JACK THE RIPPER
Timeline
In late August through November of 1888, in the Whitechapel area of England, there was a serial killer running amuck. The killer was never found but he was given the infamous name of “Jack the Ripper.” He is responsible for at least five brutal murders but it is suspected that jack the ripper could have done more. The victims of Jack the Ripper were all females of lower-class status. The females were typically prostitutes, beggars, and/or abandoned.
First Victim
The first victim Mary Ann Nicholls, a prostitute, was murdered on the 31st of August in 1888. She would rather buy her middle name, which was Ann. She was brutally stabbed and strangled, her neck slashed from ear to ear. She was left in the middle of the alleyway and was found by a passing woman at early dawn the next morning. The murder occurred at a common housing in Spitalfields. She was a 45-year-old widow who at night would go to the local street corner. Ann was just out at the wrong time and then was murdered brutally that night (Jones).
MOTIVE OF THE MURDERS
The MO behind Jack, the Ripper Murders, is always an attack on white females, typically between 24 and 45 years old. He preyed on women who were poor. The evidence shows that when the women hiked their skirts in preparation for sex, the killer grabbed their throats and strangled them. The victims were then lowered to the ground with their heads typically pointing to the killer’s left. This is supported by the lack of bruising on their heads, as noted in the coroners’ reports (Keppel 6).
The murder weapon that was used in the killings done by Jack the Ripper is a sharpened long knife. The victims were stabbed several times in the abdomen and in the genitals after death. The second, fifth, and sixth victims had their necks cut from ear to ear. This is evidenced by the lack of blood on their clothing and is supported by the coroner’s reports (Keppel 6).
IN RECENT YEARS
Jack, the ripper for centuries, has not been able to be caught, but in the 21st century, there have been recent developments in the case, and Jack the ripper has finally been identified. It was identified that Jack the Ripper was the prime suspect, who was a 23-year-old polish barber Aaron Kosminski. In recent years there has been new DNA evidence that confirms it was Aaron Kosminski even though for the past 100 years, he was named the number one suspect. Many researchers had much evidence that pointed to him but had no physical evidence, so it was just speculation. Now the researchers were finally able to solve the most 150-year-old murders (Keppel 7).