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Signature Analysis and Bury's Murder of Ellen

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  • Signature Analysis and Bury's Murder of Ellen

    In another thread I recently brought attention to this academic study of the Ripper murders:

    "The Jack the Ripper Murders: A Modus Operandi and Signature Analysis of the 1888-1891 Whitechapel Murders." Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling 2.1 (Jan. 2005): 1-21.

    If you do not already have a copy of this fascinating article, google the title of the article and you can get a pdf copy from the Internet. This is a study of the Ripper murders by a team of U.S. criminologists that uses signature analysis to conclude that Tabram and the five canonicals were killed by a single person. If you are wondering about the authority of signature analysis, the authors of the article indicate that it is "the only crime scene assessment technique that is accepted in court testimony and appellate decisions" in the U.S. court system.

    I thought it would be fun to apply the JIPOP analysis of Jack the Ripper's signature to William Bury's murder of his wife Ellen. What makes such an effort difficult is that Bury's murder of Ellen was different in some important ways from the Ripper murders (it was his wife, it occurred in their home, it possibly occurred in connection with a domestic dispute and Bury eventually went to the police with a story that Ellen committed suicide by strangling herself). With that in mind...

    1. Picquerism. Bury's abdominal and genital mutilations of Ellen are consistent with picquerism.

    2. Victims incapacitated immediately prior to being killed. At Bury's trial there was medical testimony that his first attack on Ellen was a blow to the head with possibly a poker. If this didn't knock her completely unconscious, it undoubtedly dazed her in a significant way. Having subdued her, Bury then proceeded to strangle her to death. There is a match on this point as well.

    3. Overkill. While the abdominal and genital mutilations might not have killed Ellen in and of themselves, there was "a gaping hole in the abdomen" (Macpherson, p.24) when her body was discovered by the police. Blow to the head with a poker + strangling to death + gruesome abdominal and genital mutilations if they do not actually indicate overkill certainly indicate excessive violence. There is a reasonably good match here.

    4. Posing of body in a sexually degrading way. Here is what the police found when they opened the trunk containing Ellen's body. "We found protruding part of the right leg and foot. The leg was [drawn] upwards till it came to the brain, and then it was broken in two and placed underneath the lid of the box...the left was drawn right over the body and rested on the right shoulder" (Beadle, 2009, p.246). There appears to be some odd posing going on here, and the raising up of the legs could be viewed as an effort to place her in a degrading position. The Ripper possibly left the bodies the way he did in part to shock the people who discovered them. Certainly Bury did not have to stuff Ellen's body in a trunk prior to going to the police, he could have placed it in bed, covered it with a blanket, etc. What he did was ensure that the policemen got a big shock when they opened the lid.

    5. Postmortem mutilation and harvesting of organs. No harvesting of organs, but methinks it would have been an even tougher go at the police station if Bury had admitted to cooking and eating one of Ellen's kidneys. The postmortem mutilations are a match. Some occurred around the time of death, others well after death.

    6. Attacks were planned. Shortly before Ellen was murdered, Bury purchased the piece of rope that was used to strangle her. While this doesn't prove preplanning, it is certainly possible that preplanning was present.

    7. This is not part of the JIPOP signature analysis, but in another thread Abby noted in connection with one of my posts that Bury's throwing of Ellen's clothes into the fireplace and burning them after her murder could be a behavioral link with what happened at the Kelly crime scene. This destroying of the victim's clothes could be part of the establishment of complete domination over the victim that is an element of the JIPOP signature analysis.

    What's remarkable, then, is that even though Bury's murder of Ellen differs in some significant ways from the Ripper murders, there is possibly a very close match in terms of the killer's signature. According to the JIPOP data this combination of signature characteristics is not only rare, it is extremely rare. While no signature analysis can prove that Bury was the Ripper, I think this signature analysis of his murder of Ellen does lend support to the argument that he was the guy.
    Last edited by Wyatt Earp; 07-10-2012, 02:59 PM.
    “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

    William Bury, Victorian Murderer
    http://www.williambury.org

  • #2
    Wyatt you make some excellent points. The fact that Ellen Bury's murder scene wasn't as horrific as Mary Kelly's shouldn't rule Bury out. Especially as you rightly point out the similarities to both murders.

    Comment


    • #3
      An interesting read - thanks for sharing!

      Comment


      • #4
        The time: March 1889. Police Commissioner Curly Earp summons Inspector Abberline to his office to give him an update on the Ripper investigation.

        Commissioner Earp. Abberline, this Ripper business has become a real burr in my saddle. What can you tell me?

        Inspector Abberline. Well, sir, I did just what you asked me. I fed the Ripper's combination of signature characteristics, as outlined in post 1 of this thread, into our database of Victorian murderers. There was only one name that popped out, a William Bury. He is a wife murderer who is currently in custody in Dundee.

        Commissioner Earp. One name, you say?

        Inspector Abberline. One name. There are of course a lot of knife murderers in the database, but Bury is the only match with that exact combination of signature characteristics.

        Commissioner Earp. Very interesting. That of course does not mean he was the Ripper, but he does seem to be a likely suspect. I take it you looked into him further?

        Inspector Abberline. I did. It turns out he did indeed live in the East End at the time of the murders. He matches well some of the witness descriptions. He had a negative history with prostitutes, having acquired venereal disease from one. He was known to smack a woman around in the street. He apparently chalked some messages at his residence that bear a resemblance to the Goulston Street graffito. He had a mystery trunk that he kept locked all the time. It was found to contain cheap rings he wouldn't have worn himself, a thimble of all things, and at least one blood-stained item. After murdering his wife, he burned her clothes in the fireplace the same way that Mary Kelly's clothes were burned.

        Commissioner Earp. Could he have been a copycat?

        Inspector Abberline. No. He didn't cut his wife's throat and abandon her body, which is what we would have expected any copycat to have done. Nor did he go to the police with some story that Jack the Ripper had murdered his wife.

        Commissioner Earp. Then I think he must be our guy.
        “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

        William Bury, Victorian Murderer
        http://www.williambury.org

        Comment


        • #5
          To Wyatt
          Another interesting post. Bury remains a strong suspect. The problem with dismissing Bury is as you rightly point out he didn't cut Ellen's throat which suggests he wasn't a copy cat killer.

          Cheers John
          Last edited by John Wheat; 09-28-2012, 12:26 PM. Reason: spelling mistake

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by John Wheat View Post
            To Wyatt
            Another interesting post. Bury remains a strong suspect. The problem with dismissing Bury is as you rightly point out he didn't cut Ellen's throat which suggests he wasn't a copy cat killer.

            Cheers John
            Thank you, John. I think it's important for us to keep in mind that the copycat theory is just that--a theory. I do not think it fares very well.
            “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

            William Bury, Victorian Murderer
            http://www.williambury.org

            Comment


            • #7
              Regarding your 4th point "Posing of body in a sexually degrading way".

              It could be argued that Bury stuffed her body in the box the best "worst?" way he could, given it and Ellen's size, and didn't care how she looked. She just happened to end up in a degrading manner.

              The rest of your post is broadly in line with my own thinking.

              Regards
              John S

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by johns View Post
                Regarding your 4th point "Posing of body in a sexually degrading way".

                It could be argued that Bury stuffed her body in the box the best "worst?" way he could, given it and Ellen's size, and didn't care how she looked. She just happened to end up in a degrading manner.

                The rest of your post is broadly in line with my own thinking.

                Regards
                John S
                You could be right, but I would say there are about a gazillion different ways he could have stuffed the body into that trunk where we wouldn't be saying, "posing of body in a sexually degrading way," which I think is telling.
                Last edited by Wyatt Earp; 10-01-2012, 07:51 PM.
                “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

                William Bury, Victorian Murderer
                http://www.williambury.org

                Comment


                • #9
                  Or to put it a little more plainly, he had all the time in the world to put her body in the trunk, haphazardly or with care, in all manner of different ways. That he placed her in such a bizarre body position suggests deliberate posing, I think.

                  The chief weakness I actually see with the mapping of Bury to the Ripper's signature is with respect to the element of "preplanning." That seems very speculative with Ellen's murder, as there is conflicting evidence on this point. However, I think it's reasonable to expect that even a "preplanner" could kill spontaneously if he felt sufficiently threatened. If Bury demanded or actually seized her jewelry, and if she told him she would go to the police if he took it (this is a plausible scenario given the history of the quarrels between the two), that might have been enough to set him off, a man who was a violent alcoholic and very possibly drunk when he murdered her.
                  “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

                  William Bury, Victorian Murderer
                  http://www.williambury.org

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I like Bury as a suspect, but my big problem with him is WHY did he go to the police, and why use such a lame cover story?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Iain Wilson View Post
                      I like Bury as a suspect, but my big problem with him is WHY did he go to the police, and why use such a lame cover story?
                      Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. If the murder was unanticipated, he wouldn't have been able to develop a nice exit strategy in advance, and inasmuch as people knew the two of them lived there, he would have been holding a very bad hand. He tried to bluff his way out, and it almost worked.

                      Bury's defense team was able to bring in doctors who testified that the medical evidence supported suicide by self-strangulation. The jury must have taken that testimony seriously, as it made a recommendation to mercy based on the conflicting medical testimony. If the jury took that testimony seriously, what it should have said was "not proven."
                      “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

                      William Bury, Victorian Murderer
                      http://www.williambury.org

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        If i may add a minor link for what its worth- what Ellen Bury and Mary Kelly were wearing at the time they were discovered? Only 1 item of clothing and the same one at that. - it all helps!

                        Like Johns im of the mind that he rammed her into that box anyway he could, breaking bones in the process - but this dosent detract from your orginal point regarding the degrading nature of it all. Though in this instance i do suspect he was planning to dispose of it in some fashion before realising there may be an easier way

                        Police Commissioner Curly Earp summons Inspector Abberline to his office
                        Nicely illustrating what ive always belived; the cumulative factors of Burys known movements and behaviours vs, the rest of the population make it mathmatically improbable that he wasnt the ripper. keppels looked into this as have a few others, murders with near/post death gential mutilations were very rare then as they are now.

                        At the very least as a start Ellen Bury should be on this website as a suspected victim.
                        Last edited by Boggles; 10-17-2012, 12:16 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Boggles View Post
                          Like Johns im of the mind that he rammed her into that box anyway he could, breaking bones in the process
                          Boggles, do you have a specific reason for believing this to be the case? Bury was not mentally challenged. It was not necessary for him to break one of her legs to get her into the trunk. All he needed to do was lay her on her side, bending her knees so as to put her into a fetal position, and she was in there.

                          Macpherson writes that "clothing, books and other articles...had carefully been packed into the box on either side of the body" (page 24). What this means is that he emptied the trunk before putting her body into it, so he would have had free reign in putting her body into the trunk however he wanted to. It also shows that he was of a frame of mind to be "arranging things" in the trunk and not haphazardly shoving things into it. It was only necessary for him to break her leg if he insisted on putting her into that pose.

                          Also, and like Mary Kelly, she was "naked, apart from a chemise" (24). This makes the sexual connotation to what he did with her legs even more apparent I think.
                          “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

                          William Bury, Victorian Murderer
                          http://www.williambury.org

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Boggles, do you have a specific reason for believing this to be the case?
                            Hi wyatt - Good points, I think I read from something about this from a contemporary news article, but it was a few years ago now I'll try and dig it out if i can. From it I just got the impression that Ellen was too long so he had to break her legs/or one of her legs to fit her in, and he packed objects around the spaces in the way you would when you are sending something by courier to stop things rolling from side to side. Of course this could have been misinterpreted by the witnesses, and if we saw it ourselves (knowing what we know from the JTR murders) may stand out as somthing different and more sinister. (not that hacking your murdered wife's legs to squeeze her into a box isnt sinister enough!)

                            naked, apart from a chemise
                            - well noticed and a commonality that i believe should not be dismissed out of hand. This was the case with Farmer assault which i was harping on about in another thread, only a chemise.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Boggles View Post
                              I just got the impression that Ellen was too long so he had to break her legs/or one of her legs to fit her in
                              She was only around 5'1" and so it wouldn't seem there could be a problem fitting her into the trunk.

                              Originally posted by Boggles View Post
                              and he packed objects around the spaces in the way you would when you are sending something by courier to stop things rolling from side to side.
                              No doubt Bury considered that escape route in his deliberations...problem with that of course is "Where's Ellen?" combined with "Gosh, this trunk feels heavy enough to have a body in it!" He decided against it.
                              “When a major serial killer case is finally solved and all the paperwork completed, police are sometimes amazed at how obvious the killer was and how they were unable to see what was right before their noses.” —Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes, The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

                              William Bury, Victorian Murderer
                              http://www.williambury.org

                              Comment

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