Do serial killers just stop?

[John Wheat]

Yes serial killers do stop. But would Jack just stop?

[Filby]

Yes serial killers do stop. But would Jack just stop?

Since it appears, if we support the canonical five, that the murders progressed in violence and it could be that he achieved "satisfaction" with the Kelly murder. This combined with the additional surveillance, could have created a lull in activity, but you bring up a great point. More likely, given the time I would venture to say that in addition, there was an illness or or others interceded who may have had suspicions.

[Scott Nelson]

"there was an illness or or others interceded who may have had suspicions."

It could have been both. Progressive mental illness and friends or family who interceded to prevent him from going out.

[Michael W Richards]

To know whether he stopped you need a start date and an end date, so is the suggestion that we use from Polly to Mary? IF one man killed all 5, then you can narrow down the likely possibilities for the abrupt ending. After Marys murder he went totally mad, maybe left London for good, perhaps was institutionalized, was unable to continue, chose not to continue, killed himself....lots of possibles. But, if this isnt a series of Five murders then determining who is really the finale is much more slippery. Could someone have stopped and other murders that came after were just intended to simulate a Ripper event? Could he have started, stopped, then re-started..like BTK. Might explain some post 1888 murders. Is it possible, for example that he couldnt continue after Polly then Annie, how would we know that when Kate and Mary's murders sort of follow suit, to some extent. How can we make an educated guess who was his last victim? By creating a profile based on the earlier killings and looking for those same kinds of characteristics in later murders. For me, the abdominal mutilator is the one we call Jack the Ripper. Murders that have that element are worth considering, but a man who cuts a throat with a knife is just a thug.

[Fiver]

How can we make an educated guess who was his last victim? By creating a profile based on the earlier killings and looking for those same kinds of characteristics in later murders. For me, the abdominal mutilator is the one we call Jack the Ripper. Murders that have that element are worth considering, but a man who cuts a throat with a knife is just a thug.

I see three distinctive elements to the Ripper murders.
* Killing by cutting the throat, probably after strangulation. Most knife murders were stabbngs, not throat cutting.
* Abdominal mutilations.
* Posing the body - flat on the back, legs spread, skirts hiked up.

Lack of the latter two would indicate either the killer being scared off before performing them or it was a different killer.