What's your profile for Jack?

[Wickerman]

A well thought out post.
Just a few comments...

He probably grew up in an environment of domestic violence, in which the woman was both a 'faceless' object and his mother.

This is often suggested for a wifebeater, but not necessarily for a serial killer.
We have Russell Williams, who was a Colonel in the Canadian military, he was happily married but raped & murdered two women, nothing abnormal about his childhood.
Where I have concerns about these 'classic profiling' methods is, they will sometimes point to a man who:
- had an abnormally violent childhood.
- a dominant father who beat his mother.
- a violent father who fought anybody.
- a dominant mother who mistreated him.
- a normal childhood.
Profiling has a 'classification' to meet any need, in other words, the killer is everyman.

He seems apparently unconcerned with the possibility of being caught.

He didn't leave any weapon behind, and no footprints in the blood, and no bloodtrail, be it handprints, footprints or dripping blood from something he removed. And, whatever he gave them to win their confidence, he took away with him.

I don't think he had a lot of wealth. If he did, he'd have lured women to a home base that was not shared with a pile of other people, and thus would have more time.. I think he used the streets because it was most expedient.

Local prostitutes worked their own turf. Taking an old prostitute to his room, if he was local, would take some explaining. Anyone in the street would see them together, or his own landlady, maybe the tenant nextdoor?
So really, this is not a practical alternative regardless of his personal worth.
And, if he lived out of Whitechapel then this is simply not an option.

In order for them to feel relaxed they must take the lead, they led him to their 'spot', and they knew the frequency of police beats. All he had to do was wait for a constable to pass, then he knew he had 15 minutes...

[Observer]

Excellent post Ausgirl

[Ausgirl]

Okay - my stab at a profile, based on my present (and still a little spotty) knowledge of the case:

I tend to think of JtR as somebody who could 'switch it on and off', ie, a sociopathic, generally cool-headed type that would occasionally 'let himself go' when the need and/or opportunity arose, rather than being a foaming at the mouth psychotic. He could calmly arrange a dark spot for the kill, very quietly commit the murder, fiddle about in her guts, and then walk away from it all without being noticed - and did so, over and over. That takes control. So. Pretty much winging it, on this presumption...

He didn't have a stutter or facial deformity, I think, or with the all the hanging about he did in the area, it would have been remembered.

His chosen victims were known to drink, or known to have been drinking. He struck late at night, when they'd be tired and/or had a few gins. He probably used coercion rather than force to get them into a dark alley (or allowed himself to be coerced, as it were). He then blitz-attacked, quickly cut their throats - the important part of his need had nothing to do with them being alive, in my opinion, it was their dead bodies that got the brunt of his 'attention'. Success for him equalled killing fast and silently, so as to have more time to have his way with the body.

And by 'have his way' - I mean the mutilation, not sex. I've thought that maybe former crimes -could- have involved necrophilia of some sort, a sense of personal power developed from handling dead bodies, until he either lost access to handy ones and had to make his own, or simply escalated to wanting the thrill of interaction with 'warm ones', or bodies through which he could freely indulge his fantasies with less chance of being caught. Not sold on all that, but it's a thought.

I think he probably had a paraphilia concerned with internal organs. These, I think, were his 'prizes', not just trophies taken after other needs were satisfied but the need itself. He also literally 'defaced' some of his victims. Their faces, their personalities, were of no interest to him. He endeavoured to remove or obscure humanity, make them lumps of pleasing flesh rather than wishing to see them as individual women. Noses are almost essential to human facial recognition. The removal of noses is probably all about removal of recognisable humanity.

He wasn't concerned with looks, or age. I think what was important to him was expedience of death and the resulting warm body and, if he was lucky, some time to play with it.

I don't think he'd be able to have a normal relationship with a woman, though he might have tried and failed at some early point. Probably unmarried at time of canonical murders.

He probably grew up in an environment of domestic violence, in which the woman was both a 'faceless' object and his mother. He despises her utterly, and yet needs the sense of her proximity, all at once. I think this could be the source of his cannibalism (I do think he ate parts of the bodies) among other things.

He seems apparently unconcerned with the possibility of being caught. I think, though, that with each crime he became more confident, more comfortable with his routine. He learned as he went, I think, and was quite observant of the habitual movements and nature of the police. Again, it's all about time.

I don't think he had a lot of wealth. If he did, he'd have lured women to a home base that was not shared with a pile of other people, and thus would have more time.. I think he used the streets because it was most expedient. It's what he could afford, and it was very hit and miss. He hit the jackpot with Mary Kelly, though - for the first time, maybe, he could spend hours with a body instead of minutes, so he made the most of it while he could.

Which makes me wonder - since he was likely a killer that learned and evolved - whether the murder of Mary Kelly was not his last, but merely cathartic and thus the first of a new pattern in which he moved his act indoors somehow. Not necessarily in over-crowded Whitechapel. The next phase, if this is so, might involve missing women rather than bodies in the streets. Disposal via dismemberment, perhaps.

Anyway. Such are my ramblings, long after bed time. I reserve the right to change my mind at the drop of a bonnet.

[Cogidubnus]

Why English snails? With 40% of the local population immigrant Jewish, and a fair old percentage of the rest immigrant Irish (my own clan among them!) there's more than a fair chance he wan't...

All the best

Dave

[Deathtosnails]

I've been thinking on this for a while. New profile for 'Jack'.

Male

English

20-30

Nothing obviously wrong physically or mentally or socially.

Can't afford to drink often, but binges when he can.

Lives with his family (mother, absent father, sisters), but they don't always notice when he's home or not. Has some form of a private entrance or area.

Missing any feelings of attachment or empathy.

Mixed feelings of lust and rage towards women. May be prone to violent outbursts, physically and verbally.

Very violent when he's had too much to drink. His normal inhibitions that keep his fantasy and veneer of social normality dissolve with each drink.

His first kill was Martha Tabram. It was unplanned. After the normal fear of being arrested at any moment his feelings changed to pleasure over the act and started to actively plan his next victim.

There is no plan to the cuts. He's raging on the body with the knife. After the rage dies down a bit he experiments with cutting. The removed body parts are a way to relive the pleasure of the act and shows he controls what is going on. He may be wary of hanging around the crime scenes, but will often walk past them.

Why did he stop? I don't think he did. He was afraid after the MJK act of being caught and went dormant. He couldn't stop completely though and there were later victims.

I think he died in 1889 or 1890 in a pub stabbing or random violence in a dark alley where he liked to frequent. Kind of fitting end.

My ramble for the day. No proof, just musings

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Apprehensive

Possibly well off enough to disappear from his home life /family - "on business" .

Have a rented dwelling, in the area, could afford to stay in the area for weeks sussing things out, might have been reconning the area for months in order to be accepted as just another face in the area, gets to know the area relatively well.

He would dress as a normal working class man , probably a bit shabby as when/if challenged by people or police, would want to be accepted as perhaps, a drunk or tramp?

He's possibly got some sort of military knowledge, he seemed to be cool when evading, he's comfortable with killing at close quarters, albeit with an unarmed woman, it would still cause the average person to feel queasy doing what he did, possibly a retired military surgeon?

Anyway, he'd be strong and fit enough to move fast for distance.

Could it be that he is quite mad as well, goes into rages, imagine that he was seen occasionally, who would challenge or admit to having seen this mad man especially if you came face to face with him, if he went eyeball to eyeball with you and threatened you, would you, in those days, especially with the probable mistrust of the police that the average person in the street had?

The sort of "I know where you live" threat.

Who can say?

I'm not smelling a diary am I?

[Rob1n]

Possibly well off enough to disappear from his home life /family - "on business" .

Have a rented dwelling, in the area, could afford to stay in the area for weeks sussing things out, might have been reconning the area for months in order to be accepted as just another face in the area, gets to know the area relatively well.

He would dress as a normal working class man , probably a bit shabby as when/if challenged by people or police, would want to be accepted as perhaps, a drunk or tramp?

He's possibly got some sort of military knowledge, he seemed to be cool when evading, he's comfortable with killing at close quarters, albeit with an unarmed woman, it would still cause the average person to feel queasy doing what he did, possibly a retired military surgeon?

Anyway, he'd be strong and fit enough to move fast for distance.

Could it be that he is quite mad as well, goes into rages, imagine that he was seen occasionally, who would challenge or admit to having seen this mad man especially if you came face to face with him, if he went eyeball to eyeball with you and threatened you, would you, in those days, especially with the probable mistrust of the police that the average person in the street had?

The sort of "I know where you live" threat.

Who can say?

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Hullo Miakaal! Clarity

I'm confused by your post. Are you saying you don't think the murders are a single individual because the motive appears to change?

[miakaal4]

The problem I have with this Profile is I feel the motivation changed during the duration of the murders, and therefore the killer changed too. I will explain my ideas, for what they are worth at the end.
A Male, probably quite strong. Taller than victims. Normal looking, educated, motivated and of above average intelligence. Able to earn money, knows the area well, dresses in clothes that make him "grey".
Personality probably short tempered or agitated. Perhaps a supressed boaster. Feels above most people like he is somehow, more than them.
I think he started Angry and perhaps disorganised, then as the murders and his fame progressed, he became more of a planner. Perhaps wore a simple disguise of some sort (perhaps a false beard or change of hair colour). The sexual nature of the killings could be a red herring. The kidneys are not normally considered sexual, but were attacked as much as the uterus. So, Power over their life, perhaps became the end motive, cannibalism, organ readjustment.
He would need to be strong to overpower the victims so quickly and quietly.
Taller to be able to apply pressure to the throat from behind.
Normal looking, because he didn't repel the victims or make them feel suspicious. You don't turn your back on someone you fear.

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

people

Have no idea from whence I reside.

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Decidedly not.

Am I in a position to testify to your lack of accent?

I mean, I don't really have one either except when I'm exhausted. And even then it's more Savannah than Smokey Mountains. No idea why. I was after all raised here. Well, except that everyone always told us we would be judged as being illiterate bumpkins if we spoke with a southern accent. People from here think I'm a Yankee. People up north think I'm a Midwesterner, people from the Midwest think I'm Californian, and people from California rarely let me get a word in edgewise to judge my accent.

Your lack of an accent. Despite their best efforts. Sorry it's very obvious.

[Errata]

I opted for the beer instead of the Bourbon. Wanted to have a GOOD day off. Would've prefered oj and champagne but fresh out. And despite being in TN I'm sans the accent. Errata can prob tell you about that as well. Sorry back to topic.

Am I in a position to testify to your lack of accent?

I mean, I don't really have one either except when I'm exhausted. And even then it's more Savannah than Smokey Mountains. No idea why. I was after all raised here. Well, except that everyone always told us we would be judged as being illiterate bumpkins if we spoke with a southern accent. People from here think I'm a Yankee. People up north think I'm a Midwesterner, people from the Midwest think I'm Californian, and people from California rarely let me get a word in edgewise to judge my accent.

[Observer]

Point of payment for prostitutes depends on what tier they are. Streetwalkers get paid up front. They have to. They have no protection if someone decides not to pay. Call girls and High price prostitutes get paid after, (cash on the nightstand) because a: its a quality assurance measure, and b: they are indoors, and have more control over the situation.

If you look at my post I implied that both Chapman and Eddowes would have been paid up front. In all probability Nichols too.

Both Chapman, and Eddowes, were sighted shortly before their deaths conversing with a man, near to where they were eventually found. Its fair to say that they were in all probability induced by money to retire to the corner of Mitre Square, and the rear yard of 29 Hanbury Street respectively.

Lets not forget that Nichols was the worse for wear in drink, and desperate for money. It's possible she was lead along with the promise of payment. What has also got to be took into consideration is whether she was in situ in Bucks Row when Jack came upon her. If so, she would have been quickly despatched without any money changing hands.



Regards

Observer

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Options

It seems providing sex is the most likely explanation for why Eddowes entered MS. If not for that purpose, then what? It might imply some level of trust to accompany someone into the dark to do whatever it might be. I realise this is based off of the accounts of Levy and co.

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

No problem. Tennessee eh! I'll bet Davy Crockett partook of a little tipple with his brekkie. HaHa

I opted for the beer instead of the Bourbon. Wanted to have a GOOD day off. Would've prefered oj and champagne but fresh out. And despite being in TN I'm sans the accent. Errata can prob tell you about that as well. Sorry back to topic.