Case Study of Jack the Ripper

By Samantha Fokos December 10, 2013 Forensics, 3rd period Mr. Colpean

Background of the Crime: On the morning of November 9, 1888, the body of Mary Jane Kelly, an Irish prostitute in the Whitechapel area, was found brutally murdered. The last probably and most gruesome of the Ripper murders, Kellys corpse was discovered in a horribly mutilated state, nude, with her throat severed down to the spine, her abdominal cavity almost completely devoid of organs, and her heart missing. The carnage took place in the dead of night, as did the rest of the Whitechapel killings.

The Death: With each new murder in the canonical five, a name attributed to the five murders that are traditionally linked to the Ripper, the killing became much more macabre, the first murder consisting of the throat being severed by two slashes, and the inferior part of the abdomen being partially ripped open into a deep, jagged wound. With each murder, the Ripper began to add to his modus operandi, removing organs from the lower abdominal cavity, including the victims uterus, kidneys, and eventually almost every organ in the cavity, including the heart. He also began to progressively mutilate the victims faces. The only murder where mutilations to the stomach do not occur is in the case of Elizabeth Stride, where she was found with only a single cut to her throat. Even though the murder is devoid of the usual Ripper maiming, Strides case is still attributed to the Ripper, mostly because of the similarities in time, characteristic of victim and murder. All of the Rippers victims were prostitutes living in or near the Whitechapel district, an impoverished area in the East End of London. Beside the canonical five, other murders have been attributed, yet not officially associated, with Jack the Ripper, such as

the headless torso of a woman found on October 2nd, 1888, as well as the murders of a seven year old boy and a prostitute by the name of Carrie Brown. The first case is debatable, mostly because of the differences in modus operandi. In the case of the boy, while the mutilations were similar, it is unlikely that a serial killer would drastically change his victim type so drastically. The boys boss was also a convicted murderer, however, he was released from police custody. Lastly, the murder of Carrie Brown was comparable to the other Ripper murders, it took place in New York City, New York, in 1891.

Investigators: The initial investigation of the Ripper killings was carried out by the Metropolitan Police Whitechapel (H) Division Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The lead investigator, Edmund Reid, was from the Whitechapel division, however, after the murder of Mary Ann Nichols, inspectors Frederick Abberline, Walter Andrews, and Henry Moore were sent from Scotland Yard to assist in the investigation. The Eddowes murder occurred in England, causing the City Police under Detective Inspector James McWilliam to become involved with the case. The investigation was disadvantaged by the absence of the newly instated head of the CID, Robert Anderson, who was on leave in Switzerland during the majority of the case. Because of this, Chief Inspector Donald Swanson was appointed to help organize the enquiry from Scotland Yard. Mortician and Police Surgeons include George Bagster Phillips, William Blackwell, and Frederick Gordon Brown, Philips presiding over the majority of the canonical fives autopsies.

History of the Time Period: The Whitechapel area, where a majority of the murders took place, was a desolate slum in 1888. It was during this time that Whitechapel saw its lowest state, both economically and morally. While many Londoners lived in the district, Whitechapel was swamped with immigrants, a majority of them Irish or Jewish. Because of the extreme poverty in the area, many women were driven to prostitution, the metropolitan Police at the time estimating that there were 1,200 prostitutes in the Whitechapel district. Forensic investigative techniques, such as fingerprints and pictures, were in use at the time of the Whitechapel murders, however, their use was not widespread. Men like Sir William Herschel and Sir Francis Galton were advocating the use of fingerprints in forensics investigations, yet it was not generally used at the time. Pictures taken of the crime scene and victims were being used as probative evidence in cases, however, similar to fingerprinting, such practices were rarely used.

Main Suspects; Backgrounds and Alibis: The Ripper case included a wide majority of suspects, ranging from immigrants to the insane. Listed here are the main suspects of the crimes. Montague John Druitt: a barrister and assistant schoolmaster hailing from Kent. He was considered as a suspect after his death, when rumors, started by MP of West Dorset, Henry Richard Farquharson, had been circulating that the Ripper, who was supposedly the son of a surgeon, had committed suicide by drowning himself in the Thames. Druitts body was found decomposing in the Thames on December 31, 1888, shortly after the last canonical murder. However, at the time of the first canonical murder,

Druitt was in Dorset playing cricket, and historians have attempted to create alibis for Druitt for the other murders, with much success. Historians have also concluded that the Ripper would have been a native of Whitechapel, Druitt being from Kent. He was dismissed as a serious suspect after Inspector Abberline concluded that the only evidence against him was the short time of his suicide after the last canonical murder. Seweryn Kosowski (alias George Chapman): a Polish immigrant, taking on the name of Chapman when immigrating to the United Kingdom between 1887 and 1888. Chapman was a convicted killer, having successfully killed three of his wives with poison. At the time of the murders, he had been living in Whitechapel, and had been known to have a violent, misogynistic streak. After interviewing one of his surviving wives, it was shown that he had spent a great amount of time out at night during the Ripper murders. Even though he was Inspector Abberlines favored suspect, it is highly unlikely that a serial killer would so drastically change his M.O., even if he had been prone to beat his wives brutally. Also, there is quite a lack of evidence that links Chapman to any of the murders, the Ripper killing those who he had no previous connections with, while Chapman killed those he knew. John Pizer: a Polish Jew arrested on on September 10th, 1888, Pizer was known as the Leather Apron, and was believed to have committed a string of minor assaults on prostitutes. Even though there was little to no evidence that he was the killer, it was a popular belief early on that the Leather Apron was the Ripper. After it was proven that he had alibis for two of the murders, he was cleared of any suspicion. He, however, had been convicted prior to the murders for a stabbing offence.

Francis Tumblety : a medical con-man and misogynist, Tumblety was a temporary resident in a boarding house in Whitechapel at the time of the murders. He was previously noted as hating women, especially prostitutes, and had displayed a collection of uteruses preserved in jars to an all male dinner party. Also, it is stated that Tumblety may have been homosexual, after having been arrested for gross indecency while engaging in a homosexual encounter. He was first thought a suspect in the Ripper case while awaiting trial on the previously stated charge, and fled to France, after which he returned to the United States. However, it was the New York City Police who acquitted him, stating that there is no proof of his complicity in the Whitechapel Murders, and the crime which he is under bond in London is not extraditable. Besides having medical knowledge and jars full of uteruses, Tumblety carried a strong hatred of prostitutes, all of which are attributes of the Ripper.

Psychological Profile of a Suspect: Jack the Ripper would have been someone who firstly carried a burning hatred of prostitutes, since all of his supposed suspects were prostitutes. Also, he would have been someone who had previous medical knowledge, with a majority of the cuts and mutilations made on his victims being those of a skilled surgeon. Other theories suggest that he was a man who lived in solitude, possibly being subject to attacks of mania, be it erotic or simply homicidal in nature. Lastly, he would have been a native of the Whitechapel area, familiar with its layout and people.

Forensic Evidence: Little could be found on evidence used in the Ripper cases. Evidence from the scene would have included things such as photographs, and possibly fingerprints from the victims and crime scene. However, fingerprinting was still in its developing stages, so it is highly unlikely that forensic fingerprinting would have been used in the Ripper case. Today, if the case was being investigated, forensic technicians would use DNA analysis of blood found at the crime scene, fingerprints found on the body, ink and paper analysis of the letters, and fibers or hairs also found on the body to identify the true Ripper.

Other: An interesting twist to the case would be the infamous Ripper Letters. The first, called the Dear Boss letter, was written in red ink, which, according to the author, was the blood of his victims. The letter ridicules the idea that he was the Leather Apron, and states that he enjoys ripping the prostitutes, and will continue until he is caught. The letter also supposedly included a tip of the recently murdered womans ear. The written correspondence gives Jack the Ripper the persona of a proud, almost insane individual who thoroughly enjoys his conquests. The letter is signed Jack the Ripper, becoming the first mention of the nickname in the case. The second letter is a postcard, often referred to as the Saucy Jack postcard. At first, it was considered a hoax, as Scotland Yard was receiving many letters claiming to be from the Ripper, yet this one included details which pertained to the most recent murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, implying that they were committed

very close together time wise. The letter, however, was postmarked more than 24 hours after the killings took place, leading many historians to believe that the letter was indeed a hoax. The third Ripper letter is called the From Hell letter. It is very probable that this letter is actually from the Ripper, as it is not signed with the pseudonym Jack the Ripper, and that it also was accompanied by a part of a human kidney, supposing to be the partially removed kidney of Catherine Eddowes.

Conclusion: While multiple suspects were arrested, none were put on trial and convicted as Jack the Ripper. To this day, his identity remains a mystery, as much of the forensic evidence has been lost, denying modern forensic technicians from studying it. However, the slums of Whitechapel were eradicated thanks to the murders, as attention was being drawn to the conditions there.

Theories: Theories of the identity of Jack the Ripper range from his identity as a butcher to that of a woman, nicknamed Jill the Ripper. Famous author of the time period, Lewis Carroll, was also included in the list of suspects, however, his candidacy as a suspect is not widely held. The strongest theory is that of Francis Tumbletys identity as Jack the Ripper, mainly because of his hatred of prostitutes, medical knowledge, and flight to France and the United States. Unfortunately, there is little evidence for any of the

suspects, including Tumblety, leading to the inconclusive outcome of the Ripper case today.

Bibliography

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Jones, Richard. "FINGERPRINTING AND CSI TECHNIQUES USED ON THE JACK THE RIPPER MURDERS." Fingerprinting and CSI. Jack The Ripper History, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.

Ryder, Stephen P. "Casebook: Jack the Ripper." Casebook: Jack the Ripper. Casebook, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.

Whitechapeljack.com. "The Ripper Letters." Whitechapel Jack RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.

Wikipedia. "Jack the Ripper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.