What's your profile for Jack?

[lynn cates]

That's the one!

Hello Caroline.

"are we looking at all this from the wrong angle?"

Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but . . .

Cheers.
LC

[caz]

I think mine might be a little different.

White male
Mid thirties
English
Grew up in Whitechapel, but bettered himself out of it.
Job that requires some education. Clerk, business owner, priest,
Single
Dominant and abusive mother, possibly highly religious, possibly a prostitute (possibly died just before the first murder)
Seemingly meek in manner, quiet, possibly pious, goes unnoticed at work and in social situations.
Easily dominated by people in power
Possible hypochondriac, convinced of some defect
Compulsive about the acquisition of knowledge. Reads incessantly, any number of subjects. May attend lectures.
Fascinated by knives.
May concentrate on the plight of poor children.
No history of arrests, appearance of model citizen
Is hesitant about marriage and family
Knows the streets of Whitechapel
Familiar with the basic habits of local prostitutes through observation
He would not stand out talking to a prostitute, but he may well be awkward while doing it.

I think this was about control and revenge. I think he specifically targeted the organs of generation because he believed that he was somehow damaged by a prostitute, either by being born to one, or fearing an inability to procreate through having sex with one. I think he targeted women who reminded him of his mother in some way. I think that the only way he ever felt control was committing these mission oriented murders. I think in his regular life he would have exhibited more confidence for a few days after each murder. I think he was sterilizing them, I think he was silencing them. I think all his anatomical knowledge came from books, and had little practical experience with cutting flesh before the murders began. I think he felt that his advancement that got him out of the neighborhood was either unearned, or he felt like it could never compensate for the circumstances of his birth.

Hi Errata,

While you may be right, I thoroughly dislike hearing about such killers holding their mothers even partially responsible for the way they turned out and being believed by the profilers. What about homosexual killers who only targeted male victims? Do they also get to blame their mothers if they had miserable childhoods? What about all the women who had dominant or abusive mothers, who almost never take to serial murder, let alone go round slaughtering strange women for looking or acting like their mother did? Is it because women are better at dealing with such emotional scars, or are we looking at all this from the wrong angle? What about all the fathers who are abusive to their daughters as well as their sons? What kind of serial killers do they produce, and are the victims likely to be the same gender as the abuser?

As I have said many times in the past, I would hold our old friend testosterone responsible for the male serial killer and the gender of his victims, before looking at his dear old mum for any reliable answers.

The killer Levi Bellfield told his girlfriend that "blondes are slags and should all die". That was his lame excuse for taking a hammer to his victims' skulls. He didn't have sex with them; he wasn't interested. He just wanted to smash their heads in. He didn't kill men or boys. I would rather nobody suggested his mother was blonde and was horrid to him as a small boy.

Love,

Caz
X

[Michael W Richards]

Since the only murders that can legitimately be considered almost certainly committed by the same man are Mary Ann Nichols and Annie Chapman, the profile for the man who is nicknamed Jack the Ripper in a hoax letter dated Sept 27th should be based on what we know about those first 2 murders;

-Married or single male
-May live alone, may live with wife
-No children
-Local resident
-Regularly works nights
-Has some anatomical and knife wielding skills
-Undiagnosed mental illness
-Likely a butcher, slaughter houseman, failed med student, or someone with that type of skill set
-Moderate physical strength
-Previous history of harassing street women, perhaps just verbally

I believe that the profile originally applied to the unknown killer after these first 2 murders lends itself well to someone much like the Leather Apron character mentioned by some street women. Although the leather apron in the yard at Hanbury was the initial, erroneous cause for the supposed link between this unknown man LA and the unknown killer, I would think that the character type is still fitting here.

Pizer agreed to a statement that exonerated him by the Police, he didnt volunteer that he was indeed called Leather Apron, and in fact he and his family stated they never heard that name associated with Pizer before the allegations and search for LA immediately after the Chapman murder.

I think LA was likely their killer, and its likely it wasnt Pizer.

Cheers

[lynn cates]

Brave, brave Sir Robert

Hello Errata. Thanks.

"masturbation has made someone a murderer a grand total of never."

Ah, but tell Sir Robert that.

Cheers.
LC

[Errata]

Hello Same. Thanks.

Yes, WC had several wandering lunatics. A few of them were violent.

"I feel that ripperologists should pay more attention to what the original Policemen who worked the case had to say"

Absolutely.

Cheers.
LC

I feel that we need to pay more attention to what policemen say about the facts of the case, but I don't think we can rely on their conclusions about the case, if for no other reason than that our understanding of mental illness, neurology, brain mapping, and behavioral analysis has advanced by leaps and bounds. For example, masturbation has made someone a murderer a grand total of never. And we're still not sufficiently knowledgeable to fully explain serial murder or violent compulsion or even psychosis, but we do know that the genuinely delusional make up a very small percentage of killers. Less than two percent. So if the only thing recommending a suspect is that he is barking mad, then clearly the cops are looking for the wrong criteria.

[lynn cates]

lunatics

Hello Same. Thanks.

Yes, WC had several wandering lunatics. A few of them were violent.

"I feel that ripperologists should pay more attention to what the original Policemen who worked the case had to say"

Absolutely.

Cheers.
LC

[Semper_Eadem]

Hello Same. Thanks.

Fido's theory is not bad. He tries to link Cohen to "Leather Apron." Surely he is on the right track as someone was wandering around Whitechapel and Piser was not the main culprit.

Cheers.
LC

I forgot that Fido tried to link leather apron to Cohen. It's been 20 or so years since I read Fido's book. I need to re-read it but there are always other books I want to get first. I agree that someone was going around Whitechapel either murdering women or eating food out of the sewers. Sounds like someone really needed help. I don't know as I am not really current with the new theories. In fact that is really why I stop by Casebook to see what I have missed. I will say that I feel that ripperologists should pay more attention to what the original Policemen who worked the case had to say about the killer as they worked the case and shifted though the evidence, although there is a lot of documents MIA. I usually study the high medieval era. So I am more comfortable there.

SE =~)

[The Good Michael]

Lynn,

The sarcasm was a bit lost. I got it, however.

Mike

[lynn cates]

Fido

Hello Same. Thanks.

Fido's theory is not bad. He tries to link Cohen to "Leather Apron." Surely he is on the right track as someone was wandering around Whitechapel and Piser was not the main culprit.

Cheers.
LC

[Semper_Eadem]

Hello Same.

"Basically Kosminski. . . Maybe it means I am unimaginative."

It seems to show GREAT imagination.

Cheers.
LC

Thank You Lynn. I read Martin Fido's book and while I will agree that it does seem to be a cop out theory its still the one that makes the most sense to me. Still I am not really familiar with any new theories that have recently come out and I totally suck at profiling. I tend to go with location over method. So I think it is the basic Kosminski/ Cohen or some other loon profile. maybe I'm old fashioned. I tend to think Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower.

[Wickerman]

- To begin with, it is clear that the murderer has a knowledge of the Whitechapel district in which he perpetrates his crimes.

- Then he is probably a man of bad character, who .... is acquainted with the customary and most taking methods of accosting the women whom he selects as his victims.

- He is probably a maniac, so far as the prosecution of one single murderous purpose is an indication of mania; but, on the other hand, he is not so much a maniac as to be indifferent to detection, and he watches to strike his blow with unfailing and remorseless cunning at the moment most favorable to his designs.

- Again, he is probably able to secure solitude whenever he wants it; but, on the other hand, he is not likely to be a man of forbidding appearance, solitary manners, or distinguished by one trait marking him out for notice by his fellows.

- we must assume that the murderer is a man not open to ordinary suspicion, and that although he lays his plots with devilish ingenuity, and carries them out with unsurpassed cunning and ferocity,

- he is a gentleman who is accepted absolutely in his own rank of society, possibly adorning a pew, occupying a clerk's stool, or doing a little business, in leisure moments not devoted to the main purpose of his life, in stocks and shares.

- Finally, he may assume drunkenness, or a "boozing" fit, for the treble purpose of putting his victims, the police, and his acquaintances off the scent.

It follows, therefore, that in the absence of immediate motive, which means the absence of clue, we must keep our eyes on points of character rather than on such manifestly unsatisfactory and inadequate work as the searching of lodging-houses, which in all probability the murderer does not frequent.
Ref: Star, 10 Nov. 1888.


The above is as good a profile as has been presented by anyone through the media at the time of the murders.
Then, on the same day, we have the confidential (not for publication) opinion of Dr. Bond..

- The murderer must have been a man of physical strength and of great coolness and daring.

- There is no evidence he had an accomplice.

- He must in my opinion be a man subject to periodical attacks of homicidal and erotic mania.

- The character of the mutilations indicate that the man may be in a condition sexually, that may be called satyriasis....

- The murderer in external appearance is quite likely to be a quiet inoffensive looking man probably middle aged and neatly and respectably dressed.

- I think he must be in the habit of wearing a cloak or overcoat or he could hardly have escaped notice in the streets if the blood on his hands or clothes were visible.

- ..he would probably be solitary and eccentric in his habits, also he is most likely to be a man without regular occupation, but with some small income or pension.

- He is possibly living among respectable person's who have some knowledge of his character and habits and who may have grounds for suspicion that he is not quite right in his mind at times.
Dr. Thomas Bond, 10 Nov. 1888.


These two profiles appear to adequately cover the salient points. I feel no need to expand on or attempt to improve the opinions so well expressed at the time.

.

[lynn cates]

imagination

Hello Same.

"Basically Kosminski. . . Maybe it means I am unimaginative."

It seems to show GREAT imagination.

Cheers.
LC

[Semper_Eadem]

Basically Kosminski. It just fits too well in my mind. maybe it means I am unimaginative, perhaps, I could just see that happening though. Someone going bonkers and either getting really lucky or having enough of an animal like cunning not to get caught. Until his family finds out what he has been up to and have him committed.

[caz]

Male
English or foreign
Between 16 and 60
Used prostitutes
Knew the streets but didn't necessarily live or work there
Married or single
Not filthy rich or dirt poor
Religious or atheist
Jewish or Gentile
Johnny No-mates at weekends

Narrows it down, eh?

Love,

Caz
X

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Hullo all you beautiful people!

Based upon the data, high probability of being male. Not sure anything else has a high probability based purely on the data. Oh wait, had knife.