Jack the Ripper: Difference between revisions

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'''Jack the Ripper''' was a Victorian era serial killer, who was active in London. He was never caught and his true identity remained a mystery for a long time; his victims were women who earned their income as prostitutes. His victims throats were slit, and most of their bodies mutilated. He was never found or caught by anyone. His weapon of choice was a knife. Other names for him at the time were "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron". He was one of the most vicious and notorious serial killers in known history.

==Suspects==

==Main Suspects==

The ~~concentration~~ of the killings ~~around weekends and public holidays and within~~ a ~~short distance~~ of ~~each other has indicated to many that~~ the ~~Ripper was~~ in ~~regular employment~~ and ~~lived locally~~. ~~Others have thought that the killer was~~ an ~~educated upper-class man, possibly a doctor or an aristocrat who ventured into Whitechapel from a more well-~~to~~-do area~~.

*'''Aaron Kosminski''' - The main suspect of the killings, a Polish Jew. Suspected of the killings because he lived in the Whitechapel area and was known to hate prostitutes. Died in an asylum in 1919. DNA evidence conclusively linking him to the murders has been disputed.

*'''Montague Druitt''' - A teacher suspected at the time because he somewhat resembled the description of Jack the Ripper. Committed suicide in 1888 just after the final murder.

~~Such theories draw on cultural perceptions such as fear of~~ the ~~medical profession, mistrust of modern science, or~~ the ~~exploitation~~ of the ~~poor by the rich~~. ~~Suspects proposed years~~ after the murders include virtually anyone remotely connected to the case by contemporary documents, as well as many famous names who were never considered in the police investigation, including a member of the British royal family, an artist, and a physician.

*'''Nathan Kaminsky/David Cohen''' - Suspected at the time because he lived in the Whitechapel area, was known to hate prostitutes and was skilled with knives. He was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum around the time the murders stopped.

*'''James Maybrick''' - Liverpool cotton merchant poisoned by his wife [[Florence Maybrick|Florence]] in 1889. After his death, a diary purporting to contain his confession to the murders was discovered. The confession has been accused of being a forgery, although forensic testing was inconclusive.

~~Everyone alive~~ at the time ~~is now long dead~~, and ~~modern authors are free to accuse anyone "without any need for any supporting historical evidence"~~. ~~Suspects named~~ in ~~contemporary police documents include three in Sir Melville Macnaghten's 1894 memorandum, but~~ the ~~evidence against these individuals is, at best, circumstantial~~.

*'''Michael Ostrog''' - Russian criminal suspected because he claimed to be a trained surgeon and was released from prison just before the murders. However he may have been imprisoned in France at the time.

*'''[[H. H. Holmes]]''' - Serial killer executed in 1896. Suspected by many because he had surgical training, resembled the description of the killer, had a similar writing style and may have been in London at the time.

~~There are many~~, ~~varied theories about the identity and profession of Jack~~ the ~~Ripper, but authorities are not agreed upon any~~ of ~~them~~, and the ~~number of named suspects reaches over one hundred~~. ~~Despite continued interest~~ in the ~~case, the Ripper~~'~~s identity remains unknown~~. ~~The term "ripperology" was coined to describe~~ the ~~study and analysis~~ of the ~~Ripper cases~~, and the ~~murders have inspired numerous works of fiction~~.

==Victims==

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 '''Jack the Ripper''' was a Victorian era serial killer, who was active in London. He was never caught and his true identity remained a mystery for a long time; his victims were women who earned their income as prostitutes. His victims throats were slit, and most of their bodies mutilated. He was never found or caught by anyone. His weapon of choice was a knife. Other names for him at the time were "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron". He was one of the most vicious and notorious serial killers in known history.
-==Suspects==
+==Main Suspects==
-The concentration of the killings around weekends and public holidays and within a short distance of each other has indicated to many that the Ripper was in regular employment and lived locally. Others have thought that the killer was an educated upper-class man, possibly a doctor or an aristocrat who ventured into Whitechapel from a more well-to-do area.
+*'''Aaron Kosminski''' - The main suspect of the killings, a Polish Jew. Suspected of the killings because he lived in the Whitechapel area and was known to hate prostitutes. Died in an asylum in 1919. DNA evidence conclusively linking him to the murders has been disputed.
+*'''Montague Druitt''' - A teacher suspected at the time because he somewhat resembled the description of Jack the Ripper. Committed suicide in 1888 just after the final murder.
-Such theories draw on cultural perceptions such as fear of the medical profession, mistrust of modern science, or the exploitation of the poor by the rich. Suspects proposed years after the murders include virtually anyone remotely connected to the case by contemporary documents, as well as many famous names who were never considered in the police investigation, including a member of the British royal family, an artist, and a physician.
+*'''Nathan Kaminsky/David Cohen''' - Suspected at the time because he lived in the Whitechapel area, was known to hate prostitutes and was skilled with knives. He was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum around the time the murders stopped.
+*'''James Maybrick''' - Liverpool cotton merchant poisoned by his wife [[Florence Maybrick|Florence]] in 1889. After his death, a diary purporting to contain his confession to the murders was discovered. The confession has been accused of being a forgery, although forensic testing was inconclusive.
-Everyone alive at the time is now long dead, and modern authors are free to accuse anyone "without any need for any supporting historical evidence". Suspects named in contemporary police documents include three in Sir Melville Macnaghten's 1894 memorandum, but the evidence against these individuals is, at best, circumstantial.
+*'''Michael Ostrog''' - Russian criminal suspected because he claimed to be a trained surgeon and was released from prison just before the murders. However he may have been imprisoned in France at the time.
+*'''[[H. H. Holmes]]''' - Serial killer executed in 1896. Suspected by many because he had surgical training, resembled the description of the killer, had a similar writing style and may have been in London at the time.
-There are many, varied theories about the identity and profession of Jack the Ripper, but authorities are not agreed upon any of them, and the number of named suspects reaches over one hundred. Despite continued interest in the case, the Ripper's identity remains unknown. The term "ripperology" was coined to describe the study and analysis of the Ripper cases, and the murders have inspired numerous works of fiction.
 ==Victims==