Who was the Jack the ripper?

A-Level: Sociology

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This may account for the reason the murderer struck again in that same night. Catharine Eddowes was the fourth victim. She was more brutally murdered than the previous which may have resulted from the murderers frustration at having to leave Stride intact. She was found lying on her back with her left leg extended and her right leg bent at the knee. Eddowes nose was cut off and her abdomen was sliced open. Her left kidney and intestines were placed on her right shoulder (Abrahamsen, 1992). The most cruel and ruthless murder committed by Jack the Ripper was the fifth and final one. Forty days after his last attack, he murdered Marie Jeanette Kelly on Friday, the Ninth of November, 1888. Because the murder took place in the privacy of Kelly’s own room in Millers Court and not in the streets, the murderer had the safety and leisure to commit the bloodiest butchery of them all (Abrahamsen, 1991). The skin on her face, upper body, and thighs was removed, and in some parts showed the skeleton. Also, her nose and ears were cut off. Located at her feet was her liver, and her amputated breasts and kidneys were carefully paced on a nearby table. Her uterus was also mutilated (Abrahamsen, 1991). All these murders shared certain characteristics. Most importantly, all of these women were prostitutes which meant they could be easily approached by strange men and then led to isolated areas. Next, they all took place within one square mile of each other. The murders were also committed between the Jack the Ripper 5 hours of eleven at night and five in the morning and took place on the weekend. In each instance the throat of the victim had been severed and their bodies were carved up and mutilated with a knife, with the exception of Stride. They were all over forty and had borne children with the exception of Kelly who was shown to be pregnant when murdered (Abrahamsen, 1991). The Characteristics of Jack the Ripper There are also certain characteristics possessed by Jack the Ripper that are well-established. This person would have to been able to work well with their hands and have some anatomical knowledge. Dr. Frederick Brown, the City Police surgeon who performed the post-mortem examination on Eddowes stated: Anyone carrying out this deed would need a good deal of knowledge as to the position of the organs in the abdominal cavity (Knight, 1986). Secondly, Jack the Ripper would have had to been well familiar with the area to perform these murders without being detected. This person also knew where half hidden water basins were located so that they could clean their hands after the murders. Jack the Ripper was also believed to have a sexual personality disorder, described today as a sexual psychopath. People with this disorder become sexually aroused by watching evisceration and mutilations. Most researchers believe that Jack the Ripper was insane stating that anyone committing such heinous crimes would have to be. Lastly, some physical description of a male seen either with the victim or in the vicinity of the murder close to the time of the murders is given. Police state that he was around thirty years old, five feet nine inches in height, with a small mustache, and dressed in something like a navy serge with a deerstalkers hat (Abrahamsen 1991).
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