Chapman's Death

[Chava]

Good points Mitch!

Something else also occurs...

Cadoche heard 'no' and something fall against the fence. I wonder if it's possible that someone came downstairs and went outside ahead of whoever discovered the body. Saw it. Said 'no' and staggered with shock, steadying him/herself on the fence. And left in a hurry because he/she did not want to get involved. It's not impossible that such a thing could happen. If this had happened, it would mean that Chapman could have been killed earlier. Which does kind of jibe with what the doctors thought.

[Mitch Rowe]

Philips said Annie died of syncope and that means the heart stopped because it was empty and had no more blood to pump. Philips surmised Annie died where she lay. I presume because of the massive amount of blood beneath her neck and possibly from the markings on the palings.

Police surmised the Ripper had a very sharp knife indeed. And that he was strong. OJ was able to do roughly the same thing but he used a knife that most likely would have been far duller than the ripper could have used if he had stopped by any butchers shop and sharpened it on a public sharpening devices.

There are indications that Annie was forcefully handled in some manner. Annie wasnt in between the steps and the fence but in a position where the Ripper would have had enough room to operate comfortably.

[Chava]

I was just reading the Chapman information on her Victims board. Her throat was cut very deeply--the neck was nearly severed. And there seems to have been s bit of arterial splashing on the fence near the ground. Given that there was very little room to move in the little alcove in the back yard where she was murdered, how did the killer manage to use his knife with such force? You could kill someone from the back like that. But from the front, you would need to use a huge amount of force and maybe have to kneel on the body to do it. I'm sure if that was done before death, bruising would occur. Is it possible that he strangled her to death before he used his knife? Then slashed her throat as she lay face-down, turned her over and then started with his knife. So that the blood spots on the fence would be spatter from the violent raising and lowering of the knife rather than from a killing stroke? If this is the case, then perhaps it's possible to look at the height of that spatter, and so get an idea of the height of the killer? The spots are in something of a horizontal line, which could roughly line up with the angle of the knife...