Is Kosminski still the best suspect we have?

[Columbo]

No, he isn't.

Kosminski had no serious history of violence against women. Threatening his sister with scissors is a far cry from methodically cutting someone's throat without being seen or caught. That requires psychopathy.

He was strange and psychotic, but that is not the same. He was most likely a Skitzophrenic. That does not make him a murderer. He would not have had the ability to put these women at ease in any way. These women were street smart and would not have taken a risk with someone like him. He would have been mumbling to himself, speaking gibberish or simply flying into uncontrolled bouts of rage. Psychosis killers stand out. He just stood out as being strange and seemed a useful suspect.

Actually you don’t know that. Neither do I, but there is evidence that he had lucid periods, even to the point of representing himself in court at one point close to this time. I find him very compelling in that he’s probably the most misunderstood suspect. People need to not depend on Martin Fido’s opinion and do more research on him. I don’t know if he was JTR, but he is a pretty interesting, sad fellow. And the fact he was named by contemporaries makes him the most compelling to me. Read Jack the Ripper and the case for Scotland yards prime suspect by Robert House. Very good examination of Kosminski.

[erobitha]

Yes, Kosminski is still the most compelling.

No, he isn't.

Kosminski had no serious history of violence against women. Threatening his sister with scissors is a far cry from methodically cutting someone's throat without being seen or caught. That requires psychopathy.

He was strange and psychotic, but that is not the same. He was most likely a Skitzophrenic. That does not make him a murderer. He would not have had the ability to put these women at ease in any way. These women were street smart and would not have taken a risk with someone like him. He would have been mumbling to himself, speaking gibberish or simply flying into uncontrolled bouts of rage. Psychosis killers stand out. He just stood out as being strange and seemed a useful suspect.

[Columbo]

Yes, Kosminski is still the most compelling.

[Christian]

All the dirty business of Shawlgate aside, is Aaron Kosminski still the most compelling Ripper suspect based on all the known facts of the case?

Maybe ! think over last 30 years it’s all become “foggy “ to say the least - sometimes boarder on absurdity

[mpriestnall]

Out of Hitler and Mussolini, one will have been the best democrat.

Or juggler.

[John Wheat]

Well that TV special in 1988 all but named him as the Ripper. It's telling that the Shawlgate people picked Kosminsky as the suspect in their fabrication. This is a tallest midget contest and Kosminski looms quite large.

There are stronger suspects out there.

[Damaso Marte]

When was Kosminski the best suspect in the first place?

Well that TV special in 1988 all but named him as the Ripper. It's telling that the Shawlgate people picked Kosminsky as the suspect in their fabrication. This is a tallest midget contest and Kosminski looms quite large.

[Fisherman]

Out of Hitler and Mussolini, one will have been the best democrat.

[Scott Nelson]

He never was as far as I know. It's all subjective.

[John Wheat]

When was Kosminski the best suspect in the first place?

[tanta07]

However it was strange that his brother had to attend and talk to the courts on his behalf. It seems that maybe Aaron needed support of some kind?
Pat..

Is there documentation his brother spoke on his behalf during the December 1889 court appearance? I think I had read his brother accompanied him, but I wasn't aware he spoke on Aaron's behalf.

[Scott Nelson]

I just remembered something... Paul Begg questioned whose sister Kosminski threatened with a knife. I think it was Jacob Cohen's sister, Betsy Abrahams. Jacob accompanied Aaron to the Colney Hatch asylum and gave evidence to the admitting authorities. Jacob probably had to ensure that Aaron would not be liberated again and emphasized the knife threat to authorities. Woolf apparently didn't want to have anything to do with the confinement.

Yes...I think that's probably it.

[Scott Nelson]

Stranger still...his brother apparently didn't take him to the asylum. Jacob Cohen (his brother's brother-in-law) did and did all of the talking.

[Paddy]

Well, as late as December 1889, Kosminski still had it together enough to appear in court and even crack jokes about going by Aaron Abrahams, because Kosminski was too hard to spell, and that he couldn't pay his fine that day (a Sunday) because of Jewish customs.

It seems he didn't regress into the incoherent lunatic who ate out of gutters until around mid-1890.

However it was strange that his brother had to attend and talk to the courts on his behalf. It seems that maybe Aaron needed support of some kind?
Pat..

[TheTypeWriter]

Well that does shed new light on it. Perhaps then he could have done it. I'm more inclined towards Jacob Levy as the Anderson suspect.