enforcement looked into the possibility of Druitt being Jack the Ripper. Although he was included in the private memorandum by an Assistant Chief Constable, there is no corroborating evidence tying him to the crime. there is only circumstantial evidence linking him to the murders and Druitt himself had not been trained in the medical profession, so the probability of him being Jack the Ripper are low.

There are numerous other suspects in this case and i will cover them in my next story.

Thank you for reading!