Let's narrow down some Ripper 'facts'

[The Good Michael]

Hello Errata. I agree that it is highly unlikely that a Jewish person would have participated in theses crimes. After all, as has been pointed out beginning in 1888, there is a strong aversion in Jewish culture and religion towards blood and mangled bodies.

Why is that? Why wouldn't it be a percentage chance equal to the division of the population groups and excluding children, elderly, and women as a starting point?

In fact, why not break it down into ethnic groups and see what comes up. Then religions. Then socio-economic levels.
Mike

[DVV]

But isn't it curious that this wasn't what happened at Miller's Court, where the killer had presumably more time and more light? If the killer had a boning knife on him at the time, the chances of failure at decapitation were nil.
Ben

Hi Ben, there are still people to believe in attempted decapitations... How amazing.

Dvvvv

[DVV]

Why is that? Why wouldn't it be a percentage chance equal to the division of the population groups and excluding children, elderly, and women as a starting point?
Mike

That also is beyond me. "He can't be a Jew" is as stupid as the old "he can't be a Brit." Must be its 3rd millenium counterpart.

[lynn cates]

pinched

Hello Ben. Yes, but perhaps that is because my lad was pinched September 12.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

editing

Hello Michael. Not sure what you mean. I am editing out a segment of the population who have strictures about blood and dead bodies. Just as if it required X force to do the job and so we eliminate those with measured forces X-K (where K is a positive real number).

Cheers.
LC

[The Good Michael]

That also is beyond me. "He can't be a Jew" is as stupid as the old "he can't be a Brit." Must be its 3rd millenium counterpart.

I hope this isn't what he meant. But I am curious.

Mike

[lynn cates]

modal

Hello David. Not "can't" but rather "highly unlikely."

And certainly not an Orthodox practitioner.

Cheers.
LC

[Malcolm X]

Yes Malcolm, Glenn was nice ("The Swedes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing", if you remember).

Sorry to hear your father has passed, mate, sincerely.

thanks.

JTR wasn't trying to remove their heads, it's just that his knife was so sharp and used with such force that this is bound to almost happen..... MJK i mean most of all

[Abby Normal]

I think we can safely assume JtR had no significant anatomical knowledge and was a local man.

The big question, worth debating in 2012 as it was in 1888 is : was he a Jew or not ?

It was a major fracture then, and it still is. It affects our views on minor mysteries such as who wrote the GSG ? was MJK random ? etc etc

Hi DVV
Not a jew. In fact he was more than likely specifically pissed off at jews in particular the night of the double event as he had been seen/interupted by up to five that night. See "lipski!" and GSG.

[The Good Michael]

Hello David. Not "can't" but rather "highly unlikely."

And certainly not an Orthodox practitioner.

If we divide the populace into Jews and non-Jews, and we use an imaginary figure of 100,000 local people, and we know that 50,000 are Jews, we can say that the probability is 50% that it was a Jew who killed at least some of the victims. If you want to break it down into Orthodox and New immigrants, and established Jews, it changes everything of course.

Mike

[Garry Wroe]

I see that some continue to cite examples of schizophrenic friends and acquaintances who behave relatively normally. Were these posters to spend a little time with schizophrenics who are not subject to a daily regimen of antipsychotic drugs they might better understand the devastating effect this disease exerts on sufferers.

Similarly, in view of the discussion relating to the perceived level of medical knowledge/expertise viewed in the Ripper’s mutilations, I’ll once again cite an extract from my book:-

But it is the latter-day serialist who places the Ripper’s exploits in their truest light, medically untrained killers like Ed Gein who beheaded victims as well as removing internal organs and large areas of skin. Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert Fish, Dennis Nilsen, Andrei Chikatilo, Fritz Haarman, Karl Denke and Joachim Kroll each fall into a similar category, representing an arbitrary sample of non-medico murderers who have exhibited tremendous dexterity in dismemberment and organ removal. In addition to performing these same ritualistic acts, Ed Kemper learned from experience that, by slicing through a victim’s Achilles tendons, he could stave off crural rigor mortis – a process which, if left unchecked, severely inhibits necrophilic activity. And when in 1959 Birmingham police were alerted to the murder of Stephanie Baird, they became convinced that the man responsible had undergone medical training, a view endorsed by Dr Francis Camps after he had examined the body. Apart from being decapitated, Stephanie had been mutilated in a manner that stirred echoes of Mary Kelly. This prompted investigators to interview four thousand butchers as well as hundreds of medical students. These inquiries led nowhere. Then, quite by chance, the murderer was apprehended. He turned out to be Patrick Byrne, a twenty-eight year old Dubliner of below average intelligence who earned his living as a building site labourer.

I would suggest, therefore, that rather than trusting to the opinions of men who had no experience whatever of the sadosexual serial offender, we should evaluate the Ripper’s activities in context of more recent criminal history. Once we do, the injuries inflicted by this man may be seen as anything but remarkable. Indeed, far more extensive and complex procedures have been undertaken by offenders who had undergone not the slightest medical training.

[DVV]

Hi DVV
Not a jew. In fact he was more than likely specifically pissed off at jews in particular the night of the double event as he had been seen/interupted by up to five that night. See "lipski!" and GSG.

Hi Abby, I'm tired repeating that my take is that he wasn't a Jew. I also believe JtR wrote the GSG. I'm even of opinion that he might have tried to put the blame on Jews again with the fantastic Astrakhan Man.... Seen ?

But whatever my beliefs and gut-feelings, "Jew or not" is still THE major fracture in suspectology, and the old Jewish track is not to be neglected. Why would it be ? JtR was certainly a local man, thus possibly a Jew.

[DVV]

Hi Garry, I completely agree with your reasoning. Thanks for posting this.

[Garry Wroe]

Not a jew. In fact he was more than likely specifically pissed off at jews in particular the night of the double event as he had been seen/interupted by up to five that night. See "lipski!" and GSG.

Sorry, Abby, but this holds true only if the Ripper killed Stride and authored the Goulston Street message, and there is more than a little room for doubt on both counts.

[The Good Michael]

Orthodox Jews don't kill others http://gothamist.com/2011/07/15/levi_aron.php


Mike