Jack the Ripper: Case Study 1

Running Head: JACK THE RIPPER: CASE STUDY

Jack the Ripper: Case Study

Lindsay Gates

Salt Lake Community College

July 18, 2018

CJ 1010
 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 2

Abstract

This paper discusses the case of Jack the Ripper, who was an unknown serial killer in

Whitechapel, England starting in 1888, and possibly continuing until 1891. The victims were

poor female prostitutes, called the “canonical five”. Although it is possible that there were more

victims, only five of the murders were thought to be connected to Jack the Ripper. There were

letters sent to local newspapers from the supposed killer, coining the name “Jack the Ripper”. To

this day, the suspect has never been apprehended, and there has been much speculation about

possible suspects.
 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 3

Jack the Ripper: Case Study

Introduction

Ripperology: the study of the Ripper cases. For decades, the case of Jack the Ripper and

his suspected victims has mystified anyone who tries to make sense of it, and it has gone down

in history as one of the most famous unsolved cases. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of

theories surrounding what actually happened to these women and who the real killer was. And

although the criminal behind these murders has never been found, this has never stopped anyone

from painstakingly investigating the crime in an attempt to solve it. “Two high quality British

journals, The Ripperologist and Ripperana, are devoted to the subject, as are two others in

America. The ‘Cloak and Dagger Club’, with a membership of over 220, is devoted almost

exclusively to presenting talks and seminars on Jack, almost always with the aim of identifying

the killer” (Rubinstein, 2000, p. 1). The case has become so common to everyday life that

phrases that describe the study of these murders have been coined and used constantly. And even

though the killer by now is long dead, no one has ever been more determined to find him.

Murders
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In the dark hours of Whitechapel, London, at least five women, with a possibility of up to

11, were brutally murdered by an unknown assailant over the course of three years (1888-1891).

His victims were white female prostitutes, who were usually between 24 and 45 years old, all of

whom were poor (Keppel, Weis, Brown, & Welch, 2005). Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman,

Elizabeth Stride, Catharine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly are the five victims who are most

commonly thought to be connected to Jack the Ripper, often called the “canonical five” because

of this association. “A small number of women who knew each other were murdered in a short

period of time, indicating ‘the systematic elimination of specific targets’” (Hoyos, 2004, p. 303).

This deliberate way of killing made these murders especially haunting because nothing like this

had ever happened in Whitechapel before. The area had never been considered violent, and there

was not one murder during the year of 1887 (Rubinstein, 2000, p. 1). The fact that the murders

were so grotesque only amplified fear in the area, and this fear only continued as the killer

escaped, murder after murder.

All of the deceased women were found extremely mutilated and bloody. The killer first

murdered the women from behind by strangling them, and then would cut their throats with a

knife that has been though to possibly be a surgical blade. All of the women had multiple stab

wounds and many of the women had organs missing or amputated from their bodies when

discovered. With all of the victims, it was obvious to those who saw the bodies that the killer

exerted more fatal force than necessary and showed that the killer had more than just the desire
 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 5

to kill. The killer wanted to show control and power over these women, which is why they had

much more than just one fatal wound.

There were victims killed both inside their homes and outside on the street. They were

always left where they would be discovered easily by others, and they were always posed in a

degrading way. The killer would leave them exposed, often without some of their clothing on.

Their wounds would be exposed in a way that would startle and frighten those who discovered

the body. He would also sometimes place some of the victims’ belongings strategically around

their bodies and would also spread some of their other organs around them (Keppel et al., 2005).

Suspects

Throughout the decades since these brutal murders in Whitechapel, there has been much

speculation about who the actual killer of the prostitutes was. Hundreds of men have been

possible suspects, with no luck in finding the true murderer. According the documents from the

Scotland Yard, “The three chief suspects … were Montague Druitt; ‘Kosminski’, a Polish Jew;

and ‘Michael Ostrog, a Russian doctor.’ Druitt and Kosminski remain viable candidates who

have been examined in detail by researchers” (Rubinstein, 2000, p. 2).

Due to a lack of eyewitness accounts and vague descriptions of the possible murderer, he

continued to escape the police in and around the crime scenes. There was also difficulty in

locating the killer because of his meticulous planning and organization of these crimes. There

was absolutely no evidence left at the scene by the killer himself. He left no weapons, he used his
 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 6

own weapon in the killings and took it with him when he was finished. He left no footprints,

fingerprints, or any of his own blood at the scene.

Supposedly, the killer sent letters to local newspapers taunting them, the police, and the

citizens about the killings. “The letters were generally sent to individual newspapers, the Central

News Agency in London, or to law enforcement (e.g., the Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard,

etc.). In some cases, however, letters were simply found in locations where the writer had

apparently left them, assuming they would be found” (Remington, 2004, p. 6). He acted almost

invincible, as if he thought he couldn’t be caught, and this letter is the one where he gave himself

the trade name of Jack the Ripper: “Dear Boss, I keep on hearing the police have caught me but

they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the

right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant

quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to

squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear

of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle

over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I

hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for

jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My

knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if! get a chance. Good Luck. Yours

truly Jack the Ripper Dont mind me giving the trade name PS Wasnt good enough to post this

before I got all the red ink offmy hands curse it No luck yet. They say I'm a doctor now. ha ha”

(Shellenberger, 2003, p. 30).

Not only has it been impossible to locate the killer because of the lack of evidence that he

left at the crime scenes, but there was also not even close to the kind of technology in the 1880’s
 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 7

as there is today. If there had been this kind of technology at that time, then they may have found

the killer, but as it is, because of the lack of technology, he has never been found.

Conclusion

The case of Jack the Ripper and his victims has been popular from the beginning and

haunted everyone living at the time, whether they were in close vicinity or not. The suspect has

never been found, but that has not stopped the major speculation to this day about who

committed the crimes and exactly how they were committed. Although they did not have

adequate technology at the time to investigate these crimes, there may be a possibility that we

can investigate deeper into the cases because of modern technology.

 Jack the Ripper: Case Study 8

References

Hoyos, A. D. (2004). Freemasonry in context: History, ritual, controversy. Lanham, Md:

Lexington Books.

Keppel, R. D., Weis, J. G., Brown, K. M., & Welch, K. (2005, March 17). The Jack the Ripper

murders: A modus operandi and signature analysis of the 1888–1891 Whitechapel

murders. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jip.22

Remington, T. (2004). Dear Boss: Hoax as Popular Communal Narrative In the Case of the Jack

the Ripper Letters. Retrieved from

https://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/newsite/vol10is3/remington.pdf

Rubinstein, W. D. (2000, May). Retrieved July 18, 2018, from

http://w3.salemstate.edu/~cmauriello/pdf_his102/Ripper.pdf

Shellenberger, K. L. (2003, April). Unsolved Mysteries: The Identity of Jack the Ripper and His

Century-Long Legacy. Retrieved July 18, 2018, from

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/5010858.pdf

ePortfolio Link: https://lindsaymgates.weebly.com/criminal-justice.html