The Serial Killer XXVII
We will return to The Ripper later on with much more detail. For the time being I will just explain the major features of this very interesting case.
The unknown killer nicknamed Jack The Ripper and turned by the press of his time into the most famous and infamous killer of all times, was never caught. He preyed on prostitutes in London, in 1888. The authorities render him accountable for at least 5 victims, all poor and drunkard prostitutes who worked the East End, in an area that covered around a mile, including the neighbourhoods of Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Aldgate and City of London, between the months of August and November.
The modus operandi of the murderer consisted in killing the victims on the street and then mutilating them and leaving them in the same place or near the crime scene. In general, the murderer would face the victim and ask her to lift up her skirts. He would then grab her throat and strangle her until unconsciouness or death. Finally he would proceed by cutting her throat and mutilating her. There were never any signs of sexual intercourse with any of the victims but the killer would take a trophy with him, an organ from the victim's body.
The five official Ripper victims are: Mary Ann (Polly) Nichols, murdered on Friday, 31st of August; Annie Chapman, murdered Saturday, 8th September; Elizabeth Stride and Catharine Edowes, both murdered Sunday, 30th September; and Mary Jane (Marie Jeanette) Kelly, murdered Friday, 9th November. There is no reason to believe that they knew eachother and there was strong evidence to the fact that most of them were drunk when they were murdered.
According to the coroners who analyzed the victim's bodies, the Ripper had to have anatomie knowledge to be able to cut precise body parts as he did. The theories ranged from butcher to surgeon, but the Ripper himself, in the only letter believed to have been sent by the real killer, made fun of that particular assumption. In one case he removed a kidney from the front part of the body without injuring any other organs and in another he removed all the sexual organs of the victim in one single cut. If he was not a surgeon he had experience in the use of the knife, since 4 of the 5 crimes were practiced in the middle of dark streets, and always on the brink of being caught by someone passing by.
There are almost 30 suspects in the case of Jack the Ripper. Despite police efforts, at the time of the murders there was no forensic science and not even fingerprinting, making it almost impossible for a real crime investigation, unless the suspect was caught in the act.
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