MJK Murder Oddities

[JRJ]

Hi this is my first post.

IIRC according to the coroner Mary Jane Kelly died when her Jugular was severed leaving the wall spattered with arterial spray. This prompts several questions?

ASSUMING IT WAS the WM, it would have violated his M.O. in that the WM strangled his victims before cutting them up. Why would he take such a risk?

Horribly, this also suggests that MJK was conscious when attacked –how did the WM conduct his attack w/o her raising bloody hell instead of the subdued ‘Murder’ heard by the four women living in the room directly above hers?

Also, why wasn’t the WM covered in blood?

JRJ

[kensei]

Hi this is my first post.

IIRC according to the coroner Mary Jane Kelly died when her Jugular was severed leaving the wall spattered with arterial spray. This prompts several questions?

ASSUMING IT WAS the WM, it would have violated his M.O. in that the WM strangled his victims before cutting them up. Why would he take such a risk?

Horribly, this also suggests that MJK was conscious when attacked –how did the WM conduct his attack w/o her raising bloody hell instead of the subdued ‘Murder’ heard by the four women living in the room directly above hers?

Also, why wasn’t the WM covered in blood?

JRJ

Hello and welcome JRJ,

I'm no expert but have studied the case for a long time. It's my understanding that ALL the victims died from cut throats, and that the Ripper (or Whitechapel Murderer) did strangle them first but not to death, only to unconsciousness or near-unconsciousness.

I think Mary Kelly probably was conscious when attacked, but she was also quite drunk and not at the top of her game. Being young and relatively healthy, if sober she could have probably given her killer a run for his money. By the way there was only one woman in the room directly above, Mrs. Prater, though I do remember reading that there were a couple of others in other locations nearby that also heard the cry of "Murder."

Lastly, why wasn't the murderer covered in blood? To some degree he almost certainly was. With a fire burning for warmth as well as light, he may have disrobed somewhat as he cut up the body and then covered his bloodstains with a coat when he left.

[Carrotty Nell]

I remember reading that it was not possible to determine whether MJK had been strangled or not because of the extent of the mutilations. Bond does not say yea or nay on the subject. So really there are no grounds for assuming the WM abandoned his MO in this regard.

The arterial spray hit the wall to the right of the bed. So as the killer must have been standing room-side of the bed there is no reason to suppose he would have been drenched in arterial spray.

There were only two who heard the cry of murder, Elizabeth Prater and Sarah Lewis, both giving slightly different timings for it and slightly different accounts of the scream, but not discrepancies sufficient to seriously question whether they both heard the same thing. Various other Miller's Court residents heard various other things throughout the night, Kelly singing, retreating footsteps, Kelly's door closing.

[Leatherface]

There was also evidence (I believe) that he may have a sheet over her face when he did the final strike.

R

[Fisherman]

Leatherface writes:

"There was also evidence (I believe) that he may have a sheet over her face when he did the final strike."

If the cuts to the face were final or outset ones is something we do not know. Both theories have their followers. Moreover, whether the cuts to the bedlinen came about as the result of the killer covering Kellys face or as the result of the knife travelling down into the linen underneath her head as he cut, also divides those who have an interest in the case in two camps.

The suggestion that the killer covered her face comes from Bond. I´m not inclined to go along with his deductions in many cases, but this is one occasion where we are agreed.

The best!
Fisherman

[j.r-ahde]

Hello JRJ!

And welcome aboard on my behalf too!

There is only one proven oddity in MJK's murder; she was murdered indoors!

Even that has a logical explanation, though; JtR may have felt the Vigilance Committee to be on his heels. And Mary - despite being pretty witty at least in covering the tracks of her real backround - thought to be safe indoors...

All the best
Jukka

[John Bennett]

Even that has a logical explanation, though; JtR may have felt the Vigilance Committee to be on his heels. And Mary - despite being pretty witty at least in covering the tracks of her real backround - thought to be safe indoors...

There is a yet more logical explanation for Kelly being murdered indoors - she had her own indoors to go to!

[c.d.]

There is a yet more logical explanation for Kelly being murdered indoors - she had her own indoors to go to!

Go easy with that logical stuff, John or else everybody will start doing it. Can you imagine what would happen to the boards?

c.d.

[Dan Norder]

I think John Lennon wrote a song about just that scenario, c.d.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Dan!

What a scenario; Imagine presenting a solution to our case!

John Bennett; those logical explanations don't necessarily exclude each other...

All the best
Jukka

[John Bennett]

John Bennett; those logical explanations don't necessarily exclude each other...

All the best
Jukka

That's very true!

[Robert]

I think his method changed because he did something devilishly unexpected : he turned the door handle and walked in. And I think he got a shock when he found Kelly in there.

Just my three ha'pworth (used to be two ha'pworth but inflation's on the climb.)

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Robert!

No wonder; after middle-aged drunkards had-seen-their-best days, a young, good-looking gal sleeping...

All the best
Jukka

[c.d.]

I think his method changed because he did something devilishly unexpected : he turned the door handle and walked in. And I think he got a shock when he found Kelly in there.

Just my three ha'pworth (used to be two ha'pworth but inflation's on the climb.)

Sorry, Robert. You lost me here. What do you think he was expecting to find?

c.d.

[Jon Guy]

You lost me here. What do you think he was expecting to find?

Joey Barnett, perhaps ..... "c`mon on in Georgie, she`s gone to New Court for the night".