The FBI Profile of Jack the Ripper & it's usefulness

[Major Kong]

Hey all,
Wanted to get your thoughts about what you think about the FBI profile of Jack the Ripper written by FBI Agent/Profiler John E. Douglas. What do you think we can derive from it? How can we use it as a tool in our search for the Ripper?
I know there are things in there which some may poo poo and some who think profiling is useless. But I would add FBI profilers were instrumental in helping Kansas police to catch Dennis Rader, known as the BTK Killer.

Here is the link for the FBI "Jack the Ripper" profile:

http://vault.fbi.gov/Jack%20the%20Ripper

-Paul

[Gypsyohara]

Honestly, Paul, John Douglas could say that Lewis Carol was his pick of suspects and I would seriously be considering it.
John Douglas was on a JtR television production (which Peter Ustinov hosted) quite sometime ago. If memory serves, I think 4 or five suspects were offered and the panel had to choose from only those suspects.
I don't think John Douglas' profile has changed dramatically from that program.
I have found his insight into crime scenes, victimology and criminal behavior uncanny.
All that being said, I doubt seriously JtR will ever be properly "identified", because, I believe him to have been more common to Whitechapel.
Unlike other theories, I have read, of late (some on this board), I do believe it to have been the work of one man--and not several murderers.
my 2 scheckles
-Gypsyohara

[Major Kong]

Honestly, Paul, John Douglas could say that Lewis Carol was his pick of suspects and I would seriously be considering it.
John Douglas was on a JtR television production (which Peter Ustinov hosted) quite sometime ago. If memory serves, I think 4 or five suspects were offered and the panel had to choose from only those suspects.
I don't think John Douglas' profile has changed dramatically from that program.
I have found his insight into crime scenes, victimology and criminal behavior uncanny.
All that being said, I doubt seriously JtR will ever be properly "identified", because, I believe him to have been more common to Whitechapel.
Unlike other theories, I have read, of late (some on this board), I do believe it to have been the work of one man--and not several murderers.
my 2 scheckles
-Gypsyohara

Hey Gyps,
I totally agree...I don't think JtR will never be truly "identified" either. I also have found Douglass writings on profiling and criminal behavior interesting to say the least. I think his original FBI Profile on JtR (written in 1988) holds up well. I really believe the "kind" of suspect we are looking for will have more traits and characteristics found in Douglas' profile than not. I obviously subscribe to the single killer theory as well. I found his triangle configuration angle and why it occurs, in the "Crime and Crime Scene Analysis" section, especially interesting. I think the profile is a useful tool to use as a foundation for the kind of individual we are looking for.

Paul

[John Wheat]

I think the FBI profile may give us a rough idea of what Jack the Ripper was like. And I'd expect Jack to largely match up with the FBI's profile. I also subscribe to the single killer hypothesis although I believe the Torso Killer was operating in London at the same time as Jack.

[Major Kong]

I think the FBI profile may give us a rough idea of what Jack the Ripper was like. And I'd expect Jack to largely match up with the FBI's profile. I also subscribe to the single killer hypothesis although I believe the Torso Killer was operating in London at the same time as Jack.

Hey John,
I think in some ways the torso killings were more gruesome than the Ripper murders. It really begs the question, "what are the odds of two serial killers operating at the same time, and in the same limited geographic area(London)??" But my gut instincts tell me that they were two separate killers as well.

[John Wheat]

To Paul

I wouldn't have thought the chances of there being two serial killers operating at the same time in London are that high, which is one of the reason's I don't subscribe to the multiple killers theory in reguard to the Ripper murders.

Cheers John

[Major Kong]

To Paul

I wouldn't have thought the chances of there being two serial killers operating at the same time in London are that high, which is one of the reason's I don't subscribe to the multiple killers theory in reguard to the Ripper murders.

Cheers John

Hey John,
I'm with ya....

[Major Kong]

Ritual and Signature in Serial Homicide

Another VERY interesting article about Ritual and Signature in Serial Sexual Homicide...from the Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

http://www.jaapl.org/content/38/2/239.long

Some very interesting things to ponder in there when we consider the Ripper crimes...

Paul

[RockySullivan]

This profile looks pretty dead on to me. So the hospital is interesting maybe someone who worked there could learn how to cut organs out but not a doctor. The idea that he was questioned and then stopped is smart. Why can't we go look back at everyone who was questioned? Would there still be records of everyone the police talked to especially if he was talked to more than once like the profile suggest there's a good chance there would be a record of him.

[Hatchett]

Hi,

Sadly the records we have are badly depleted. If only we had the complete sets .....


Best wishes.

[GUT]

Hi,

Sadly the records we have are badly depleted. If only we had the complete sets .....


Best wishes.

And is there a single area of Ripperology that doesn't apply to?

[SirJohnFalstaff]

I just read it this morning.

The parts I find interestings, mostly, are:

1- He would look differently, like a potential customer, who can afford a prostitute, so they approached him, not the other way around.

2- He was not setting up a challenge against the law. Notoriety was not his primary motivation.

3- He lives or works in the Whitechapel area. The first homicide should be in close proximity to either his home or workplace.

4- Investigators would have interviewed him during the investigation.

5- There would have been many other women who confronted JtR and were not assaulted because the location was not secure enough.

I think I will try to locate crimes that happened in the vicinity of Nichols murder site, and see if there is a possible Ripper connection.

So, yes, I give this profiling credit, mostly because I have absolutely no credential to say otherwise. ;-)

[GUT]

The biggest problem with profiling is that it can be no better than the input it is based on and as far as I can see no profiler has ever done anything like an extensive study of the case but has relied instead on snippets of information and assumptions that many would challenge.

John Douglas in , I am fairly sure, Cases that Haunt us, is a classic example of this

[Wickerman]

I just read it this morning.

The parts I find interestings, mostly, are:

1- He would look differently, like a potential customer, who can afford a prostitute, so they approached him, not the other way around.

2- He was not setting up a challenge against the law. Notoriety was not his primary motivation.

3- He lives or works in the Whitechapel area. The first homicide should be in close proximity to either his home or workplace.

His first homicide may not have been his first victim. Think of prior failures, or perhaps he was a mugger turned murderer?
His first crime may have been close to home/work, but his first murder, or first success (assuming one or more failures), will have been later, therefore elsewhere.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

"His first homicide may not have been his first victim"

You are absolutely right.

"Think of prior failures, or perhaps he was a mugger turned murderer?"

I like the idea of a mugging turned wrong, and JtR discovered something about himself, he enjoyed it. He discovered his fondness for picquerism, but it went out of control at one point. And as he became more obsess with it, ready to go deeper, he became less and less careful.

He probably didn't start with humans. There is a possibility, in my mind, that he didn't particularly dislike women or prostitutes, but they were the safest, easiest targets out there.

Just thinking out loud.